Let's Get Wellington Moving: Nine crucial positions vacant

Let's Get Wellington Moving is being overhauled after a review found it at risk of failure. Photo / 123rf

By Hamish Cardwell, of RNZ.

Crucial senior positions remain vacant at the capital's beleaguered transport overhaul programme.

The $6.4 billion Let's Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) programme is being overhauled after a scathing review last month found it at risk of failure, under-resourced and with key roles unfilled.

The Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has now revealed that nine positions remain vacant including five "lead" roles, one "managerial" and one "partner" role, and advisors in legal and communications.

Last month's review found the perceived lack of delivery and uncertainty had damaged LGWM's brand making attracting and keeping staff difficult.

The report also noted the team's lack of experience which had no expertise doing such a large, complex programme.

It said there was a "strategic leadership vacuum".

On Wednesday, the programme announced it was overhauling its governance structure, creating new positions and bringing in an independent chair to try to speed up progress.

The project is a partnership between the Wellington city and regional councils and the Transport Agency.

Its aims to ease the capital's congestion woes by building rapid transit from the city to the airport, improving public transport and cycleways and easing traffic choke points on arterial routes.

The vacant positions are:

Programme integration manager
HR business partner
City development lead
Value capture lead
Consenting lead
Cost & change lead
Legal adviser
Information and knowledge lead
Adviser communications - temp role to June 2020