Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau sat down with the Herald in early December to talk about how she plans to work with the National-led Government.
Video / Mark Mitchell
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has made amends with National MP Simeon Brown after saying she would be “deeply concerned” if he ever became Transport Minister.
Whanau told The Spinoff’s When The Facts Change podcast in early 2023 she would be “really upset” if Brown became the Minister, which has eventuated under the new National-led Government.
“It would see our climate change efforts going backwards, it would see our city going backwards, and then we become a car-dependent city,” she said at the time.
Whanau has since told the Herald she met with Brown in the lead-up to the general election.
“I did the whole: ‘Sorry for that crack I made.’ It was actually a really positive meeting. We got on really well. It’s almost, you know, once you get behind closed doors, you start to lose the theatrics a bit.”
Whanau acknowledged they disagreed on key transport projects but said she was willing to meet halfway or find a different way of working that fits with the new Government.
She was heartened to hear Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk talk about earthquake resilience recently and was sure she could work closely with Housing Minister Chris Bishop on more high-density dwellings.
Whanau plans to lean on two of her councillor colleagues for help: former Wellington International Airport board chairman Tim Brown and National Party member John Apanowicz.
“I’ll be taking them to my meetings with the National government because they have those relationships,” she said.
“I certainly promise to be collaborative and useful. I can make some compromises because they really do hold the keys in many ways and that’s okay, I can make it work.”
The transformational policy platforms Whanau stood on during her mayoral campaign were heavily tied to the $7.4 billion Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) transport plan.
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says she apologised to Simeon Brown after saying she would be deeply concerned if he became the Transport Minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell
She was keen on light rail and her flagship policy was to deliver a new major urban revitalisation project along the mass rapid transit route between Wellington’s waterfront and the hospital.
But the Government has put LGWM on the scrap heap as part of its first 100-day plan. Whanau called this a “flaccid vision” when National announced its intentions for the transport plan on the campaign trail.
Whanau said she still believed in the LGWM projects and that they were the best outcome for Wellington.
She thought most Wellingtonians did too, considering they elected Green MPs to represent Wellington Central and Rongotai and re-elected Labour MP Greg O’Connor in Ohariu.
“However, we are working with new decision-makers and that’s why I am still going to highlight that Wellington still wants these outcomes. Where can we find the middle ground?”
Whanau plagued by dysfunction, complaints, leaking
Navigating waters closer to home will not be smooth sailing either.
Relationships with some councillors had been tricky, she said.
“The majority of council currently are very collaborative, very constructive, and work really well together. I haven’t lost a vote yet and that will continue.
“With other councillors, I think, including myself, behaviour hasn’t been great over the last wee while. We all need to up our game.”
In November, Whanau admitted to having a problem with alcohol after she was seen drunk at Havana Bar. The revelations caused at least one councillor to call for Whanau’s resignation and others worried about her ability to do the job.
“What I’m interested in is a total reset, put some stuff in the past, and actually really work on this relationship because Wellingtonians don’t want us scrapping,” Whanau said.
This year, Whanau planned to increase face time with councillors to provide them opportunities to let off steam to help reduce public frustration.
Whanau said she would emphasise the importance of good behaviour and of not leaking because that’s what lost residents’ trust.
“What I want is to move forward and build a constructive relationship, which I am still committed to.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
