Anita Baker: Porirua Mayor questions why Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau hasn't joined super-city amalgamation discussion

There's claims that merging four Wellington Councils into one is a practical way forward to solve the region's challenges.

The mayors of Upper Hutt, Hutt City, and Porirua are holding early talks about amalgamation.

But although they're keen to merge, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says now is not the time.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says Whanau needs to come around to the idea of a super-city.

"It seems silly - we could be up for larger funding, we should be working together. We are a very small region."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Turns out that Wellington a super city is back on
the agenda again because four councils in the Wellington region
have been talking about amalgamation. Now, this is much smaller
than what was originally proposed years ago, which would have
included the wider upper councils. This time it would just
be ported to a Wellington Upper Hut and Hut city.
Apparently the Mayor's met back in May to talk her
through the planning to chat a chat again Anita Baker

(00:20):
as the mayor of Port to ours with us. Now, Hey, Anita, know,
how are you? And well? Thank you? Do you reckon?
This is a goer?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, it is, but we're not all on the same page.
And you can only be on the same page and
make it work of four of you agree and you
don't get it at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, so who's not agreeing.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Wellington at the moment? Aren't on board for the discussion?
You know, don't think it's suitable right now, toy finals
you can't keep putting it off. Yeah, the last arogamation
you've just look up forward.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Why isn't Tory into it?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
I don't know. I think she's you know, got troubles
at Wellington around her table. They've got other things going on.
We're all dealing with war. But actually it's a good
time to have those discussions.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
I find it slightly ironic the Tories, the one who's
not into it, given that presumably, like their council, would
surely be the one that should be most grateful to
be sucked up into other councils, shouldn't they.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Well, you'd like to think so that they don't agree
on much, so I'm not sure how that will happen.
I'd just like to have the discussion and be able
to move on because I think we're all doing things,
you know, differently, when we should all be on the
same page.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
So let me get this right, Anita. So you and
the mayors of Upper Hut and Hut City, you're all
quite keen on this.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well, pay into the discussion. You know, we all do
rubbish recycling, all do it differently, all charge different things
for building consents, dogs. Yet we're in a very small
area where we're ten twenty minutes away from each other.
You know, it seems silly we could be up for blood.
The funding we fight each other, the funding and things
we should be working together We are a very small region.

(01:55):
Most of the people live and put your work in
Willington or the Hut.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
So it's a little bit like Turkey's voting for an
early Christmas. Why do you want to do yourselves out
of jobs?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, it's gotten to sadow of jobs. We're not doing
a great job. We've all got huge rating.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Cressis.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
We're all sailing with water, as you know. But actually
we are one region and instead of all fighting for things,
we should be looking together as a team. If Wellington's
doing bad, we're all doing bad. We need willing to
survive Anita.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
The fact that this has come out into the media
suggests that you guys are trying to put pressure on
Toy to buckle and get on board. Is that what's up?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, I didn't put it out there. But she needs
to turn to the table and talk to us. Yes,
but she needs to have an open mind and hopefully
just listen. I mean, we haven't got to the stage
where we're talking to residents yet. You know, you need
to have a discussion to see there is a discussion,
because it's not a thisism we can make. You know,
the residents in Pura might say, oh, I'm not a
great idea. I'm hearing lots of people saying get on

(02:54):
with it, but that doesn't mean everybody saying that.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Is Tory dismissing this out of hand.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
No open for the discussion, but not really in the discussion.
So it's a matter of getting to the table. It's here,
let's stick to her and bet you come up. You
know this has just come out in the paper this morning.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
When's your next meeting?

Speaker 2 (03:15):
The Mirrle Forum meeting is in August, but we will
get together as a group of four meyors and trying
sap sooner. Haven't got a meeting set.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Well, good luck with it, Anita, really appreciate you talking
to us. It's a need to baker put it or mare.
No surprise to absolutely anybody that the stick in the
mud there for the old spoke in the wheel, whatever
it is, what it is like a spanner in the
wheel is old Tory, isn't it? Of course it is anyway,
fly in the ointment. We wanted to talk. We did
ask for Tori, didn't we. We asked for Tory to
come on the show and have a chat to us

(03:43):
about it. But you will recall, of course that Tory
has got ADHD and significant levels of autism at the moment,
and therefore only really works in the morning and doesn't
really work in the afternoon because she's a little bit tired.
And unfortunately for us, the show is in the afternoon,
so I think that probably counts the energy levels down,
like Biden level energy levels after four o'clock. I don't
know if you realize that about Biden, but he only

(04:05):
works until four, Like he's good to go ten am
till four pm, and then it just flags like one
of those you know, one of those little things that
they have outside the car yards with a pump all
the air and then it's like a little man who's
like full of energy, and then the energy after four
o'clock just turn the the air off and he just
kind of wilts. It's like toys a bit like that.
So unfortunately we start at four, Tory ends at four.

(04:26):
It's not really compatible for us. So anyway, the days
of Tory on the show are probably over now that
she's been diagnosed. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.
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