Nick Mills: Sir Peter Jackson gets preferential treatment from our council, and its not fair on the rest of us

OPINION

How many car parks have we lost in Wellington in the last year?

Too many to count.

There's a story out today about Wellington City Council giving the use of 50 car parks exclusively to one company in Wellington. The deal has been in place since 2010, but it was only made public today.  

There are signs on these 50 carparks in Miramar. The signs say private parking... authorised by Wellington City Council.

The signs warn that unauthorised vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense.

I'm not talking about somebody's private car park. I'm talking about the usual public car parks out the front of a business.

Whose business you wonder? 

A business owned by Wellington's most famous person Sir Peter Jackson; Stone St Studios.

They get 50 public car parks and they essentially get to treat them as their own piece of land.

There was no public consultation about the agreement, and now people are upset because they can’t use the parks.

Now if you're paying hundreds of dollars a year in encroachment fees for a single car park, I get it. 

But the council did a deal with Stanley Properties, directed by Sir Peter and Dame Fran Walsh, and for the 50 parks they pay just $1.00 a year.

How lucky that our current council weren't in power when this deal was done. There'd be a cycle lane with no car parks to rent. 

Compare that to one Mount Cook resident who was paying $919 a year for a 60 square metre section of council land between a footpath in his front door. The council just put the price up and it'll now cost him $1350 this year. 

He pays over a grand. Peter Jackson pays $1.

There's no question I am the biggest Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh fan.

They have totally transformed Wellington as a city over the past 25 years.

And in actual fact, I fully support them having access to 50 car parks out the front of their business for what they do for the city.

But I want to see other businesses treated the same way. 

Why don't I get two car parks out the front of my business, which might I add I am paying exorbitant rates for?

Why doesn't Aro Bake get a couple of car parks out the front of their business? No, those were taken away for a Maori-inspired bike rack. 

Why are we not all treated equally? 

This is preferential treatment for Jackson, and it's not fair. 

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Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:20):
You'll love a good car park story on this show,
don't we How many have you lost over the last year?
Too many to accounts. Haven't got a calculator in the studio.
Now I'm going to give you a story where Wellington
City Council has decided to give fifty car parks, Yes
you heard it right, fifty five oh car parks, exclusively,
exclusively for the rights of one company and Wantington. I

(00:44):
can see the excitement and ro Bakes Factory as they
make their bread this morning listening to this. Who gets
fifty car parks when I've got a bike wreck in
front of my bakery, one that's got some moldy influence,
so it's not just a cycle park in front of

(01:06):
our Anyway, we're digressed. There are signs on these fifty
car parks and Miramatha signs say private parking authorized by
Wellington City Council. And then there's a warning, a warning
that says unauthorized vehicles will be towed away at the
owner's expense. And I'm not talking about somebody's car park.
I'm talking about usual public car parks out the front

(01:27):
of business street. Car parks, you know, are the ones,
the ones you park when you go to the deiry,
the ones where you park when you go to do
something in the local suburbs. Those businesses that need those
car parks, fifty of them. Whose businesses are you asking?
I can hear you are asking that question. Who is

(01:48):
he talking about? And what's he on? Well, I'm glad
you asked, because I'm going to be about to tell
you those fifty car parks are out the front of
Wellington's most famous person business, Sir Peter Jackson Stone Street Studios.
They get fifty public car parks and they get to

(02:10):
treat them as their own, their own piece of land.
There was no public consultation about it, apparently, and now
people are upset because they can't use the car parks. Now,
you could be one of those people, and I was
up to a few years ago, that were paying hundreds
of dollars a year for encroachment encroachment licenses fees. Maybe

(02:31):
your car park was on a piece of council land.
Maybe a part of your entrance to your house was
on a council land, and you pay a lot of
money as an encroachment fee. And I understand that when
you hear this story, you're going to wonder, well, he'll
be paying a lot of money for that. You won't
be quite so happy when I tell you how much better,
Sir Peter Jackson, Stone Street Studios are paying for the

(02:52):
fifty car parks on the road outside the front of
their business. Now. I keep saying that because I know
people are probably thinking it's down the side alleyway and
it's a bit and put down the road and it's
a bit of council land that they've allowed them for
car parking. I'm talking about normal car parks on the
side of the street on the main streets. Well, the
council deal was done with Stanley Properties, which is directly

(03:14):
owned by Pip Jackson and his partner Dame fran Walsh.
And wait for it, because I'm about to tell you,
and you think about this, how much it costs for
fifty car parks twenty four to seven, seven days a
week in Stone Street mirror mart drum roll, Please have

(03:35):
a guess how much do they pay for it for
a year? One dollar? One single dollar? How lucky our
current council weren't in power when this deal was done. Firstly,
there'd be a cycle way down Stone Street in front
of the amazing studios. And I love the area. I
love what they do. I can also tell you that

(03:58):
one Mount Cook resident, because putting this into relevance, is
paying nine hundred and nineteen dollars a year for a
sixty square meter section bo council own land between a
footpath and his front door. It gets worse. The council
has just put the price up and now it's going
to cost thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. In twenty twenty four,

(04:18):
he pays thirteen hundred and fifty dollars and Peter Jackson
pays one dollar. I am not questioning the biggest sir,
Sir Peter Jackson and Franuil Fan. I am a fan
and I'm not knocking them in any stretch or any way.

(04:39):
What they have done for our city over the last
twenty five years is totally transformed. Wellington is a city.
And I actually fully support the fact that they can
get fifty car parks out in the front of their
business well basically nothing, well it is nothing to help
them generate what it generates for our city. So I'm
supportive of it. I just wanted to put it out there.

(04:59):
Totally support it and totally get it, But I actually
want to see other businesses treated the same way. Why
don't I get car park out the front of each
one of my businesses? I'm employing people, I'm trying to generate,
I'm paying hot far too much in rates. Why does
an ro bait get a couple of car parks out
the front of a busy bakery? Been great for our city,

(05:20):
great bakery. Why don't they get treated? Why don't we
all get treated equally? Fifty car parks out the front
of your business for a dollar a year, good business
if you can get it.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
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