Wellington City Council calls time on a wild 2024

Wednesday, 18 December 2024

The Wellington City Council has had its last meeting for 2024. Pictured from top left are mayor Tory Whanau, councillor Nīkau Wi Neera, deputy mayor Laurie Foon, and councillors Nureddin Abdurahman, Teri O'Neill, and Tim Brown.

And it’s a wrap. The Wellington City Council is done for 2024.

A wild year in bureaucracy culminated on Tuesday with the council agreeing to get staff to try to bring next year’s rates rise back down to 12.8%, oppose ACT’s Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, investigate suburban parking charges and start negotiations on selling property and perhaps art.

There were cries of “shame” and councillor Teri O’Neill called out councillor Ray Chung over the council’s Treaty bill opposition, while councillor Tim Brown labelled councillor Diane Calvert’s amendments “theatrical” and a “load of nonsense”. The council finished the year with the rancour that defined it in 2024.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau: “These are very big decisions and we are passionate.”

Or, in mayor Tory Whanau’s words, “these are very big decisions and we are passionate”.

To recap 2024, as Whanau did, it was quite a year.

There were the dual controversies of the failed airport sale and failed Reading deal, leaks both of pipes and confidential information, government water reform, being slammed by the same Government over focusing on “nice to haves”, chief executive Barbara McKerrow stepping down, the appointment of a Crown observer, and having to amend a just-signed-off long-term plan.

Councillor Diane Calvert wanted an option to cap next year’s rates at 10%. It failed.

The main event of Thursday’s meeting was the attempt to get a revised long-term plan ready to send out to public consultation in 2025. Whanau had set her own deadline for getting a draft budget done by the end of 2024 but Tuesday’s meeting left work still to be done in the new year.

The long-term plan set next year’s rates increase at 12.8% but the current budget would see that go to 15.9%. Staff have been told to try to find ways to bring it back down to 12.8%.

One of the options is selling nine ground leases, land the council owns and leases to building owners, worth about $68 million. Staff now have permission to start negotiating on those sales but the final call will come back to the council.

Councillor Ben McNulty: “I can’t believe how much [like] Groundhog Day this is.”

Council staff have also been asked to look at suburban parking charges – an idea previously rejected but now being reconsidered. They will also look at selling carbon credits with the money going into a rainy day fund for a big natural disaster.

Calvert’s amendment, backed by councillor Ben McNulty, was rejected but would have seen the council come back with an option where next year’s rates increase was capped at 10%.

McNulty predicted the council advice would come back in February with a rates rise of 12.8%, which councillors would get cold feet on and ask staff to look a cuts – only to be advised it was too late and it should have been requested in December.

“I can’t believe how much [like] Groundhog Day this is … ,” McNulty said. “Seeing the information is OK.”

Groundhog Day is a 1993 film starring Bill Murray whose character keeps on waking up on the same day.

Whanau finished the meeting with a word to the National-led central Government which has told councils to focus on core services, not nice-to-haves. Wellington had two Green MPs, a Green mayor, and one Labour MP, she said.

“It’s a reminder to the Government to stay in their lane.”

Lindsay McKenzie, the man appointed by Local Government Minister Simeon Brown to be his eyes and ears over the council as it reworked its long-term plan, watched from the sidelines.