Wellington mayor Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington's mayor can be confident a Crown observer will be appointed before the council meets to hash out what should remain in its long-term plan, the local government minister says.
Simeon Brown announced last month he would appoint an observer after Wellington City Council backtracked on a decision to sell its Wellington Airport shares, leaving a big hole in its budget.
The council had 10 days to respond to Brown's announcement - and mayor Tory Whanau wrote to Brown on Friday welcoming an observer, putting the ball back in the minister's court.
Whanau hoped an appointment would be made this week, given the council is on a time crunch to get its long-term plan in place.
On Tuesday, Brown said an announcement would be made "shortly" and confirmed an observer would be appointed well before the council's 21 November meeting.
Officials were working through the appointment process, he said.
"We want to make sure we get the right person to assist the council with the complex role that it will be to assist the council as it goes through the LTP," he said.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Meanwhile, Whanau released a list of projects that she had requested officers' advice on options to reduce, defer or remove, for consideration at the meeting.
"I acknowledge some of these projects are strongly supported by their communities and we will fully engage and listen to them throughout this process," she said.
"In reviewing these projects I am endeavouring to stand by those key principles I set out of not increasing rates, fixing our water and not cutting social housing or critical climate action."
The mayor asked for advice on downsizing, deferring or removing the following projects:
- Te Ngakau/Civic Square updates, focusing only on the work that Council has a statutory obligation to do;
- Begonia House upgrade
- Bond Store upgrade
- Te Awe Mapara - and what the impacts would be of reducing some of this unallocated funding;
- Khandallah swimming pool
- Huetepara Park
- Grenada North Community Sports Hub - with the possibility of doing smaller improvements now and deferring major improvements to outer years
- Kilbirnie Skate Park
- Frank Kitts car park demolition and landscaping for the Fale Male and Chinese Garden
- Otari Landscape Plan
- Suburban centre upgrades
- Zoo masterplan
- City Streets transport funding - prioritising a low cost second spine bus route, cross city cycle connection and Cuba and Dixon street improvements
- Cycleways - recognising the loss of government co-funding, whether we can prioritise completion of the primary network and get options for re-phasing the secondary routes.
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