Tory Whanau: Wellington mayor says everything is on the table regarding budget cuts, except water infrastructure and Golden Mile - Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

• Wellington City Council has stopped the sale of its 34% share in the airport.
• The Long Term Plan will have to be amended which could involve significant cuts to capital spending.
• It’s the second significant loss Mayor Tory Whanau has suffered this year after the Reading Cinemas deal was also killed.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanauis faced with cutting up to $600 million from her 10-year budget after the city council voted to stop the controversial sale of its airport shares.

Last week, Wellington City Council killed the sale of its 34% share in the airport, with one councillor saying it was the “dirtiest politics” she had been involved with.

It’s a significant loss for Whanau who championed the sale and planned her 10-year-budget around it. The sale has divided the council, cost the mayor crucial support and comes after her plan to reopen the “big black hole” that is Reading Cinemas also failed.

Selling the airport shares was designed to help solve two serious financial risks: the council’s $2.6 billion under-insurance problem and the l