The proposed level of Wellington City Council investment in the city over the next 10 years, has been unanimously passed by the Council’s Kōrau Tōtōpū Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee.
The proposals, which will inform the 2024-34 Long-term Plan (LTP), now sit with Council officers who will investigate costs before bringing a draft budget back to the committee on 12 December.
Decisions by a majority of elected members include agreement to consult the public on:
- Investment to bring nature back into the city centre, by beginning the rollout of the Green Network Plan;
- An acceleration of the Courtenay Place Precinct Plan, to bring vibrancy to the city centre;
- Deferring and rephasing some of the Council’s capital works programme so it is more evenly spread over 10 years;
- Delivering on our full cycling network more cost effectively, after lessons learnt during the rollout so far;
- A more affordable approach to the redevelopment of Te Ngākau Civic Square, with the option to demolish parts of the square on the table;
- Funding for the Grenada North Sports Hub to begin works in year two, to reflect our commitment in the last annual plan;
- The establishment of a Climate Resilience Fund so communities can adapt to climate change.
Council says that developing the LTP is a complex process that takes about 18 months and is now at about the mid-way point of that process. Once the draft LTP is completed, it will go to public consultation in April 2024.
Mayor, Tory Whanau says like all councils around the motu, Wellington was facing external pressures of inflation, rising interest rates and rampant insurance costs as outlined in the Chief Executive’s 2022 pre-election report.
“We’ve got some tough decisions to make to respond to external economic conditions that are bearing down on us, but I am also committed to continued invest to help keep the city growing, vibrant and attractive,” she said.
“Today we saw excellent collaboration – councillors reaching across the political aisle in both directions to make amendments and sculpt the key priorities into a package that reflects what we hope Wellington wants and needs. I’m really proud of how we navigated this decision today.”
Committee Chair, Councillor Rebecca Matthews encourages public engagement with the LTP in coming months.
“I urge Wellingtonians to think about the city they’d like to see for the next decade and make their views known when the formal consultation period starts.”
“It is critical that we keep front of mind how we can continue to have a resilient balance sheet that respects rates paid by our citizens, while also delivering ongoing improvements to Poneke”.
