Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young on tensions over their new office

Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young joins the show to discuss the complaints over the new council building.

Young was not present at the blessing for the new office building on the waterfront.

She says although she doesn't usually attend early morning ceremonies, she wouldn't of gone anyway as part of a boycott among some councillors.

The boycott is over complaints the office space is not sufficient, particularly the office of Mayor Andrew Little - nicknamed by Young as "the dungeon". 

The office sits on the first floor and has two windows looking onto a carpark and a brick wall. Young says this is a bad look for visitors, while the executives and officials get the penthouse. 

She says this shows where the power lies.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks dB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's time I decided, well, Grace actually decided that we
should talk to our city councilor and find out what's
really going on. We thought about a couple of names.
We've come up with. Nikola Young, good morning, Good morning Nick.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
How are you always very well? Thank you?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
How's your office? What do you look at it?

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Well, we haven't moved into the new office yet, but
when we do, I think I think our first meeting
is something like a pool of twenty first in the
new office.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
See, I thought we have had it.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Sorry you go, well we have had. We have visited
it to see what it's like, so we know. So
the issue about the new office is not so much
the counselors. It's about the mayor's office. And to begin with,
they put us on the first floor for safety reasons.
But you know the Prime Minister's on the ninth floor.

(01:06):
I mean that seems a spurious reason. But theom the
mayor's office, we call it either the dungeon, the mayor's
escape proom, or his broom covered. It's dark, it's cramped,
it has two windows, one looks out on a concrete wall.
The other one looks out to a fence barricade onto
a car park. And you know, the thing is, the

(01:27):
mayor has a lot of official visits from dignitaries and ambassadors,
that kind of thing. And it's just the size of
a large family bathroom.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
It is appalling, must be one hell of a bathroom,
family bathroom. I don't think I could even put an
office desk in my family bathroom.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
I said, a well, you know in the old fashioned
big family home bathrooms that you know. But the thing
is the mayor, the mayor appreciates the terrible were not terrible.
They die financial straits as it is, and it is
no time to make an expensive relocation, so we just
have to put up with it. But it just shows
you where the power lies. Because the executive leadership team

(02:05):
are on the top floor with panoramic views over Wellington,
so which would be lovely for visitors to come and
have a view like that. Instead they'll see a concrete wall.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
So tell me, so tell me, Nikola, Was it that
why you missed the blessing? Not bleeding the blessing?

Speaker 3 (02:24):
The blessing?

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yes, well, actually, well two reasons. First of all, I
don't do blessings. I think it's ridiculous to have people
done at meetings at five point thirty and at five
o'clock in the morning. But yes, that certainly I wouldn't
have gone. Even if I went to blessings, I wouldn't
have gone. Right, A number of us boycotted it. It
was a boycott.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Why why was it a boycott when it was something
so sensitive to the city.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Because we felt that the building was the whole layout
was designed by the officers for the officers, and they
could do that. If they wanted the blessing, they should
have the blessing. But it's just it's really frustrating that,
you know, we have a fantastic mayor and now and
he is working so hard and people want to come
and see him and they have to go to an

(03:06):
escape room. It's terrible. It's not about the councilor's accommodation.
It's about lack of respect.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Okay for the leader. Right, all right, let's cut to
the chase. How simple would it be to chuck one
of the execs out and put him up there and
then make it I mean, give me twenty thousand dollars
and I will fax your problem for you. I'll go
and fax it for you. I mean, it's a pretty
simple thing to fact, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, not really, because you know where the mayor goes,
the deputy mayor goes, and his staff go because he
has very good stuff. And he also likes to be
close to the councilors because we are with this mayor,
we you know, we interact quite a lot. And then
you have the council chamber, which which could stay there.
But I think, you know, the mayor is very aware
of the financial straits of the city Council and the

(03:50):
commercial pressures on everybody, and he just thinks we just
need to leave it. But I'm hoping that come amalgamation,
it might be time to rethink it.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Okay, So do you want the council to sort it
out or are you just happy with it to go
with the blow? And I've got another question for you too.
And I had a couple of Texas text me about
it this morning. Everybody keeps saying that there's an adult
in the room and everything's so damn fantastic. What the
hell are you seeing that's so damn fantastic?

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Oh, well, we have a mayor who is totally on
top of all the papers. He's very available, he listens,
he takes action, he's open to discussion. It's just I
think in the first day he was mayor, I had
more conversations with him than I had in three years
of the previous mayor. But he's he knows the city.
He cares about the city. It's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
If you're a commercial landlord in Wellington, do you think
that Dave thinking that he's fantastic and doing a great
job of See if you're a rate payer, which you
are in the city, do you think that he's doing
a fantastic job. We're not seeing anything yet. I mean,
I like him. I think he's going to be good,
but let's not be a cheerleader for him without some results.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Well, the thing is, it's a little bit early for
results because we haven't you know, we haven't struck the
rates yet, for example. But I know he is acutely aware,
especially of the commercial differential, which is so owner for
commercial property owners. I mean, you know. And the other
thing is he's only got one vote, so I mean,
I'm hoping that the independence who are six independents who
are all pretty fiscally dry. We can help encourage others

(05:18):
to appreciate the financial burden on people in the city.
But you know, I mean, the thing is, he is
unlike some of the previous mayors. He is really involved
and engaged in his job and is doing the best
for the city, taking into account he's landed in a
terrible time for the city. I mean, you know, who
would want to be the mayor right now? Because I

(05:39):
certainly wouldn't want to be. But he is doing great
job because he is taking action, and some of it
you can't see. It's a bit like a duck swiming,
you know, speed are going fast under the water.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
And I'll sit back and keep waiting Nicolas, and I'll
keep paying.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
No, I'll keep trying to do deals to pay my rates,
because that's what I'm you know, like most Valentinians, I'm
struggling to pay my rates. So I'll keep trying to
do deals and keep hoping that you're right. Thank you
for talking us. Be east to have a really good one.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
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