Wellington City Council Greens save climate change budget
Thursday, 12 March 2026
Wellington’s Green city councillors have won in their bid to limit the money slashed from the council climate budget.
Carbon emissions were the biggest single loser when deputy mayor Ben McNulty led a cost-cutting working group into council finances.
They were scheduled to be voted on, and included in annual plan consultation, at the Wellington City Council meeting on Thursday.
But Green councillor Rebecca Matthews made an amendment to restore the carbon emission reduction money, with savings coming from elsewhere.
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One of those areas was $650,000 from the council’s social and recreation budget. Council staff warned it had already found all the savings it could without affecting service levels. Staff asked councillors to signal where they wanted those cuts if they voted for Matthews’ amendment.
The social and recreation budget is wide-ranging including pools, playground, recreation centres, and more. The proposed cuts also included $500,000 from consultant spending.
The actual cuts and changes won’t come into effect until mid-year, after consultation, when the next annual plan is adopted. The vote passed 12 votes to six. Councillors Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Andrea Compton, Tony Randle, Karl Tiefenbacher and Nicola Young voted against.
Councillors also agreed to complete cycleways on Bunny St and Brooklyn hill, but kicked back one on Victoria St. They further agreed a position to support a bed tax, and consult a smaller rates differential for short-term accommodation providers like Airbnb hosts at 2.6 times the normal residential rate and increasing crematorium and contaminated waste fees by 5%.
Earlier, mayor Andrew Little had his three-year plan adopted with majority support.
The vote on the plan passed with a 15-to-three vote. Only c Chung, Randle and Tiefenbacher voted against.
The wide-ranging plan is a blueprint for what the council wants to achieve, and what it plans to achieve, this triennium.
Little warned there would be unexpected events in the coming three years but the plan made clear where priorities sat.
There are at least two items in the plan that could have real impacts on Wellington ratepayers’ bank accounts – potentially widening the ratepayer pool to include Crown properties and a complete overhaul of how rates are calculated.
Little will advocate for a reversal of the law that means Crown buildings – including Parliament, schools and hospitals – do not pay rates.
Little campaigned on a promise to look at a change to a land value-based rating system and his council has now committed to investigating that.
Ratepayers currently pay rates on the land value plus whatever is on top – an empty section will pay much less than the same sized section that is intensely developed next door.
Underpinning it all is a promise in the plan that will be music to the ears of ratepayers: Strive to keep rates as low as practicable and look at ways to reduce costs and increase revenue.
Following on from a council horror report that found a contracting process in turmoil, with potential for financial and legal risks to ratepayers, the plan means any capital works contract valued at $1 million or more will be urgently reviewed, but only if construction has not yet begun.
Exempt from that are the Golden Mile project, which is separately getting reviewed, and a plan for a second inner city bus spine along the harbour quays.
The plan also calls to advocate to the regional council for a public transport fare cap, improving the Karori to Miramar bus service, a review of consenting fees and setting goals for consent processing times.
How they voted (selected):
Rebecca Matthews’ climate change amendment
Ayes (12): Andrew Little, Ben McNulty, Nureddin Abdurahman, Afnan Al-Rubayee, Laurie Foon, Rebecca Matthews, Sam O’Brien, Jonny Osborne, Matthew Reweti, Geordie Rogers, Holden Hohaia, Liz Kelly.
Noes (6): Dianne Calvert, Ray Chung, Andrea Compton, Tony Randle, Karl Tiefenbacher, Nicola Young
The triennium plan
Ayes (15): Andrew Little, Ben McNulty, Nureddin Abdurahman, Afnan Al-Rubayee, Diane Calvert, Andrea Compton, Laurie Foon, Rebecca Matthews, Sam O’Brien, Jonny Osborne, Matthew Reweti, Geordie Rogers, Nicola Young, Holden Hohaia, Liz Kelly.
Noes (3): Ray Chung, Tony Randle, Karl Tiefenbacher
– Additional reporting Justin Wong