Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks at B taking the pulse of the
city The Capital Letter on News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
She's back, Georgina Campbell's back. She joins us today for
her slot. A Capital Letter belongs to you, George. We
had to get films for you when you're away.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I know, I know, big shout out to my colleagues
for taking over the Capital Letter to slot while I
was away overseas. But it's great to be back.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Are you going to tell us where you've been or not?
Is that quite quite hush hush and not allowed to
speak about it?
Speaker 1 (00:43):
No.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I went to Japan for two weeks and it was fabulous.
It was so great and also incredible public transport, greats,
very exciting stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
You know what, I have never spoken to a person
ever that he either hasn't come back from Japan saying wow,
it's the place, you know, really you have to put
it on your bucket list, or oh, I've got to
go to Japan. Yeah, it's one of those places that
everyone talks.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
About highly recommend Why did you go there?
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Was that just something like that you wanted to go? Sorry?
I don't not trying to intrude on your privacy.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
No, I've been before and I really wanted to go back,
and one of my mates was keen to go, so
I said, I'll go with you.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Well, yeah, mates, let's go. Yeah hang out. Great huge
day for Wellington City Council. Tomorrow they having their final
vote on the proposals to.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Sell the stake in Wellington Airport Shore Airport Shares. What
the hell's going on?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Now? Which way is?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
It's almost like let's have a wager on which way
ethan when there is going.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
To vote on it, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
This is an absolute mess, Nick, It's a shambles. Actually,
it's a huge decision selling the council's share in Wellington
Airport thirty four percent. It's worth about two hundred and
eighty million dollars and yeah, it seems like it's all
over the place. All the councilors I've spoken to are
sort of pulling their hair out over it. Technically, the
(02:04):
council has already voted through sell its thirty four percent share.
The long term plan was signed off, but some of
the councilors have changed their minds, which means that those
counselors who want to keep the shares have been trying
to find a way to vote on it again. So
there's this notice of motion that is being discussed tomorrow
which basically would stop the sale. Now at the moment, would.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
They stop it?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Can I just set it clear for our listeners because
I know that you're in boots and all on this,
so you know about it, So it could stop tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
If this notice of motion passes tomorrow, all work on
selling the airport shares will cease. It's a very complicated
process because it's been signed off as part of the
long Term Plan. The long Term Plan therefore needs to
be amended. So basically what would happen is that there
would be consultation again, public consultation on the airport. The
(02:57):
options would go out to the public to have their say,
you know, with the Council's preference presumably being good to
keep the shares.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Sorry to interrupt, but all be done and put through
in this term of the council or would it take
more time than October next year.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
No, So the long Term Plan amendment, if the notice
of motion passes, would have to be done and dusted
by mid next year.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Okay, so this council will still make a decision one
way or the other on the airport sales.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I hope so, Nick, I hope so. But yes, yes,
basically basically that sat So.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
I know that a few people have said if they
hold it off long enough, a little new council will
come in and they'll make the decision. That's why I
was asking it. It sounded a little bit weird, but
that's why I was asking that question. Okay, so we
know now that it's going to be decided by this
council this term one way or another.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, And it's really like so many people have asked me,
like which way do you think it's going to go?
I actually don't know. Like there's a lot of chopping
and changing. So it will be really interesting and I
think will be quite fiery tomorrow because people are really annoyed,
like they're pissed off. Counselors are, you know, from both sides.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
So the only one I've heard that's been swapping over
is Nico when there am I got that wrong? Is
there other people that have decided to go one way
or the other as well?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Well? Counselors Tony Randall, doan Talbot and Nicolay Young originally
voted to sell the airport. She is they've since changed
their mind because they say that the council hasn't upheld
its end of the deal around Dick Headroom, so they've
changed their mind. But you also, nico Is, I don't
(04:37):
know which which way he is. He knows, I've texted
him and I've called him, but hasn't got back to me.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Oh that's disrespectful, is it?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Well it makes it hard to know what he's thinking.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Okay, you wrote it, so I'm not going to ask
you which way it's going to go. Yeah, I don't
know either, so I'm not going to ask you. We
don't know. Tomorrow tomorrow you'll be ringing me a hopefully
on the show and saying it's gone this way.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Well, unfortunately the council meeting is happening at one thirty
pm tomorrow, bad timing the show. But we'll have all
of the aftermath for Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Okay, all right, we'll get you on. Get you in
on the show on Friday morning to have a chat
about it. You wrote an interesting story which I found
really interesting story about Centerport said they've had enough of
being their tugs being used to look after the.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Fairies when they break down. That's and it's where'd you
get that one from?
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, So this is a letter that the Port and
Greater Wellington Regional Council has sent to ministers, and basically
they're saying, hey, we can't keep sending our port tugs
out to rescue large ships and strife. They're not designed
to do that, you know, like they're not ocean going tugs.
(05:45):
And this situation is sort of becoming increasingly untenable. It's
sort of fine every now and then, but you know,
it seems like large ships, including cook Straight Fairies, are
losing power leaf Brighton Center at the moment. So so
basically Simon Brown, Transport Minister, says he's going to meet
with the Port and the regional count. So you'll remember
(06:07):
in this year's budget there was six hundred thousand dollars
set aside to investigate the country's emergency towing response because
at the moment there's no emergency towing vessel on standby
in New Zealand to help large ships and strife. And
so I think the Port is really just asking, hey,
like where's that business case at, Like are you doing
some work on that. Can we make sure we have
(06:29):
a solution and something to decide on at the end
of that rather than just another business case process?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Right, So what will come out of that government will
give send a point a bit of money and to
say do you please look after them until we find
a new take.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I don't know if it would be quite that, but
I think center Port is just kind of saying hey,
like we're not happy about this, and just kind of
keeping the pressure on the government to remind them that
the current situation is not tenable.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Right now, we're coming into summer, I believe, now, correct
me if I'm wrong, and I'm quite often wrong.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
What that We're already in stage one.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Water restrictions, aren't we the council are going to make
sure we don't run out of water this summer?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yes, we are only for one water restrictions, which right
I didn't realize actually that these water restrictions come in
to effect every time daylight savings ticks over.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Oh, that's just automatic.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Yeah, so there's nothing unusual about that, But I did.
It did get me thinking, well, how are we looking
because we don't want to repeat of last summer? Do
we actually things.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
And I just button there, I say, I'd almost guarantee
we're going to have a repeat it that summer.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Well things are actually looking pretty good. There's this agreement
between Wellington Water and Toemutter ad Way. They've got a
goal to reduce water loss by seven million liters of
drinking water per day by this summer, and apparently they're
on track to achieve that goal. Wellington Water has fixed
(07:57):
loads of leaks. They've fixed more than seven thousand leaks
in the first half of this year, which I thought
was pretty good, very good. Another interesting thing is Wellington
Water has installed these valves in the suburbs of Brooklyn,
Johnsonville and Mailrose to reduce water pressure. And the councils
of course have like invested more money in water infrastructure.
(08:21):
So I think we're looking more proactive on the side
of summer to make sure that we don't have a
repeat of the severe restrictions or the threat of We
kind of got through though, didn't we last summer?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
We really, I mean we didn't have I mean we
had all those thoughts that we were allowed to wash
our car on Wednesdays, and we did deliver a few rules,
but we got through.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yes, yes, and sorry, I did just correct myself to
say the threat of severe restrictions because we did get
through with only being at level two restrictions.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
I thought we went to level three. We didn't go
to level four.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We didn't go to live three. We didn't even get
to level three.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Oh we're okay, then, don't we?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Hopefully we'll be okay. It look it sounds like everybody
is doing everything that they can, and I think Wellingtonians
more aware of the issue has been put in the spotlight.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
No change is what happened with the earthquake the other day,
because I heard a couple of pipes got a little
bit mangled in that.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Can you hear anything about that?
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Yeah, I'm not. I'm not one hundred percent sure on
the condition of the network after that earthquake, and quite
quite often it's hard to tell, like with the CAA
Coulta earthquake, like they sort of feel like something happened,
but couldn't pinpoint a lot of it.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
No, I don't want to put words in your mouth
at all, but I kind of and I'm sitting here
listening to you give me the information. Then you're the
reporter and you're the person that's asking the question, But
I kind of get it. I'm getting a vibe. If
I was a listener listening to the show, I'd be
getting a vibe that you're feeling that Wellington Water is
on the is on their improved.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Well. I don't want to and I don't want to
put words in your mouth though.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
You know, on this particular issue, I wouldn't say in
general Wellington as improving. I think it's got a lot
of problems, but they are definitely throwing everything at this
water restriction.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Okay, We've done the show for nearly three and a
half years on a weekly basis, and I think that's
the most positive and we probably talk well Into Water
every fifty percent of the times that we talk. I
would say if I was a listener, I'd say Georgiana's
a lot more upbeat than she has been about wanting
to board on that particulars.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yeah, well, credit to them. You know, I asked them,
what are you doing about this? And they could give
me tangible things that they were doing so.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
So how good.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So we'll be a little bit posited give them that. Well,
we'll give them something. We'll give them something. And the
fact that we got through last summer without anything really major.
It was to some people it would be major. I
supposed to market gardeners and stuff. That would be major.
But without you know, you having a shower and you
wanted to and me having my shower and I want
to do We're okay.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Yeah, so great to have you back.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Nice to hop back.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Hopefully I didn't put too many words in your mouth
because I know that you are the reporter and I'm
just the guy that wants to chat about it. And
I did get a good vibe, so that's great. It
must have been the holiday.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yeah, I do feel very refreshed, lucky you.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
I know coming up, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
This isn't the holiday season coming up? Thanks Georgia. Georgina
Campbell is a New Zealand Herald Wellington's issues reporter, just
back from a little break and she's all fired up
and ready to give you all the stories. So if
you really want to find out what's going on about Wellington,
there's no one that gives you a better story than
Georgina Campbell. And you can find her on the Herald
because she has New Zealand Herald Wellington's issues reporters.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
We've got issues.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
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