Latest news with #WellingtonCity
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Graham Bloxham drops out of Wellington mayoral race
Graham Bloxham. Photo: Supplied Wellington mayoral candidate Graham Bloxham has announced he is quitting the race. It appears Bloxham has announced he is quitting before submitting his nomination, which has not appeared on the Wellington City Council website. Bloxham runs the Facebook page WellingtonLive and has faced controversy in recent months after being arrested for failing to stop for police , and being told by the Employment Relations Authority to pay a former employee $30,000 . In a LinkedIn post, Bloxham said he will not be running for the mayor of Wellington. "After much research 'talking to the neighbours cat over the fence', I feel I can do a much better job outside of council." He said his family did not want to deal with personal attacks on him. "I have looked back and tried to imagine what it might look like, and reflected on the impact on my family. Neither want to deal with the personal attacks on their father." Nominations for the mayoralty close midday on Friday. Other candidates include Andrew Little, Ray Chung, Diane Calvert, Karl Tiefenbacher, Rob Goulden, Josh Harford, William Pennywize, Donald McDonald, Alex Baker and Kelvin Hastie. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Lit-up signs on derelict Reading Cinemas fuel speculation of reopening
Reading Cinemas. Photo: Maxime Vasuta The lights are on but nobody's home? Lit up signs on the derelict Reading Cinemas building in central Wellington has caused speculation on when it might reopen. The cinemas complex on Courtenay Place had sat unused since it was closed due to earthquake risks in 2019. In January it was announced that Primeproperty Group bought the site after a $32 million council deal spearheaded by Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau to buy land underneath the building fell through. In recent weeks, Wellingtonians had noticed that the complex's large signs had been lit up, with many speculating online whether development was around the corner. RNZ approached Primeproperty group and in a statement, it said that it had noticed "a little bit of chatter online about Reading having its lights on overnight". Photo: Maxime Vasuta The company said that it wasn't a sign of an imminent reopening. "We are getting the right people through the venue to commence architectural and design work. "Unfortunately, they left the lights on, which caused a little stir." The statement said that Primeproperty Group was working hard to strengthen the building over the coming months and was working closely with Reading Cinemas to create a "new version of the venue that will excite and entice Wellingtonians". "These things take time and a little more effort than turning the lights back on!" Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Wellington mayoral candidate says cap on rates would reduce accountability
Andrew Little at his mayoral campaign launch in Wellington on 17 May. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A former Labour leader running for Wellington mayor says a cap on rates would only reduce accountability and undermine the relationship between councillors and residents. In an interview with RNZ this week , Finance Minister Nicola Willis reconfirmed the government was looking into "capping" - putting a hard limit on - council rates increases, saying it would get pushback from councils "because when you take candy away from kids in a candy store, they don't really like it". Labour's leader Chris Hipkins and councils' representative group LGNZ both pushed back , saying rates capping would in fact worsen the situation. Hipkins also argued the big rates increases seen in recent years was a result of the government scrapping Labour's three waters reforms, later labelled the "affordable water reform". Local Government Minister Simon Watts told RNZ the rates cap policy review was yet to be presented to Cabinet, but confirmed there would be announcements about it later in the year. "We're taking our time to make sure that the policy design of that mechanism is fit for purpose, importantly as I've said before taking on board also the learnings particularly in Australia where this has been implemented to make sure that we've learning from that experience." Former Labour leader Andrew Little has thrown his hat in the ring for the Wellington mayoral race this year, and said while rates did need to be better controlled a hard cap would reduce accountability. "A lot of people are really concerned about the level of rates rises. I mean, here in Wellington, we've seen rates rises of 30 percent over a two year period, which is unreasonable and is wrong," he said. "But at the end of the day, mayors and councillors are responsible for making the financial decisions." A cap would reduce accountability and responsibility, he said, and undermine the democratic relationship between mayor and councillors and their residents. "Mayors and councillors, every election, they are accountable to their people for the decisions they've made and if they've made bad decisions they're going to be responsible for that - that gets dealt with at the ballot box. If you take away ultimate responsibility for those decisions, then where do residents - as electors of mayors and councillors - go?" "Coming over the top with a central government mandated sort of decision isn't an answer to that requirement, and the problem that goes with councillors and mayors who get out of control and spend wrongly and irresponsibly." Pointing to Wellington's Town Hall upgrade, he said councils sometimes did need to say no to projects, "and I think in Wellington they haven't been, and it's making cities like Wellington unaffordable ... councils, particularly Wellington City Council, has to show much greater control over its financial decisions". He had a different stance from Hipkins on three waters, saying that while historical under-investment in water systems would end up costing, but "just scrapping three waters alone I don't think can be held responsible". "There's partly catch up on water stuff. The real impact of the current water reforms is yet to be seen." Minister Watts said rates capping was one mechanism the government was considering to "ensure that the money that is being collected through rates is spent appropriately," but not the only one. "We're also going to be releasing and publishing transparency reporting around councils' financials and also introducing legislation in regards to changes around what councils focus on. So it's a suite in a package of interventions that will get us to a more sustainable local government." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Wellington council to spend $460,000 on coordination service to support rough sleepers
Wellington councillors have voted to spend $460,000 setting up a homelessness coordination service. Photo: Wellington City Council has agreed to spend nearly half a million dollars on a "homelessness coordination service" to support people who are sleeping rough. As councillors considered officers' proposal for the $460,000 service at Thursday's social, cultural and economic committee meeting, City Missioner Murray Edridge noted the rain pelting the windows. "For most of us that makes very little difference in our lives, but if you're doing it tough in the city it changes everything." His organisation alongside Downtown Community Ministry, He Herenga Kura and others, put great effort into supporting those people, he said. "Despite that, we know that we're not getting it right all the time, and we're not picking up everybody who needs to be picked up." The new service aimed to change that, he said. Council officers said the capital's support system for chronically homeless people was "fragmented and under considerable strain". "Agencies and frontline workers are often left to operate in siloes, with limited capacity to align their work, share insights, or escalate challenges effectively," the meeting's agenda document said. "This results in individuals and whānau falling through the cracks, prolonged street homelessness, and growing concern across the community." The new service would bring together - and fund - three key organisations currently supporting homeless people in the capital: Downtown Community Ministry (DCM), Wellington City Mission, and He Herenga Kura. It was not a new outreach service, the papers said. "Rather, it is a dedicated coordination function that strengthens what already works - enhancing collaboration, supporting shared case planning, enabling responsive escalation (including after-hours), and ensuring that lived experience and frontline realities inform how we respond as a city." The service "attempts to address systemic barriers, and connects existing services around the needs of our city's most vulnerable whānau who are experiencing chronic homelessness and that are rough sleeping in our CBD." The funding would be split between DCM ($286,666) Wellington City Mission ($146,666) and He Herenga Kura ($26,668). It would be drawn from the $500,000 annual community safety grant funding provided through the city council's 2024-34 Long-term Plan, and be spent on: Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman asked how success would be measured, and councillor Ray Chung queried whether the service would be able to provide data to prove its success. Officers and the agencies' representatives said change would not happen overnight, and the establishment of the service would not mean people vanished from sleeping on the street. But it would provide a much better picture - including data - of why people were homeless, what help they needed, and what gaps existed, said DCM's Natalia Cleland. That would also help with things like advocating for more support with central government, she said. Mayor Tory Whanau urged councillors to have compassion and support the proposal. "These are our people, these people are part of our whānau, and they suffer from very complex issues that require more than just a roof over their head," she said. "They need our help." Councillors voted unanimously for the creation of the new service, which would happen in the coming months. The funding would continue past the first year if it was deemed successful after "robust evaluation" - subject to funding availability. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Survey Confirms Urgent Change Is Needed To Restore Trust At WCC
Wellington mayoral candidate Andrew Little says the latest Wellington City Council Residents Monitoring Survey shows the need for change at Council to rebuild public trust and to get the city back to its best. The survey shows just 23% of residents believe the Council makes decisions that are in the best interests of the city. Only 36% were satisfied with the Council's performance. The numbers also show 59% of Wellingtonians feel unsafe in the CBD after dark and only 45% feel pride in how the city looks and feels. Andrew Little says the survey confirms the need for urgent change and serious leadership this election. 'Wellington is a great city but it's clear we are in trouble. These numbers paint a picture of a Council that has lost the trust of the public at a time when leadership is needed more than ever. 'This is a city full of creative people with drive and big ideas. As I get around and talk to Wellingtonians, it's clear the answers are here already, we just need a Council that works alongside people and listens. 'I am committed to driving change at Council by making it more transparent and accountable to the people of Wellington. That starts by ensuring communities feel their voice matters and the Council is making good decisions. "My commitments include: Requiring Community Impact Statements for all major Council decisions. Ending the misuse of commercial confidentiality to hide poor Council decisions. Providing an annual Mayor's Accountability Report and KPIs for the Chief Executive. Establishing an independent group of experts to bring increased financial discipline to capital projects. 'If elected, I will bring a firm focus on revitalising our city's economy, taking action on the homelessness crisis and making our city more affordable. These problems have been a long time in the making and will take time to fix but I am confident that with the right leadership we can turn this around.'
