Diane Calvert: Wellington City Councillor says the Government needs to step in and intervene

A Wellington City Councillor believes Government intervention is necessary.

Councillors have met urgently this afternoon to discuss changes to the city's Long Term Plan.

The budget needs revision after the Council backed out of selling its airport shares, leaving a funding hole worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Mayor Tory Whanau will talk with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown tomorrow.

Diane Calvert says she thinks they need a facilitator.

"It's taken us two years for this to sort of come to a boiling point, but we've seen it building up over a time." 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Wellington City councilors have emerged from that urgent closed door
crisis meeting this afternoon. It was called by the Mayor,
Tory Faro. She says, by the way, she's not even
close to resigning, and she's requested a meeting with Local
Government Minister Simeon Brown tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
The bar is pretty high for government intervention. We've not
met that threshold. So I want to meet with Minister
Brown and show him that we're going to be fine.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Wellington City Councilor Diane Calvitz with us. Now, hey, Diane, hi,
havether Okay? So obviously it was a crisis meeting that
was called in order to save the long term plan,
so that Tory can go to sime And tomorrow and
say here, we've got we've got a plan. You don't
need to intervene. Have you saved the long term plan?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, look, let's a start. I mean, you know, now,
you know, people around the council table are acknowledging that
we need to make some cuts in our expenditure and
and you know, we had a good discussion about the
areas that we need to look at and sort of

(00:58):
the rough amounts we might need to cut.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
How much do you need to cut?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, you see, that's the thing is, we're still not
sure because the information that we've have been getting from
our officers has been varied were but we're looking sort
of between three to five hundred million at this stage.
You know that might be too much or you know
it may not be enough.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
So what are you going to cut?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Probably it's likely to be in the transport space because
that's where you know a lot of our money is going.
And probably we're going to have to look at how
we can work smarter and cheap and quicker in some
of our social housing upgrades as well, because there's a
lot of money being.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Prevent But so you guys have agreed to cut somewhere
in the region of three to five hundred million, and
probably in the transport space. This doesn't sound like a
like a like a plan has been nailed down.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
The plan hasn't been nailed down.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
So there's no plan for her to take to Simon tomorrow, then,
is it.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
I think what she's got is an approach to take
to Semi and saying I've got agreement round the table
that we will make cuts. They're roughly in this area
are going to be roughly around this amount of money,
but we need more time to do more work.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Now, Diane, that's lovely, but I mean you guys all
got together with the view of working together at the
very start and things have fallen apart, right, So this
means absolutely nothing, doesn't it because there's no there is
no assurance that you guys will actually be able to
agree on what to cut in the transport space.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, it was an effective stuff, but there's more work
to be done, and I think that's why. You know, Look,
you know, a facilitator is still required because toy does
need some assistance to help and navigate through the next
few months at least.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Okay, so you still think government intervention is necessary, Well, I.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Think you know, I think you know, the mayor really
does need some assistance because we've been we've taken us
two years for this to sort of come to boiling point,
but we've seen is you know, building up over it
over a time. So look, a good start today. It
was a good feel around the table, but as you said,

(03:05):
it's just pretty much high level and the devil gulves
in the detail.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Hey, last I heard you guys all came down from
your meeting and the media was standing in the four
year Did Tory come down in the end or she's
still up there in the office.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
I never saw her come down, so I'm not aware
that she did. So I know some of us counselors
did come down.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Okay, Diane, thank you was always really appreciated. Ian Calvert,
Wellington City Council. Laura is telling me in my headphones, Nay,
she didn't come down. Well, I mean, at least she
hasn't got COVID right, so that's something she showed up
for the meeting today. So you know, we'll take small
mercies in the countdown. Blessings. For more from Hither Duplassy

(03:48):
Alan Drive, listen live to news talks it'd be from
four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio