No confidence: Six city councillors come out against Let's Get Wellington Moving

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

The latest images from the Let's Get Wellington Moving redesign of Wellington central city streets, with wide footpaths and vegetation on Courtenay Place and Lambton Quay. Released in April 2023.

A group of six Wellington City councillors have lodged a notice of motion to declare no confidence in Let's Get Wellington Moving and to withdraw from the funding agreement for the $7.4 billion transport overhaul.

The notice of motion was lodged with council chief executive Barbara McKerrow on Tuesday afternoon with the signatories – Tim Brown, Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Sarah Free, Tony Randle and Nicola Young – all independents, but coming from the left and right of the council.

The notice calls on the council to declare no confidence in Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) and to withdraw from a funding agreement. It is proposed to be voted on at a council meeting on June 29.

“This loss of confidence includes (but is not limited to) its governance and accountability structure, the scope and scale of the work, ability to deliver on budget, the sequencing of work and its affordability for the three partners,” the notice says. The programme has an indicative funding structure of 60% from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and 20% each from Wellington’s regional and city councils.

Lambton Quay is upgraded with greenery, wide footpaths, bike lanes and bus only access in this visualisation from Let's Get Wellington Moving.

* Secret review into $7.4b Wellington project is not for elected members' eyes

* Golden Mile or rocky road: Council approves car-free plan after heated debate

LGWM is a complete rethink of how Wellingtonians get from A to B with everything from light rail or rapid mass transit, through to a second Mount Victoria tunnel, bike lanes and better pedestrian facilities all on the table.

Councillor Diane Calvert said the council was being aske dto budget $50m for LGWM with little idea where it would go.

But the budget has soared – most recently to an estimated $7.4 billion. One of the few tangible signs of the programme so far is a pedestrian crossing on Cobham Drive near the airport.

Councillor Nicola Young said LGWM was a “multimillion dollar talkfest”.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said the six councillors were a minority on the 16-person council.

“They have a history of speaking out against LGWM so this isn’t a surprise to me. But ultimately, the notice of motion will fail.

“While I acknowledge we live in a thriving democracy and councillors are entitled to take this action, I am confident that there’s majority support for LGWM around the council table as well as in the community at large.”

Transport Minister Michael Wood said he was unaware of the councillors’ motion, and despite Wellington City Council being a “strong supporter” there would be “differences of opinion”.

'The particular dynamics of Wellington City Council are for the council and for the mayor to manage … But a big transformational program like this, you'll always expect that there'll be some people who support positive change, and some people who don't have the vision and the ability to lead the way through.”

Wood said the Government would continue to fund projects in the LGWM programme, with funding decisions being made on a case-by-case basis.

National’s transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said Wood’s statements were “unacceptable”.

“Instead of delivering on the Government’s plans for rapid transit in Wellington, Michael Wood is resorting to attacking these Councillors who he should be working with, not against.”

Calvert, who has long raised concerns about LGWM, said the final straw for her was a confidential briefing with LGWM last Friday that included a significant increase in costs for the Golden Mile improvements and the fact that the council was being asked to budget $50m towards the programme in its Long Term Plan without knowing the specifics of where the money would go.

The six councillors who signed the motion for notice was the minimum requirement and she believed it was likely more councillors wanted a “common sense and pragmatic approach”.

One councillor unlikely to vote for it is Nīkau Wi Neera who described the notice of motion as “whack”.

“If some of my colleagues were as serious about climate change as they would have the public believe, they would have the courage to carry this mahi through and lead a re-think of how our people move around Pōneke.”

Young said LGWM had always been a “multimillion dollar talkfest” and a “ridiculous waste of money” for things most Wellingtonians did not want.

LGWM has been approached for comment.