Wellington mayor ‘fine’ with decision to bring in monitor

Tori Whānau says she is not too surprised that the Government has followed through on its threat to intervene in Wellington City Council, Stuart Sowman-Lund explains in this extract from the Bulletin.

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Death penalty

Just over a week after the threats first began, during a fairly standard interview with Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Newstalk ZB, the government confirmed that it would indeed appoint a Crown observer to Wellington Council. According to Stuff, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said yesterday he was concerned about Wellington City Council’s ability to make amendments to its long-term plan, which will be required as a result of the failed vote to sell the council’s stake in Wellington Airport. “On the advice of officials, I have discovered that there is a serious problem within Wellington City Council that requires the government to appoint a Crown monitor,” Brown said.

If you missed the backstory as it unfolded, we talked about it last Wednesday. Although the council has been in the government’s line of fire for some time now – from largely exaggerated suggestions that it is spending heavily on “white elephant” projects rather than focusing on critical infrastructure, to hyperbole about the impact of cycle lanes on the city – it has been the airport vote that broke the camel’s back. All eyes now turn to how the council will respond and whether other local councils could face similar wrath.

“We need help”

Wellington Mayor Tori Whānau, The Post’s Thomas Munch reported, responded politely to the government’s announcement and said she and the council would work “constructively” with whoever was appointed as the monitor. “I was not too surprised by the decision to bring in an observer based on the sentiments expressed,” she told the media. “And I did not resist this decision.”

That the mayor was not surprised by the order to intervene is likely indicative of this ongoing story or “atmosphere.” Stuff’s Glenn McConnell noted Wellington Council could be a victim of “political proximity” as it is close to parliament, reporters and “immersed in politics”. Last weekend’s Mediawatch on RNZ argued forcefully that the media had heightened the urgency for government action in council (indeed, the headline used in last week’s bulletin appeared in Colin Peacock’s report). Although the predicted outcome was eventually realized, the Peacock report accurately noted that the focus on Wellington – and whanau – was serious for most of that council’s term.

What whānau has fought back with is a broader narrative of council dysfunction, particularly in relation to water infrastructure funding. “We need help, not punching,” whanau said. As Dan Brunskill of the Interest noted, there remains some confusion about what the Crown watchdog will propose when it comes to having to pay for these types of projects, with Simeon Brown appearing to say the city should take on more debt to fund its water supply. modernizing services rather than relying on tariff revenues.

Open the floodgates?

Labor’s Chris Hipkins, as reported by RNZ’s Giles Dexter, expressed concern that if this was the government’s threshold for intervention, “you won’t find many pieces of advice that don’t end in some kind of intervention.” Victoria University Dean Knight had similar thoughts, arguing that Simeon Brown had caused “obviously a serious problem” within the council.

Those words may ring true for Otago Regional Council, which this week forced the government to block its vote to introduce tougher environmental rules, Newsroom Pro’s Fox Meyer reports (paywalled). The Government yesterday passed an amendment preventing any councils from adopting new freshwater plans until a new national policy statement is developed, which Labour’s Rachel Brooking called “a specific attack on Otago Regional Council”. Before the decision was made, the Otago Daily Times reported that councilor Alexa Forbes said the intervention would render “nonsense” any idea that the council had independence in local decision-making.

Earlier this week, a paid Times report included comments from Taieri Labor MP Ingrid Leary, who described the government as “grossly flouting procedures and rules”, including at Wellington council. “It seems to me there may be an agenda among some members to create a sense of chaos within Otago Regional Council to try to provoke government intervention,” Leary said.

Meanwhile, on the way…

It wasn’t just Wellington Council that found itself in the firing line yesterday, with two MPs also making headlines for their roles in separate stories. Former Greens MP-turned-independent Darlene Tana has been formally expelled from Parliament. She told 1News reporter Mikey Sherman in an exclusive interview that it was something of a relief to finally know her fate. Tana maintains she had no role in allegations of migrant exploitation made against her husband’s business and told Sherman that was one of the reasons she fought to remain an MP. “Show me evidence that I did something wrong,” she said.

Meanwhile, the issue of National MP Andrew Bailey is still unresolved. The embattled minister addressed reporters in parliament, where he reiterated his apology and said that while the “general tone” of the complaint against him was correct, he did not remember swearing.