Flyover footage shows what Wellington's Courtenay Place could look like. Video / Wellington City Council
Analysis by Georgina Campbell
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.
Flyover footage reveals a new vision of what Wellington’s tired nightlife strip could look like, except the contract to deliver it still has not been signed.
Wellington City Council’s plan for Courtenay Place includes removing private vehicles during daytime hours, a cycleway running down one side of the street, widened footpaths, new public seating and outdoor dining spaces.
There will be more trees and rain gardens that don’t need to be watered and are designed to filter rainwater before it enters the harbour.
The city’s infamous slippery pavement will be replaced with new granite tiles that have better grip and have been tested in advance, including having wine and fried chicken thrown on them.
Special pātiki (markers) will be incorporated into the footpath to acknowledge the underground flow of the Waitangi awa or stream.
Mayor Tory Whanau revealed the design this week in what is the latest iteration of the drawn-out process to revitalise the Golden Mile.
“This is the bold vision we need to help make Wellington a world-class destination that we are all proud of. It will make the heart of our city more dynamic, inclusive, and accessible,” Whanau said.
It has attracted both strong support and criticism.
A group of businesses wrote to Whanau in 2023 saying it would “turn our main artery into little more than a bus lane... it will not bring in people and help us recover”.
The Golden Mile runs from Lambton Quay to Willis St, Manners St and eventually Courtenay Place.
The project was initially part of the ill-fated $7.4 billion Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) transport plan. The entire stretch of the Golden Mile was to be revamped under LGWM.
The National Party promised to scrap LGWM on the campaign trail and after a landslide general election victory, there was much anticipation over whether a contract for the Golden Mile could be signed before coalition talks concluded.
A contract was never signed and the Government scrapped LGWM however, the council managed to salvage the Golden Mile by bringing it in-house.
It then had to compete with other projects funded by the council’s strained budget and survive further attempts to kill it.
To save money, councillors agreed to progress with construction on Courtenay Place and defer work on the rest.
Wellington City Council has released its new design for the Golden Mile on Courtenay Place. Photo / WCC
The council’s subsequent decision to stop the sale of its stake in Wellington Airport threw everything back up in the air, given the council’s 10-year budget essentially needed to be rewritten as a result.
Wellington City Council transport and infrastructure manager Brad Singh said contract negotiations for the Golden Mile had to be paused several times.
“When the project gets put under question and we’re not sure if the project’s going to go ahead or not, it’s really bad faith for us to start negotiating and continue negotiating with a contractor,” Singh said.
So, when the council scheduled an announcement about the “updated design for Courtenay Place and announcement of the construction start date and timeline”, it was a big deal.
“This April there’ll be spades in the ground”, Whanau said at the announcement.
But further questions by the Herald revealed a contract has only been signed for work on an intersection at one end of Courtenay Place — on Kent and Cambridge Terraces.
Work to align the intersection with the new Golden Mile layout is expected to take eight months. It will take this long because hours of work will be limited to minimise disruption to peak-hour traffic.
Work on Courtenay Place will then take another two years, once the contract for this part is actually signed.
Singh said negotiations for this contract were under way but he would not say when those were expected to be completed.
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says the Golden Mile is a game-changer for Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The timing is significant as it is a local body election year.
If Whanau fails to secure a second term in the city’s top job and the main Golden Mile contract remains unsigned, a new mayor could try to cancel the project.
“Yes, a new council could try to change things through a council decision but I’m fully confident this needs to happen”, Whanau said.
It appears there is no guarantee the main Golden Mile contract will be signed before local body elections.
“Nothing can be guaranteed, really”, Whanau said.
Singh confirmed further work could be included in the contract that has been signed, like removing the median strip from Courtenay Place.
This work, as well as realigning the intersection, might be substantial enough that a new council may have no choice but to progress with the Golden Mile changes anyway.
“By implementing this project in stages, we maintain flexibility and responsiveness”, Singh said.
“This approach, considered best practice, allows us to finalise contracts as our planning progresses, minimising risk and maximising cost savings.”
The stakes are high for Whanau. The Golden Mile will be her legacy project if she can get it across the line and it would deliver one of her key campaign promises of revitalising the central city.
But without a contract signed, her would-be legacy remains on fragile ground.
