Editorial: Tory Whanau’s smart business move after Reading Cinema failure

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has set up a new advisory group to advise her directly as the capital undergoes major redevelopment. Photo / NZME

Editorial

OPINION

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has been in need of a win after the embarrassing collapse of her controversial Reading Cinema deal, and it seems she may have found one with a new high-flying advisory group.

The mayor’s new team of leaders from the retail, hospitality, tech, property development and creative sectors will advise her directly as the capital undergoes major redevelopment - and reels from public sector cuts and the rising cost of living.

It’s a group that includes proven experience from the likes of Willis Bond’s Mark McGuinness and Primeproperty’s Eyal Aharoni, alongside fresher faces like Yu Mei handbag designer Jessie Wong and Brooke Roberts from online investment platform Sharesies.

Whanau has said it’s important to her “that our local businesses have an active role in shaping and delivering the transformation of our city”.

For a hand-picked team of business advisers, the mayor’s done well. But even more important than her selection choices is the fact she’s realised she needs to be working closer with those on the frontline.

Those who have chosen and still choose Wellington to make a living. Those who call the capital home.

Last month Whanau suffered an embarrassing blow when Wellington City Council officials decided to finally end negotiations with Reading International over a controversial deal to reopen the closed cinema complex on Courtenay Place.

The council had planned to buy the land underneath the cinema for $32 million, money which the cinema would use to redevelop the building.

It was a deal blasted by some as nothing more than corporate welfare and raised questions about how much the global company really cared about Wellington if it wouldn’t carry out the necessary strengthening work itself.

But even in the face of its toughest critics, Whanau championed the deal as a game changer for the central city.

A tough thing to come back from, which makes this new business advisory group a very smart move. For a mayor already under fire for failing to read the room when it comes to dishing out ratepayer money to help one international company, this shows she’s ready to listen and learn.

It also comes on the cusp of a very disruptive period for Wellington’s economic heart.

The mayor’s signalled an announcement will be coming soon in relation to the plan to remove cars from the Golden Mile. It’s a project that’s already seen Cranfields, a business that’s operated in Wellington for 33 years, decide to shut up shop.

Whanau has said the project to revitalise the Golden Mile is what transformational change looks like.

“It will create a beautiful and pedestrian-friendly CBD that will attract people, workers and shoppers. It will make our buses more reliable. It is estimated to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit our city.”

How the mayor navigates such a thorny endeavour, and what role her new advisory group plays in bringing businesses on board remains to be seen. But if the collaboration prevents another Reading saga it’ll be a win for ratepayers.