Latest news with #ToryWhanau
Scoop
a day ago
- Business
- Scoop
Wellington City Sets Course: Annual Plan And Amended Long-Term Plan Adopted
Investment for the year ahead has been set with the adoption of Wellington City Council's 2025-26 Annual Plan and an amendment to the 2024-34 Long-term Plan. 'This is a significant moment for Wellington City Council. After needing to amend our Long-Term Plan last year, we've collectively proven our ability to find significant savings and still deliver essential services and infrastructure over the next decade,' says Mayor Tory Whanau. 'We can now move forward with the projects Wellington wanted, while also investing in much-needed infrastructure and setting up our city for future generations.' Councillor Rebecca Matthews, Chair of the Council's Kōrau Tōtōpū Long-Term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee, says funding has been allocated to enhance public spaces, upgrade social housing, support vulnerable communities, foster arts, promote green initiatives including biodiversity, and address city safety. 'We've identified significant savings without compromising the quality of services the community relies on or delaying critical infrastructure projects.' The Council yesterday officially approved and accepted the plan and amendment, which was put out for public consultation between March and April. The 2025/26 Annual Plan and associated budget includes an average rates increase of 12 percent, including 1.4 percent for the sludge levy. This is slightly below the forecast for the year in the 2024-34 Long-term Plan. In total, the Council proposes to collect $628 million in rates during the 2025/26 year to fund services across the city. The Council is also creating a disaster resilience fund by selling some ground leases. This fund is designed to enhance Wellington's ability to recover from future disasters by providing a dedicated financial resource. Thursday's adoption was the final stage in the process of amending the 2024-34 Long-term Plan and 2025/26 Annual Plan and their respective budgets. The adoption is a requirement to implement rates for the 2025/26 year. The Council plans to invest close to $3.4 billion of capital expenditure in improving Pōneke over the next 10 years and nearly $9 billion towards running city services. The 2024-34 Long-term Plan was amended to reflect an October 2024 Council decision not to sell its shares in Wellington International Airport Limited. The amendment sought an alternative approach to addressing the key financial risks of underinsurance and lack of investment diversification. To manage the risks, the Council is increasing its borrowing capacity by reducing capital spending and creating a disaster resilience fund for use in emergency situations. Following the adoption of the Annual Plan, changes to fees and user charges have also been implemented. The Council approved the introduction of a $1-an-hour fee for the use of central city motorcycle bays, with a daily cap of $6, with the charge implemented on weekdays between 8am and exact date for implementation is yet to be confirmed. Most fees and user charges will increase, effective 1 July. There are several variables that impact on how fees and charges are set. These vary from activity to activity, and can relate to inflation, rising costs, market rates, policy alignment or the provision of new services.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Climate
- Scoop
Wellington Mayors Endorse 10-Year Emergency Management Strategy
Wellington region's eight city and district mayors have approved a 10-year emergency management strategy to strengthen their communities' ability to manage a 'Most Likely Plus' event like a severe storm or devastating cyclone. Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, Chair of the Wellington Region Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Joint Committee, says the strategy's overarching vision is to build resilient communities that are connected, capable, and ready to respond effectively to disruptive events. 'With the increasing frequency of severe weather, as we've seen with the May 1 storm and with Cyclone Gabrielle two years ago, this strategy is absolutely vital. 'We're proactively strengthening our ability to respond to and recover from significant events like major storms, ensuring our communities are better prepared and that we're collaborating with them and local iwi,' says Mayor Whanau. The strategy aims to enhance the current emergency management system and capabilities, preparing communities to respond to and recover from high-probability events, while also strengthening their resilience for rare but catastrophic events. This proactive approach comes as emergency events in the Wellington region have surged by a staggering 330 per cent over the last ten years. Severe storms, which require significant regional coordination, are considered highly probable in the coming decades. Dan Neely, Regional Manager of the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office, says the strategy is only the starting point. 'Detailed actions and programmes that will deliver on the goals of the strategy will be outlined in the region's CDEM Group Plan, which is expected to be completed in 2026. 'This strategy takes a whole-of-society approach to resilience, with actions for everyone from elected officials to response agencies to community groups,' says Mr Neely. The Wellington region faces significant challenges including increased hazard exposure from climate change and urban growth, ageing infrastructure, insufficient community preparedness, funding constraints, and a lack of coordinated risk management. The Wellington Region CDEM Group Joint Committee – comprising the mayors from its eight city and district councils, the Chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council, and iwi representatives – will help ensure the strategy remains aligned with local needs and benefits residents throughout the area.
Scoop
17-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Residents Monitoring Survey 2025 Results Released
Wellington has spoken, and while there are positives to take away from the latest Residents Monitoring Survey (RMS), there's also room for improvement. The RMS is Wellington City Council's annual check-in with residents to understand their views on a wide range of topics and, along with the nationwide Quality of Life biannual survey, helps to form a small part of the wider performance story in the Annual Report. While respondents generally agree Wellington is a great place to live, work and play, overall feelings towards the city have shifted significantly over the past decade, with dissatisfaction about the look, feel and vibe of the capital, reflecting a similar downturn in sentiment around the motu. Mayor Tory Whanau says there's a huge amount of work already underway to address the areas where Wellingtonians feel improvements can be made, aiming to make the city more vibrant, safe, and welcoming. 'We're heartened that Wellingtonians continue to value many of the services we provide. We also acknowledge that there are areas where we must do better. We hear you, and the identified areas for improvement will be a priority for us.' Mayor Whanau cites that through a dynamic, multi-pronged City Safety and Wellbeing Plan approved earlier this year, the Council is introducing measures to combat crime, anti-social behaviour, and negative safety perceptions. 'We also have several transformative projects underway to revitalise the city centre and are investing significantly in our communities. This includes $439.1 million to upgrade social housing as well as efforts like keeping Khandallah Pool and Begonia House open and enhancing services for the future. 'Our city centre will be transformed by 2027. The revitalisation of Courtenay Place has already begun, and Te Ngakau/Civic Square is rapidly taking shape and is set to reopen by March 2026. This reopening includes Te Matapihi library, City Gallery, and a newly landscaped Plaza. The Town Hall will also reopen in 2027. We have so much to look forward to,' adds Mayor Whanau. The 2025 results show respondents are highly satisfied with the services and facilities provided by the Council like pools, recreation centres, libraries, events, community centres and sportsgrounds. The city reserves, green space and Botanic Garden ki Paekākā also rate highly. While residents generally feel a sense of safety during the day and at home, they were less satisfied with city safety and the cleanliness and vibrancy of the CBD. The survey also showed a lack of satisfaction with decision-making at Wellington City Council. Highlights from the report: 67% of respondents agreed that overall Wellington is a great place to live, work and play, 76% agreed with the statement 'Wellington has a culturally rich and diverse arts scene'. 88% said they participated or engaged with a cultural or arts activity in Wellington at least yearly. Almost all respondents felt safe in their own home after dark (97%) while the vast majority felt safe in the CBD during the day (82%). Walking around the city was viewed as easier than the other forms of transport asked about with 82% of respondents stating that walking around the city was easy. Close to two-thirds (62%) found public transport easy to get around the city on. 51% of those with a view found cycling around the city easy, while about a third (35%) said driving around the city was easy. On average, 83% of recreation centres and 77% of pool users surveyed were satisfied with the facilities. 81% satisfaction with kerbside waste collection, 80% satisfaction for kerbside recycling. 80% satisfaction among users of community facilities – including libraries, community centres and community halls. Local parks and reserves and the waterfront were the most used green/open spaces by our respondents – three-quarters or more said they used these spaces at least monthly. Almost all respondents agreed that Wellington's connection with nature improves quality of life (90%). Satisfaction was consistently high across all of the attractions – around 90%+ for all except Capital E (79%), Nairn Street Cottage (75%) and the Cricket Museum (80%). Find the full report here or at short URL
Scoop
13-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Wellington City Council And Predator Free Wellington Win Supreme Award At Local Government Excellence Awards
Wellington City Council and Predator Free Wellington have won the Supreme Award at the LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards held at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre this evening. The LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards celebrates programmes, projects, and approaches that demonstrate professional excellence in local government management, and are open to any council, or council-controlled organisation (CCO) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Three Wellington City Council projects were nominated in different categories, with Predator Free Wellington taking the top award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership, then going on to win the overall Supreme Award out of all the category winners. 'What a night for Wellington! This is a well-deserved national recognition that highlights the groundbreaking conservation work happening in our city, underscores Wellington's commitment to kaitiakitanga or environmental stewardship, and the role our community plays in achieving these ambitious goals,' says Mayor Tory Whanau. Predator Free Wellington - Excellence in Environmental Leadership (Winner/Supreme Winner) Wellington City Council is a proud partner of the Predator Free Wellington project (PFW), which is working hard to eliminate rats, stoats and weasels from Pōneke – and has already been successful on the Miramar Peninsula. 'This award recognises the dedication of the PFW team and also reflects the power of collaboration between local government, volunteers, and engaged communities. PFW's work is making a huge difference to our local biodiversity, and we are proud of their achievements and eager to continue supporting their bold vision for a predator-free capital,' says Mayor Whanau. Predator Free Wellington Project Director, Kaiwhakahaere Matua, James Willcocks says the award is great recognition of years of collaboration and the amazing mahi of all its volunteers. "This award reflects the strong partnership between Wellington City Council and Predator Free Wellington, built on our shared commitment and investment in creating a predator free Wellington. 'Together, we've created a blueprint for transforming urban environments worldwide, demonstrating that cities can be places where both people and biodiversity can thrive." The other two nominations for Wellington City Council were: Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park - Excellence in Community Engagement (Nomination) Mākara Peak exemplifies excellence in community engagement through conservation efforts, volunteer contributions, and a successful partnership. This transformation highlights the power of collaboration and dedication to environmental stewardship. Nestled in Wellington's western hills, Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park (MP) has transformed from gorse-covered terrain to an award-winning recreation area. Mākara Peak Supporters (MPS) and Wellington City Council (WCC) have driven this change, fuelled by thousands of volunteers. Volunteers have built trails, planted over 60,000 native trees, controlled pest plants, and maintained nearly 700 traps. Their efforts have rejuvenated native bush, providing habitat for kiwi, kākāriki, tītipounamu, kārearea, and kākā. TrackDem - Excellence in Digital Local Government (Nomination) Wellington City Council is taking a world-leading approach to transparency by making it easier for everyone to access and understand Council decisions by using technology to locate and track voting records and meeting data. The Mātai Manapori TrackDem system, delivered via enhanced website functionality, shows clearly how the Council and its committees have come to their final decisions, laying out initial recommendations, any changes or amendments to those recommendations, and how each individual Elected Member voted.
RNZ News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tory Whanau 'glad' to see new mayoral candidate Alex Baker enter race
Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Wellington's current mayor Tory Whanau says she's "glad" to see another mayoral candidate in the race, saying many in the community have been disappointed by some of Andrew Little's public comments. "We have a new progressive mayoral candidate in the race," Whanau posted on social media on Monday morning. "I'm glad to see more people putting themselves forward - it's healthy for democracy and shows that people care about the future of our city." That progressive candidate is former director of sustainability at Kāinga Ora and Chartered Accountant from KPMG Alex Baker. He said what had driven him to join the race was that he didn't feel like his values were represented by the other candidates. Green-backed Whanau had announced she was no longer seeking re-election after Labour-backed Little entered the race, saying she did not want a Green vs Labour battle. "While I cleared the way for Andrew Little, I've been hearing from many in the community who are disappointed by some of his public comments, particularly regarding the Golden Mile. I believe that may be why we've now seen a progressive candidate enter the race," she said in Monday's post. Mayoral candidate Alex Baker. Photo: Supplied Andrew Little said he supported the Golden Mile in principle. "Where I differ is that before pressing go I would want to be confident the businesses in our CBD can survive the disruption and I'd want to run the ruler over the contracts to limit the risk of cost blowouts and delays," he said. "The council needs to rebuild trust. That means doing a better job of listening to the communities affected by decisions and keeping a firmer grip on the costs of major projects so we don't see any more blowouts like the Town Hall," he said. In the post Whanau also said it was also notable that only men had put their names forward for the role so far. "I've spoken openly about how the role has become increasingly untenable, and I know many women have been discouraged by what they've seen me experience firsthand." Others vying for mayor include Former Labour MP Andrew Little, current city councillor Ray Chung along with Karl Tiefenbacher, Kelvin Hastie, Rob Goulden and Graham Bloxham. Nominations are open until 1 August. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
