Nick Mills: A Crown observer is the right call - but a sad one

OPINION

Yesterday afternoon just after lunch an email landed in my inbox from Simeon Brown.

I looked out my window after four or five beautiful days in Wellington and saw clouds coming in from all directions.

And that's exactly how I felt reading this email from Simeon Brown. It felt like a dark day.

Brown was announcing he was appointing a Crown observer to Wellington City Council.

We all know what led to this point. Mammoth rates rises, the debacle that was the Reading Cinema deal, councillors arguing, leaking, walking out of meetings, and then the airport shares vote which was the last straw.

It was all too much for local government minister Simeon.

.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}

Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yesterday afternoon, when I looked at my computer, there was
an email sent out from the office of simm Brown.
It arrived in my in box just after lunch. Its
heading was Government to appoint Crown Observer to Wellington City Council.

(00:35):
As I looked out my window before I started reading it,
because I took a second to thinking and feel it,
the vibe a bit about it. After four or five
absolutely beautiful and stunning days in Wellington, there were dark
clouds hovering from all directions and that's exactly how I

(00:57):
felt reading the email from Local Government Minister simm Brown.
It was a dark day. We all know what's led
to this point. Mammoth rate rises, the debate that was reading,
cinema deal, counselors arguing, leaking, walking out of meetings, and
then the final blow the airport shared vote, which was

(01:22):
the absolute last raw. It was all too much for
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. He said enough is enough
and appointed a Crown observer or what I would call
a babysitter. And just imagine for a moment what this
would be like in your job. Management was so concerned
about your performance they would put a person in charge

(01:45):
of you to look at you, to watch you, sent
to your office just to keep an eye on you.
How embarrassing would that be. Although most sane Valentonian's recording
for some sort of intervention from government, when it finally
happened yesterday, for me, it was still a sad moment
for our city. We wanted it to have happened, we

(02:06):
needed it to happen, but still a very sad moment.
We've been the butt of jokes across the country, some
self inflictant, some not almost since this new council's got
sworn in, and although myself included had been calling for
some government intervention, some help, it still was a shock
when it actually happened. But the public was on board

(02:27):
and former Deputy former Mayor Dame Kerry Pentagast hit the
nail on the head this morning, I.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
Think for most Wellingtonians still be some relief this morning.
The poll set me indicate that not just swelling Tonas,
but New Zealanders were tired of what was playing out
in our front pages. I am sure that Mayor and
counselors of management are also positive about this. It needs
to be sorted.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
It was only yesterday's show that we were calling for
Simme and Brown to make a decision one way or another.
Just tell us what he's going to intend to do
with the advice that he had received from his ministry.
In a flash, it was here and now we're going
to have a Crown observer to Wellington City Council. We're
not sure yet, but we'll find out. Simeon Brown said
he wasn't at that stage yet, but we know the

(03:14):
cavalry is on the way. We're not sure who is
he's going to send in, but be sure the cavalry
is on its way. Government help is on its way.
Mayor Torrifano fronted a press conference yesterday. She said she
was accepting of an observer and would work with the observer.
She would do everything she and the council could do
to make it work. She almost looked a bit relieved,

(03:38):
but this was not a win for her. It was
the worst day of her mayoralty and the worst day
of a three year term so far. All her counselors too.
They are all part of this problem and they all
should feel responsible. As for me, as a Wellingtonian, a
proud Wellington I can tell Wellingtonian. I can't help not

(03:58):
feeling that I've lost a very important game. It feels
like something has gone. The fact our once extremely proud
city that I love has an ob observer appointed to
council feels like a failure, a giant failure. Remember when
we were once the calest little capital in the world.
We were the movie capital of the South Pacific. We
were making international blockbusters right here in our backyard. We

(04:20):
were the birthplace of craft bears and breweries. The coffee
culture was all started here. We had the best theaters,
art galleries, great university. It was an affordable city to
live in. It feels like everything was going well for us,
and yet now we have a Crown observer. Now we

(04:41):
have a city that can't even run its its own
council can't even run it. We have a government observer
to report every actions back to the Minister the government. Yes,
we have things going for us. I never want to
forget those things. Wellington is absolutely not dead, but things
aren't great right now, and it's embarrassing as it got

(05:03):
to this point. We need accounts who can get us
back to wants what we were, And as the afternoon
became the night, and the clouds got darker and darker
and grayer. Don't get me wrong, I've been calling for
some sort of intervention right from day one, just as
this moment actually happened. Because it happened, it definitely hurt,

(05:26):
and it still does hurt. But now we have to
do We have our turn to our attention to the rebuild,
and we have to turn our attention to the rebuild
very quickly.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio