What goes, what stays in Wellington City Council’s long term plan

Thursday, 22 May 2025

Communities can let out a breath of relief, kind of, after the Wellington City Council voted to upgrade the Khandallah Pool, save the Begonia House and hand the Karori Event Centre back to a local trust.

But the question remains ‒ how much will be saved?

The bureaucratic stakes were high at Thursday’s mega-meeting ‒ which ran for more than seven hours ‒ as councillors decided on its the long-term plan, annual plan and Local Water Done Well.

Water reform was the headline act, with the council deciding to form a new water entity with Hutt Valley, Porirua and Greater Wellington Regional councils as part of Local Water Done Well.

The decision to stick it out with other councilswas chosen over staying with the troubled status quo and setting up a standalone water entity.

The three councillors who voted against the move were Tim Brown, Sarah Free and Iona Pannett.

A key part of the debate involved an amendment raised by Brown, for the council to maintain a direct relationship with the new entity, not just through the board.

The vote failed, with 10 councillors voting against, with the threat of government intervention if the council does not deliver a model by the deadline.

Brown reflected on the lack of relationship Wellington Water had with the council under the same model and the “deficiencies” in the council’s understanding of where the money was going.

“I have a very strong aversion to another layer coming between the entity and the council.”

But Ben McNulty did move an amendment that ensures there will be a direct relationship between the board and councils for items such as appointment of directors and an investment and revenue plan.

Forming a consumer advocacy group to scrutinise the water entity, requiring the entity to provide five-year investment and revenue plan, monitoring the consequences of water charges on residents and not funding stormwater through volumetric charges were amendments voted through.

Saving community facilities

A range of amendments to save well-loved community projects in threat of the axe were approved.

Khandallah Pool, which would cost $4.5m to demolish versus $7.5m to save was voted through, along with saving the Botanic Garden’s Begonia House - which was backed by a community petition with more than 5000 signatures.

The Karori Event Centre is still on the fence, with the council gifting the centre back to the local trust on the basis a lengthy list of conditions are upheld, including council providing $1m out of the $3.3m needed for its interior fit-out and the trust supplying the rest, and completing the deal in the next three months.

Ground lease sale

It has been confirmed to The Post the council has decided to proceed with the sale of the ground lease for its own building in a publicly excluded session.

The building ‒ 68 Jervois Quay ‒ is the building the council offices are about to move into. It is a privately owned building, which the council will lease, on council land to pay for its $40 million office fit-out and move into the office above.

Airbnb rates

Responding to the outrage of raising Airbnb hosts rates, the council has found a compromise, with a new rates differential created that falls somewhere in between residential and commercial rates.

But councillors voted down an investigation into the economic impacts of the rates, which McNulty said highlighted cultural issues within the council.

Of a similar vain ‒ a report on updates on the Golden Mile project was voted down, including investigating whether the contract signing could be delayed ‒ a move that becomes more contentious as the election creeps closer. The vote was narrow, with the two mana whenua representatives tipping the scale.

Parking fees for motorbikes

Motorcycle riders will be charged a fee of $1 a hour from Monday to Friday, with a daily cap of $6 a day, the first vote of the day concluded, with councillors voting 13 to 5.

The issue was controversial, with 80% of public submitters against the move, but the decision was ultimately made to increase revenue for the council

Savings found

While most community facilities are out of harms way, where were the savings actually found?

• Paneke Poneke cycle network: $48m

• City Streets project: $130.6m

• The Frank Kitts Park redevelopment: $46.1m

• Te Ngakau civic square: $89.4m

Other savings include Wellington Zoo upgrades, venue upgrades, the Bond Store upgrade and suburban town centre upgrades.

The votes had one objective: close its under-insurance gap in case of a major disaster. The total amount saved will be revealed in June.