Why Ōhāriu MP Greg O’Connor loves Wellington

Tuesday, 10 September 2024

It's got the harbour, where you can swim in rain, shine or even small sewage leaks.

Wellington’s taken a bit of flack over the last few months – businesses are closing, workers are leaving, the rain is often horizontal.

But one of the city’s biggest fans says it’s not all doom and gloom.

Instead, Wellington’s got everything, including a pristine harbour through rain, shine –maybe a bit of sewage.

Ōhāriu MP Greg O’Connor says Wellington is a great city but it needs to get back to progressing. “We've got to really sit back and think now, what is it that makes us better than other cities?

“It used to be the fact that we got access to our water,” he said.

Some hardy swimmers took to the water at Evans Bay at the weekend.

“When I first came to live here in the 1970s you couldn't get anywhere near the waterfront … then we built ourselves into it, and that was why people used to jump on a plane from Australia, come here and have a great, wonderful weekend in Wellington.

“We can do that again. We've got to recognise those things that make Wellington better than everywhere else, and there's plenty of them.”

O’Connor and his red 1974 Austin Martin.

O’Connor said if he lived out of the city he would come on holiday to Wellington. “Because it's actually got a great access to its water, it's actually still got some pretty good cafes.”

‘Woody the saxophonist’ celebrates a sunny day on Wellington’s waterfront.

“We've got that fantastic harbour out there,“ he said, adding there were issues such as long stretches where you could not get a coffee.

“That waterfront is fantastic. If it's windy, wrap up, if it's sunny, put some sunscreen on.”

Asked if it was the same waterfront that gets polluted during heavy rain, O’Connor said, “it doesn't stop people swimming in there, does it?”

When asked if he would swim in the harbour if there were sewage leaks, O’Connor said, “I do… well I’m not sure, I haven’t seen any warning lately.”

A sunny Sunday drew onlookers to the Mount Victoria lookout.

O’Connor asked if there were any warnings currently.

“The positive is that you can go and swim in Wellington harbour today. Is that what I'm hearing from you? Good, report that!”

Asked why so many businesses were closing, O’Connor said, “well, it’s due to the fact that they haven’t got enough customers”.

“It's basic. I mean, you shut because you haven't got enough customers. Why haven't we got enough customers? Too many are working from home? Is it because we’re sacking too many public servants? All these things.

“So the only way we're going to fix that is get more customers here.

“Whatever strategy we have, has got to be about bringing more people into Wellington, whether it be as visitors, to work, but be downtown. So when you walk down Lambton quay, it's vibrant.”