Tory Whanau reflects on Wellington mayoralty after failed Reading Cinema deal

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has talked about the “brutal” nature of the job, describing it as the most unpleasant role she has ever had, and addressed rumours she is positioning herself to make a run for Parliament.

In a candid interview with the Herald after news yesterday of the failed Reading Cinema deal, Whanau said she went through the worst of her mayoralty last year but nothing fazes her now.

Wellington City Council ended a deal to reopen the Reading Cinema complex on Courtenay Place after senior council staff reached a point in negotiations at which they did not believe they could get the best possible outcomes for Wellingtonians.

The council had planned to buy the land underneath the building for $32 million, money which the cinema’s multi-millionaire owners would use to redevelop the site. It sparked a fierce debate over whether the plan was visionary or corporate welfare.

It’s the latest blow for Whanau, who spent significant political capital championing the deal, but she told the Herald she did not regret it.

“I certainly hope to be mayor for more than one term and I’m going to have a number of failures under my mayoralty, and that’s because you have to fail fast, or give something a go, to try to make something work.”

Whanau said she was frequently being asked whether she still hoped to serve three terms as mayor.

“Because people have seen, especially last year, just how relentless and brutal this role can be. This job is not easy and it’s probably been the most unpleasant role I’ve ever had, but it’s been the most meaningful role I’ve ever had.”

If she didn’t do the job, she worried about who else would and the possibility they would take the city in the wrong direction, Whanau said.

The Reading Cinema Complex on Courtenay Place has been closed since 2019 due to an earthquake risk. Photo / Mark Mitchell

There was no question that she would be running for the mayoralty in next year’s local body elections, she said.

“I’ve been through the worst in my mayoralty and that was last year, so nothing fazes me now.”

In 2023, Whanau went from embracing the identity of Wellington’s “party mayor” to emerging as a more humble and apologetic person promising to change her ways after admitting to having a drinking problem.

She was also bogged down in code of conduct complaints, allegations of serial leaking, and claims of dysfunction.

Tory Whanau gets called the ‘loony Green mayor’

Whanau has rejoined the Green Party after previously deciding not to renew her membership to work more productively with councillors.

This has fuelled speculation that she intends to get on the party list to become an MP in the next general election.

Whanau said this was not true.

“I chose not to renew my membership because I’d spoken to some councillors who found party-aligned [elected members] untrustworthy.

“I thought I’d put it on pause to prove I could be a team player. That brought a couple of people on board, not everyone, and I’ve managed to work on those relationships.”

She pointed to independent councillors Tim Brown and John Apanowicz as examples of colleagues with whom she has built good relationships and rates highly.

“But it’s been a year now, and people still refer to me as ‘that Green mayor’. I have another councillor who calls me the ‘loony Green mayor’.”

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has previously decided not to renew her membership to work more productively with councillors. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Whanau conceded she had never shaken that party alignment and acknowledged she also openly endorsed Green candidates during last year’s general election.

“I’ve been very open about who I support because I think they have the best policies. I just wanted to prove that they don’t dictate the way I vote, and they never have and they never will.”

However, Whanau said the Greens offered her immense support last year, making her realise who her family is.

“I’ve rejoined to be part of that family again. It is nothing to do with my political career.”

‘I just want Wellington to move forward’

Whanau pointed to the CubaDupa festival as an example of her vision for Wellington, with its pedestrianisation, music, art, local providers selling goods, happiness and joy.

“It’s a real celebration of walking around, cycling around and everyone coming together as a community, and that’s the vibe.

“When people say we no longer have any swagger, that’s our swagger. While limited to just Cuba Street in one part of the year, I believe that’s really [the] culture that we’re working towards.”

She was frustrated by the difficulty of getting projects across the line, like the Reading Cinema deal, to achieve that vision for the capital.

“I just want Wellington to move forward and be innovative and creative in some deals that we make, which is what my hope was for this particular deal.

“Just to get action. Otherwise, we stay the same. We stay with the status quo.”

Whanau said she had put a lot of energy and excitement into Reading.

“You could say it started to unravel when the deal was initially leaked. Because I couldn’t talk about it, there was this alternative narrative building up around it which created a lot of negativity towards the deal.”

Whanau wished she could have made details of the deal public sooner to address some of the backlash.

She is now keen to move on and look at other ways to revitalise Courtenay Place, like the Golden Mile plan to remove private vehicles, widen footpaths and install cycleways.

Reading empire owner Ellen Cotter breaks silence

Reading International chief executive Ellen Cotter issued a statement today after the council cancelled the cinema deal. It’s the first time she has spoken publicly about the saga, with questions from the Herald and other media outlets going unanswered for months.

Cotter said they were encouraged when the council agreed to help redevelop the site by buying the land for $32m and leasing it back.

“This was not what Reading considered to be a full market price but was part of a package which included a buyback right.

“We appreciate the council was making a significant capital commitment, but the council would own the land, receive revenues intended to meet its cost of capital and be able to control and ensure certain key civic outcomes for Wellington.

“Reading’s capital commitment would have been more than double the council’s investment while also bearing all the construction and leasing risk.”

Final and binding legal documentation remained outstanding, but drafts were well advanced when the council terminated the deal, Cotter said.

“The Reading team were told by council staff just ahead of a meeting which Reading understood had been organised with key principals of both parties in order to bring the deal to a close.

“There was no prior notification or indication [the] council was terminating. To say we are disappointed is an understatement.”

Cotter said the planned top-to-bottom transformation of the building would have been positive for Wellington - a city to which she said Reading remained committed.

“We don’t see how the process and its abrupt termination can be good for Wellington City. Reading will now take time to consider its options.”

Wellington City Council chief financial officer Andrea Reeves said the parties could not agree on key parts of the proposal.

”For obvious reasons, we would like to say more but we cannot talk to the details as this is commercially sensitive information that is subject to legally binding confidentiality obligations.

“As a commercial partner, Wellington City Council must undertake transactions in accordance with good commercial practice and in the best interest of Wellingtonians. To disclose would breach our obligations and affect the council’s ability to do this and pursue other commercial initiatives to help make Wellington an even better city.”

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.