November 3, 2025 • 31 mins
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little joins Nick Mills for the first of his monthly in studio chats, to talk about how his first few weeks have been in the new job.
Live in studio, Little talks his pick for deputy mayor, his choices for the committees and their chairs, his priorities before Christmas and the removal of the waterfront fencing.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said, b Mayor of Wellington, I'm going to say mere
elect to Wellington of Wellington Andrew Little, good morning and welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Good morning. Nick must to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Oh good, No, all good. It's been pretty full on
three weeks but no sort of feel like I'm getting
the grip of things.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
You got it world, You know you're a little bit
cagy when your cover it. Are you worried about me?
You're worried about the radio, You're worried about the job.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No, no, no, not at all. No, No, it has been
full on and there's still a lot to do, still
absorbing a lot of information, just getting just still getting
the sense of things about about the council and the
council offices and trying to get some stuff changed. But look,
all the indications are pretty good at the moment. Really
enjoying working with the counselors, but both the returning ones
(00:56):
and the new ones. But like at thirty days and
we haven't been tested through disagreement yet and we'll see
how all that goes. Well.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I can say that we had Nikola Young as a
guest on the show a couple of weeks ago. Last week,
and she was very, very positive. She said, it's got
a better vibe than she can remember. It feels good
and your leadership feels great.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Oh that's good. That's nice to hear.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
And that's from supposedly opposition.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, Nicholas been around a long time and I looked
her for her experience and her insights, and she's been good.
She's been very helpful.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Anyone that you feel I mean, and you don't need
to mention any names, because I don't want you to
put yourself in that position after three weeks, But is
anyone you look around the table and you're doing you're
but you're looking around the table and go sis. I'm
not quite sure whether I could get them on board.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
You know, at the stage three weeks sent to it,
and we've had a number of sessions where we're getting briefings.
I've got a people have been really good, and I've
got to I've got to believe in the best and
hope for the best, and I'm confident that we will
we will see the best. But look, we will have
will have points where we disagree at some point and nice.
And I've said to my colleagues and said, look, we
(02:09):
all feel good at the moment, but we haven't been
tested yet through just a big disagreement of an important policy.
But that test will come and it's how we handle that.
And look, I'm just talking to everybody to understand. You know,
we're all there for the good of Willington. We can disagree,
we will disagree. It's how we manage that disagreement is
(02:30):
going to be the critical test that's yet to come.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Give us a number out of ten, Give us a
number out of ten. Looking around, you're sitting at the table,
you're the head of the table, and you look around.
You're a bright guy.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
You're a smart guy.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You've done lots of big deals, lots of negotiations. You're
a smart guy. Looking at the table and you say, okay,
I think I've got a seven out of ten. Council,
where's your number?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'd say eight out of ten. It's a good counsel
it's a good counselor. And the new council. What I
am really pressed about is the depth of skill and
including for returning counselors, skills that I didn't know they
had just I picked up through the one on one conversation.
So I think this is a good counsel. I think
there's huge potential. But for three weeks into a three
(03:10):
year two you're saying that a bit I'm a bit
worried about that. Three weeks you've chosen been McNaulty as
your deputy. Now, there was a lot of rumors floating
around that you were going to go like you were
going to make your first statement by going with somebody
that wasn't a you know, a medi me. Now, a
lot of people were calling Ben McNaulty a mini me.
(03:31):
He's a labor guy through and through. He's a young
version of you, isn't he.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
He's not the guy that's going to go out dancing
on a Saturday night. He's you know, he's a many
young families. But he's a young Andrew Little, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Well, I'm not sure. I'd say that he's got experience
that I don't have, because he's been a council for
one term already. He's got a set of skills that
I think are really good for me. What's really important
over the next that a year or so, as we
sort of get to grips with things and consolidate and
achieve change. He's got good networking skills, he knows everybody.
He will help me navigate through the council. That's what
(04:05):
I need. But I've made I've made all the appointments
eighteen months, including for the Deputy mayor there and we're
agreed there will be a change in deputy man after
eighteen months because I reckon the back end of the term.
I need a different set of skills, which is about
consolidation and stability and stuff. So we'll do that. But
when I look across all those.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Ponds to Prime Minister's idea, you just went straight across
to the to the right Worgan. You said, Christopher Lux
has done that with his deputies. I'm going to do
it with mine.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
He's going to meet it. I know he's he's.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You copied the privately now I think.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
I mean, I don't know who the next deputy me
is going to be after Ben. We'll see who that is.
But there's a reason I made eighteen month appointments and
there I want to see how everybody goes. There's a
bit of a performance element to it. So if you
know that the ones who are doing well, they'll either
stay there or we'll find better roles for them, and
those who don't do so well, we'll have to find
other roles with him too.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Can I just get the take of the council themselves?
You know what what of the council? The counsel is
the people around the table make of your decision for
the de.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Look, I send it out the night before we announced,
I sent send it out to everybody, said look, I'm
open to some discussion, and I had some discussions. I
had some good positive feedback and had some discussions. There
were a couple of minor changes made the following morning,
and then I announced. I think what I was really
pleased about is that having shared it with everybody and
send them open to some discussion, nobody went, you know, no,
off to the next journalist and spill the beans on it.
(05:28):
They actually engaged in it, and I was really pleased
about that.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right, when will you decide that you're who you're going
to do for the next eighteen months. Is it going
to be like as you go through the first eighteen months,
or is it going to wait right to the end
and then say, ah, well, okay, let's.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Just go it'll be closer to the eighteen month period. Yeah,
when everything's up, I'll be reviewing everything. Everything's up for
review at that point.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
So yeah, eight hundred and eighty ten eighties a number.
If you've got a question you'd like to ask Andrew Little,
Mayor of Wellington, please do. It's not a discussion, it's
a question. If you'd like to give them to ring
up and give us your question. You can actually talk
to the me. How many places around the world can
you actually ring up and speak to your bit. It's
(06:10):
pretty good, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
That's a great thing about New Zealand and our democracy.
And then whether you're in Parliament or a minister or
a mayor, we're pretty accessible and we've got to hold
onto that. That's really important. We don't. You know, you
see other countries where there's you know, politicians, people in
public offices, surrounded by failings of security people. They're not accessible.
We don't have that. And how I enjoy walking through
the streets, walking on the waterfront. People stop and chat
(06:34):
and stuff. It's great and we've got we've got to
hold onto that.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Are you still are you still doing exactly the same?
Are you still like going for your your bike rides
and walking and are you still the same Andrew Little
you were a month ago.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I catch the bus most days. I have a really
early start. I'll take the car, but I catch the
bus most days. I walk as everywhere I can through
town and as I say, wherever I can.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You catch a bus to work?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Catch the number thirty two bus from Island Bay. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I think that's incredible. I mean, I mean, cell your way.
Brown used to ride a bike, didn't she Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I suppose. But I'm still riding your Bike's a little
bit more freedom than they're sitting at a bus next
to a Wally.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
No, no, the good people are good people.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I mean Wally is in somebody you don't know, have
a clue who is.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Also a Just to catch up, I can go through
the news feeds and see what's on you on insit
to me and what's on the stuff after you know.
So I get to get to catch up on the news.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
You'll be able to watch the video of you today
tomorrow on the bus ride. And I mean, I'm still
finding that quite incredible. Let's uh, let's take a quick
break and come back. I want to start by asking
some questions about stuff around the city. Fencing is coming down.
I want you to think about that, and our listeners
to think about that. I want to know what your
reaction and why he made that decision or who made
(07:54):
that decision while entered me Andrew Little.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Is with us.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
He will take your questions eight hundred and eighty ten eighty,
or if you're not brave enough to speak to him,
you can text a question through mister mayor. Is there
any truth in the rumor going around regarding a tax
on empty bedrooms in the city of Wellington?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, I haven't even heard the rumor that certainly, I
don't know. I'm not pushing any policy for a tax
on empty bedrooms.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
No, but you are pushing the policy of a big
tax bid text yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Going to keep up with Wayne Brown and others. I
just think, you know, for a city that has a
lot of visitors, we have conventions and all that sort
of stuff. Guess getting a contribution towards our infrastructure from
our visitors is not a bad thing to do.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Have you had a conversation with Wayne Brown?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Do you know? I know Wayne? Yes, and I haven't
actually since we've both been, he's been re elected and
I've been elected, intend to hopefully in the next few days.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
One question that I had in my mind, you know,
when you had that four and where all the mayors
had to come and it was in Lington, I believed
did he come down for it?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
No, because they're not member Auckland pulled out of the
local government U zeal So yeah, I just thought, I
thought to myself, he's too arrogant to come down and
be part of that. Oh look at Wayne is what
is Wayne? Was Wayne when I was minister? Are you
to get the old text from Minent full of advice?
So he's always wanting to help? All right, let's talk fencing.
(09:13):
I walked along the waterfront yesterday afternoon. It was glorious,
went from from here right down to round past sky
Stadium and back and I saw that the fencing was
starting to come down. Now.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
The coroner's advice was pretty strong, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Yeah, they suggested a number of things, but I think
any of the most recent death, the most recent recent
death happened out around that Kumu Toto kind of Queen's warfare,
And I think there are dangerous spots there that need
a permanent solution to it. But the fencing all along
the front of Depapa and all along around the other areas,
(09:49):
I'm not convinced that that needs to be there. When
there's good lighting and at times we know there would
be large numbers of people when there are big events,
we can put in place. You know, we have security
guards and others to prevent the hazard of people falling
into the water. But the whole thing about the waterfront development,
it was about getting people closer to the water. That's
what people wanted, and so we need to be able.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
To do that with that Corona coming out so strong.
And I started, you know, two years ago, I started
really strongly on getting it fenced. Now I've swapped over
and said, now I don't want the fencing because it
looks so ugly. How will we both feel? And I'm
not just putting it on you, but how will we
both feel? Because I've promoted to getting the fencing down.
You've watched it. You know you're overseeing it. If someone
(10:32):
does drown, yeah, look.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
As I say, you look at the most recent death,
the area where there's narrow pathways and no protection from
falling in the water. I think we do need to
do something there.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And a lot of alcohol sales around that area.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah. Sure, But those other areas, as I say, along
between Cheffer's Marina and right around those are areas, big
wide paths, good lighting now, much better lighting now than
was before. There are places where people want to be
able to walk and stand and stand next to the water.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
And it didn't really answer my question, how will you
actually personally feel if you pick up, you know, the
paper or turn on to news talks here.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
But we're not going to st if you think about
hundreds of thousands of people who visit there every year
and visitors and all the rest of it. Look, we're
not going to stop every single accident happening, and it
would be very tragic if there were, if there were
another drowning. But by and large, the way people use
that space is responsible and sensible and safe. And I
(11:33):
think we just need to get rid of the fencing.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And it's all gone by Wednesday this week. This week
I saw them madly bringing it all down. Thirty nine
million dollars in unpaid rates, seven eight hundred people are behind.
I think I'm one month behind on my water rate,
so I'm probably one of those seven eight hundred. The
(11:56):
scary part of this was that there was no deals
being done by Wellington when you know the story was
that a guy had a property in Upper Hut and
property in Wellington got a deal done with in a
week and Upper Hut got nothing from Warrington or no
even communication for two weeks and then when you got
communication it was pay up or we're going to the
banks to get the money. Is that the approach?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It's not for me to talk about individual rate pays,
and I think I think the Councter does have an
empathetic approach to people who are in arrears. People can
have life shocks, lose parents, lose others, and sudden their
life gets out of control. I think that the Council
has a good track record and people in those circumstances
coming to the party helping out. Where people have a
(12:40):
track record of falling to areas previously or being tardy
on their rates, the sympathetic approach diminishes somewhat. So I
think the Council's got away those things in the balance
and I'm confident that they.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Do under your guidance. Will you think there'll be a
fairer and more moderate way.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
I think the critical thing is what that level of
rates are shows is that people struggling with the rates
that they are combination of you know, slowly rising incomes
and rapidly rising rates. So we do have to get
rates under control, which is why we have a dedicated
committee now looking at all these council spending and we've
got it. We've just got to do better at our
financial control. So there's that element of it. But in
(13:23):
terms of dealing with people who are in arrears, as
I say I'm confident we're talking to Council Office, is
that we do have an approach that is sympathetic for
people who have you know, those times in the lives
where they things do get out of control. But for
people who have repeatedly had the experience of getting behind,
then the level of sympathy falls off.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Okay, now you would have read the DOMS article on
Saturday morning about fifty year old Andrea real estate agent
was saying that you know, fifty year old's bringing making
calls wanting to sell up and leave Wellington because they
can't afford the rates. Personally, if I didn't have this job,
I would be doing exactly the same thing. Rates are
(14:04):
too expensive in our city.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, they are, and commercial rates too, and residential rates.
And that's why, as I say, credit a very clear
message from the selection campaign to every counsel every candidate
was get spending under control. And that's what I'm determined
that we do. And we that work is getting under
way immediately because we because it has to because we
start putting together next to his budget and therefore rate
(14:28):
levels very soon. So we've got to get We've got
to do that work. But it won't stop. I mean,
it's it's actually got to be continuous. Just talking to
some officers this morning about some of the capital works projects,
how do we stop those things getting out of control?
So we're going to start that work as well. We've
we've we've just got to get better at financial control
and how are you going to do that? Well, we've
(14:49):
got we've got the line by line review or operational spending.
So are we everything we're doing do we need to
be doing? I know the Chief Executive had already commissioned
the review that that he's done. I haven't seen that report.
I'm due to get it in the next sitt of
two to three weeks, so we're see where that gets.
But what I'm confident now in my discussions with Matt Prosser,
(15:11):
the chief executive, and others is there is a real
not only a wearness of but actually commitment and and
doing the stuff about getting cost out of the organization.
So we keep that pressure off rates.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
How many meetings have you had with Matt Proctor? How
many times have you gone for coffee? Are you hanging out?
Are you spending time together? I see him most days.
We were at the cricket together on the weekend. I
mean the day after the election. We caught up for
an hour and a half and had a good long chat.
But I see him most days, and it's sometimes it's
(15:44):
in formal meetings. Sometimes it's just him and me catching up. Okay.
And so your gut on that is your gut that
he trusts you and you trust him.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah, it's very good. The relationship's very good. I have
confidence in him. I'm really pleased with about the way
the relationship is developing. He's very responsive to the things
I've been asking for and suggesting we need to do.
I think he's very responsive to other counselors too. I've
had good feedback from other counselors. He's doing a good job.
And from everything I've seen so far.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Has he told you any stories about the previous mayor
that he thought?
Speaker 3 (16:16):
No, and I haven't asked. I wouldn't ask, I think,
and I think he's very professional. I think the officers
are very professional. And for all the criticisms that Tory
Farno has attracted, you know, she she did the job,
and she's she's left the organization ready for me to
take over and we're just now getting stuck into it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yeah, it was more meaning that, you know, different ways
of running things from her to you, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
I think, yeah, Cerding the feedback I've had, there's a
lot of the staff have noticed the difference. And look,
we'll just we'll just we'll just keep going doing. I'll
just keep doing what I think is the right thing
to do and the right way to approach the job.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
How important, because I personally, as a wanting to businessman
and rate payer, feel it's extremely important the relationship between
the CEO and mayor.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
It's that critical relationship. And I'm very clear about that.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But do you, I mean, do you have to be
on the same page. I mean, he might be as
right wing as hell and you might be left wing
as hell? Can you both be on the same page?
And I'm not suggesting he is or you are.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Yeah. Look, I wouldn't know what his politics are. That's
not important. What's important is that we have a professional
relationship that is respectful of each other. And it is
and he understands what I want to achieve and is
going about, you know, making sure that we're doing that.
I think in terms of supporting me to support other counselors,
he's very much doing that. So who makes the big decisions?
(17:37):
Is it the mayor or the CEO? It's a combination
of both. I mean, I think Matt comes to me
with various things to check my thinking, to check my approach.
I go to him, I said, look, I think this
is what we really need to get this underway, get
this going. And he says he might come back and say,
(17:57):
here's one way we can do it, here's another way.
Here's that we understand what the objective is. But his
job is to help me find a pathway to get
the stuff done that I say it needs to get done.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is he as concerned as you and I are over
the rate our rate bill?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Yes? And he knows, he knows that the level of
rate increases is not sustainable. And he's concerned too about
a perception that people are paying more and aren't seeing
more for it. So I think he totally gets that, okay.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
And the commercial side of things, I mean, I've been
involved in a little tiny commercial investment in Wellington which
I'm getting out of because I can't afford it anymore.
Does he understand the extent of the pain that's going
on in there. I'll give you an example from one
of your hometown investors came to town to look at something,
looked at it, and walking down the street, they told
(18:45):
me they just looked at something and they said that
the rates bill was the same as what he This
is an investor from New Plymouth was paying for a
seven million dollar investment and this investment was under a
million in Wellington and New Plymouth to Wellington, I.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Mean, and we know that, and we know that that
commercial rates differential is out of whack, and we've got
to address that too. As part of the role of
the dedicated group of counselors is going to be looking
at because we've got to get we've got to sort
that out to and all the other little head ons
that we've put on on businesses too to fund Wellington,
n zend and all those sorts of things. So all
that stuff is under examination right now with a view
(19:22):
that we've got to make changes that's going to make
it easier for investors to to come to Wellington and
invest in Willington.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Can I just quickly say before we go to the
news and I gave you a big tech and I'm
not going to try and be in your cheerleader cheerleading squad,
but I will be honest and upfront like I was
with Toy that I thought that your post after the
storms was amazing saying people are willing to get out
and support your local businesses. Now, as a small businessman
and as a lot of people, would have thought, hell,
(19:52):
that's exactly what we want our mere to be doing.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yeah, and that's what we should be doing too those
because you know, we have those days where we are
to stays home businesses in town they suffer, you know's
and they got they got it. And I think about
the staff too, you know, and there's a bunch of
staff they had copped their hours, can't they? I got
university fees to pay that. I'm a union guy and
the approach I always took. Look, if the business you're
working for isn't making your dollar, then your job's at risk.
(20:15):
So I want the dollars to flow through because I
want those workers to hold on to your job. That's
the way I see it.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, great, Andrew Little, maya Wellington, he said, starting to
excite me. That's that's a worry. He's starting to excite me.
Andrew Little's in the studio for the next twenty five minutes.
I've just got a text through, Andrew, you love this one.
Shame Nick has taken over the slot. What about hearing
from the listener's calls. Nick's overpowering this interview four times
(20:42):
in the last twenty eight minutes. I said, oh, eight
hundred eighty ten eighty. If you've got a question for
Andrew Little, the mayor of Wellington, call up. Do you
want me to do it again? Eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
If you've got a question for the mayor, please call up.
Let's talk about your announcements of the new committees in
(21:04):
their chairs. How did did you decide that? How did
you work that through?
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I interviewed all the councilors went on one. So I
went through everything, and some of them had written submissions
about their backgrounds and skills and what they wanted and
all the rest of it. I looked at all the committees.
I looked at the existing committee structures. I looked at
some of the priorities that I've got getting finances under control,
of getting an economic growth and development plan in place.
(21:30):
So I changed some of the committees and what they're doing,
and then I just looked across, tried to fit in
roles with people with the relevant sort of skills and
background and getting a bit of a balance across it
as well. So I was determined to make sure everybody
had something meaningful to do that fitted their skills and interest. Obviously,
(21:50):
you can't meet every expectation of every counselor, but I'm
confident that I've got a pretty good balance there.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
How do you decide which priorities to you know, what
committees actually have to have your priorities, what committees are
really important to you.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
It's actually the two the ones A working group which
is the Financial Control and Value for Money group that's
been led by Ben McNulty and has a number of
councils on including Andrew Compton Accountants written in a charge accountant.
And then the other is the group chaired by Carl
Tiffan Barker, which was the Economic Growth and Development We've
(22:25):
got to get. We've got a counsel got to have
its own plan and strategy to support business and to
support new investment in the city and so and Carl's
got that and spades and he's going to be leading
that up in terms of other communities.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Both of those people that were making noise, well Karl
stood for the mayor and Andrew have made noises of it.
Does that Does that had any effect on it? Now?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I take the view, look the elections down and dusted
and now it's just about slotting, taking the talent I've
got and starting them at to roll till I think
they can do well. And that's what that was about.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Okay, we have someone online with a question, Simon, you
have a question for the mayor.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Yes, Hi, I have a question about the roads and
footpaths around Wellington Railway Station and the Cook Straight Ferry terminals.
Does Wellington City Council have any plans to improve that area?
For example, where you cross from Wellington Railway station across
(23:27):
Jervis Key. It's a major road and people it's just
in the mornings and peak times there's a sea of
people crossing their cars can't get through and can't get
out of the Blue Bridge terminal and out of the
Wellington Railway station. I thought Gill would be great if
(23:48):
they had a bridge or something to cross there. I
was really pleased when they put a roundabout in just
south of the inter islander, makes it so much easier
to get in from the north.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Simon, what's your question? Do you want to see something
actually happen?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
Yeah, I was just wondering if there are any plans
as part of I don't know where you whether you've
got to get Willington moving or something like that to
improve Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, so let's get one into moving. As pretty much
exhausted now so because a lot of projects that were
lined up kind of never got done, never got commitment,
so it was sort of looking at other things. But
I take the point that you make. It's something I
have look at. I'm not aware of any particular plans
for any upgrades around that area, but I totally get
the point that you make. I've seen people trying to
(24:42):
get across there. There are a bedestin crossings up and
down Jo vos Key, but look, heapy to go back
and see what, if any plans there might be to
make it easy for people to cross and cars to
across those lanes.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Thank you, Simon OD one hundred and eighty, ten eighty.
If you've got a question for mey or Andrew Little
when we come back, I'm just going to take a
short break. When we come back, we're talking about the
committees and his decisions, Mayor's decisions on how he chose
those committees. There's obviously a couple of contentious decisions that
were made. We better talk about those, hadn't we welcome back.
(25:16):
We've got a question from Mamiller, who is one of
our regular callers on the show. She can't talk right now,
but she said the three of the biggest barriers to
businesses are targeted rates, commercial rates differential, and the barriers
to the front door of because of cycle ways using
precious road space that at least off peak could be
used for parking. What are your thoughts on these large
(25:39):
items hampering businesses.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah, on the race differential and the targeted rates, those
are all things that are under examination by the group
of councilors have set up to do that. On the
cycle ways and what have you. Look, a lot of
money has gone to cycleways. I'm reluctant to kind of
throw good money after bad sort of things. So well,
look at the cycleway network. I'm not planning on any
(26:04):
big changes to it. If it comes to parking, I'm
happy to look at ways we can improve or increase parking,
and whether suburban areas or down to the downtown area.
But I'm not into ripping up cycleways that we spend
a lot of money installing in the first place.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Thanks for that. Now back to our last little sticky
question about your committees and how you put them together.
Obviously in the last couple of days, he has been
a little bit of a backlash. You've been copying it
a bit from your decision to have Ray Chung run
a sub committee in charge of council controlled organizations.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah. Look, Ray's been duly elected, is a duly elected counselor.
I did make the commitment both during the campaign and
since that I want every counselor to have a role
where they're doing something meaningful, making a contribution. So Ray's
got that group. That committee meets four times a year.
It's providing oversight of the council controlled organization so out
for slights of India and the zoo and what have you.
(27:02):
And their job is to look at the recommendation of
a different outfit that makes recommendations for appointments to approve
those and that's it. It's really a chance for Ray
to kind of demonstrate what he's up for and what
he can do. But across all the range of appointments
I've made as a whole, I think on balance, it's
(27:23):
the right place for him to be.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Do you think he's getting treated a little bit harshly?
Is just the story just won't go away, will it?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Yeah, Look, this is the whole thing. What you do
and what's on the record is on the record forever,
and this is the world we live in now. But
the reality is since that time he's been re elected
by the Western Ward, they've re elected him. He's a
duly elected counselor.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
That doesn't mean you have to give him a job
or give him a profile or anything, does it.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Well, I can't ignore the fact that he's been elected
and that he's got experience, and so like all counselors,
everybody's got something useful to do. Every appointment is for
eighteen months. Will gauge it after eighteen months, see how
Ray is doing, how anybody is doing, and we'll work
it up from there.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Are you concerned at all about but he? Does it
worry you that you? I mean, you've got one hundred
and fifty emails, so it's obviously that's a large amount
of emails. I mean, I know there'll be a lot
of women that will be upset, and I get that.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
But yeah, yeah, and I think what he did was
pretty bad, actually was pretty bad. He's not the only
person on that council that would have done something that
would have been regrettable, in some cases, hugely regrettable. But
he has been elected. Even in the face of that,
known to people, known to the electors in the Western Ward,
(28:36):
He's been elected, and so he's on the council. And
I've got to accept that reality only just yeah, forty
five votes. Forty five votes is forty five votes, and
he is a duly elected counselor.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, I agree. And when I first saw it, I
actually thought it was quite a smart boob because he's
the one that's been blowharding about what he can do
and what he can't do. You've given him a position
that he can actually make a difference if he wants to.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I wouldn't describe it as blowharding. He's very confident about
I've put him to the test, my words, not yours.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I do not try to say you said he was
definitely out there telling everybody what he could do and
what he couldn't do. And let's see, let's see Mount
Victoria Tunnel. Where do you sit with it, what's going on,
what's the latest discussions. I mean it's you know, Chris
Bishop promised spades and the ground before the next election
that's coming around quick.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Yeah. So I'm supportive of the second tunnel. My support
was based on that it's going to also allow for
cycling walking and it is, so that's good. I think
there's the there's the second Terrorist tunnel as well. That's
that's part of the project. And then they're writing it
all through you know, Living Street and Cambridge Terraces and
all the rest of it. So all that's there. So
(29:45):
I've had one meeting with nz TA that basically tell
me that and I expect there'll be more, but I'm
I'm really pleased to see it. Chris Bishop told me
that they've approved, you know, that it's on the list
of projects. They haven't prioritized those projects, so we don't
know how soon it's going to be in place, but
i'd be confident that the construction of that could start,
(30:06):
you know, than a year eighteen months.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
The whole Vivian Street thing situation, it's bizarre and I
think I could be wrong, but I think we're the
only major capital in the world. I don't think we're
a major capital. But you know, four hundred thousand, the
Great Wellington area or whatever it is, you know, to
have State Highway one running straight through the middle of the.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Town, built up area, I know, it is a bit weird.
What are the alternatives? You know, you could get a
securitist route that would go all over the place, very expensive,
build a tunnel even more expensive. It's the best solution
to get something that will be usable in five to
six years time.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
How confident are you that we are going to have
the bulldozers. I don't want him standing there and you
standing there and getting a photo taken with a shovel
I mean bulldozer is actually in the ground. How soon
do you reckon it's going.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
To be well, it depends what decision they come up
with early next year on priority. But the signal I
get is that they do want this, and I would
have thought for Cress and Nicola. Willis says the two
government senior ministers located in Willington and the Willington region.
It's in their interests to get this underway sooner rather
than later, so I'd be confident we will see something
in the next year to eighteen months.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Take a short break and be back to wrap things
up with Wellington Mayor Andrew Little. He has committed to
monthly meetings or monthly catch ups on Wellington Mornings as
previous All previous mayors have done until they get a
little bit annoyed or agitated with me and then they can,
but otherwise they commit to it. So he's committed and
this is the very first one. We've got another one
(31:30):
before Christmas.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
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.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Said, b Mayor of Wellington, I'm going to say mere
elect to Wellington of Wellington Andrew Little, good morning and welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Good morning. Nick must to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Oh good, No, all good. It's been pretty full on
three weeks but no sort of feel like I'm getting
the grip of things.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
You got it world, You know you're a little bit
cagy when your cover it. Are you worried about me?
You're worried about the radio, You're worried about the job.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No, no, no, not at all. No, No, it has been
full on and there's still a lot to do, still
absorbing a lot of information, just getting just still getting
the sense of things about about the council and the
council offices and trying to get some stuff changed. But look,
all the indications are pretty good at the moment. Really
enjoying working with the counselors, but both the returning ones
(00:56):
and the new ones. But like at thirty days and
we haven't been tested through disagreement yet and we'll see
how all that goes. Well.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I can say that we had Nikola Young as a
guest on the show a couple of weeks ago. Last week,
and she was very, very positive. She said, it's got
a better vibe than she can remember. It feels good
and your leadership feels great.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Oh that's good. That's nice to hear.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
And that's from supposedly opposition.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yeah, Nicholas been around a long time and I looked
her for her experience and her insights, and she's been good.
She's been very helpful.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Anyone that you feel I mean, and you don't need
to mention any names, because I don't want you to
put yourself in that position after three weeks, But is
anyone you look around the table and you're doing you're
but you're looking around the table and go sis. I'm
not quite sure whether I could get them on board.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
You know, at the stage three weeks sent to it,
and we've had a number of sessions where we're getting briefings.
I've got a people have been really good, and I've
got to I've got to believe in the best and
hope for the best, and I'm confident that we will
we will see the best. But look, we will have
will have points where we disagree at some point and nice.
And I've said to my colleagues and said, look, we
(02:09):
all feel good at the moment, but we haven't been
tested yet through just a big disagreement of an important policy.
But that test will come and it's how we handle that.
And look, I'm just talking to everybody to understand. You know,
we're all there for the good of Willington. We can disagree,
we will disagree. It's how we manage that disagreement is
(02:30):
going to be the critical test that's yet to come.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Give us a number out of ten, Give us a
number out of ten. Looking around, you're sitting at the table,
you're the head of the table, and you look around.
You're a bright guy.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
You're a smart guy.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You've done lots of big deals, lots of negotiations. You're
a smart guy. Looking at the table and you say, okay,
I think I've got a seven out of ten. Council,
where's your number?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'd say eight out of ten. It's a good counsel
it's a good counselor. And the new council. What I
am really pressed about is the depth of skill and
including for returning counselors, skills that I didn't know they
had just I picked up through the one on one conversation.
So I think this is a good counsel. I think
there's huge potential. But for three weeks into a three
(03:10):
year two you're saying that a bit I'm a bit
worried about that. Three weeks you've chosen been McNaulty as
your deputy. Now, there was a lot of rumors floating
around that you were going to go like you were
going to make your first statement by going with somebody
that wasn't a you know, a medi me. Now, a
lot of people were calling Ben McNaulty a mini me.
(03:31):
He's a labor guy through and through. He's a young
version of you, isn't he.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
He's not the guy that's going to go out dancing
on a Saturday night. He's you know, he's a many
young families. But he's a young Andrew Little, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Well, I'm not sure. I'd say that he's got experience
that I don't have, because he's been a council for
one term already. He's got a set of skills that
I think are really good for me. What's really important
over the next that a year or so, as we
sort of get to grips with things and consolidate and
achieve change. He's got good networking skills, he knows everybody.
He will help me navigate through the council. That's what
(04:05):
I need. But I've made I've made all the appointments
eighteen months, including for the Deputy mayor there and we're
agreed there will be a change in deputy man after
eighteen months because I reckon the back end of the term.
I need a different set of skills, which is about
consolidation and stability and stuff. So we'll do that. But
when I look across all those.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Ponds to Prime Minister's idea, you just went straight across
to the to the right Worgan. You said, Christopher Lux
has done that with his deputies. I'm going to do
it with mine.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
He's going to meet it. I know he's he's.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You copied the privately now I think.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
I mean, I don't know who the next deputy me
is going to be after Ben. We'll see who that is.
But there's a reason I made eighteen month appointments and
there I want to see how everybody goes. There's a
bit of a performance element to it. So if you
know that the ones who are doing well, they'll either
stay there or we'll find better roles for them, and
those who don't do so well, we'll have to find
other roles with him too.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Can I just get the take of the council themselves?
You know what what of the council? The counsel is
the people around the table make of your decision for
the de.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Look, I send it out the night before we announced,
I sent send it out to everybody, said look, I'm
open to some discussion, and I had some discussions. I
had some good positive feedback and had some discussions. There
were a couple of minor changes made the following morning,
and then I announced. I think what I was really
pleased about is that having shared it with everybody and
send them open to some discussion, nobody went, you know, no,
off to the next journalist and spill the beans on it.
(05:28):
They actually engaged in it, and I was really pleased
about that.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right, when will you decide that you're who you're going
to do for the next eighteen months. Is it going
to be like as you go through the first eighteen months,
or is it going to wait right to the end
and then say, ah, well, okay, let's.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Just go it'll be closer to the eighteen month period. Yeah,
when everything's up, I'll be reviewing everything. Everything's up for
review at that point.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
So yeah, eight hundred and eighty ten eighties a number.
If you've got a question you'd like to ask Andrew Little,
Mayor of Wellington, please do. It's not a discussion, it's
a question. If you'd like to give them to ring
up and give us your question. You can actually talk
to the me. How many places around the world can
you actually ring up and speak to your bit. It's
(06:10):
pretty good, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
That's a great thing about New Zealand and our democracy.
And then whether you're in Parliament or a minister or
a mayor, we're pretty accessible and we've got to hold
onto that. That's really important. We don't. You know, you
see other countries where there's you know, politicians, people in
public offices, surrounded by failings of security people. They're not accessible.
We don't have that. And how I enjoy walking through
the streets, walking on the waterfront. People stop and chat
(06:34):
and stuff. It's great and we've got we've got to
hold onto that.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Are you still are you still doing exactly the same?
Are you still like going for your your bike rides
and walking and are you still the same Andrew Little
you were a month ago.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I catch the bus most days. I have a really
early start. I'll take the car, but I catch the
bus most days. I walk as everywhere I can through
town and as I say, wherever I can.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You catch a bus to work?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Catch the number thirty two bus from Island Bay. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I think that's incredible. I mean, I mean, cell your way.
Brown used to ride a bike, didn't she Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I suppose. But I'm still riding your Bike's a little
bit more freedom than they're sitting at a bus next
to a Wally.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
No, no, the good people are good people.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I mean Wally is in somebody you don't know, have
a clue who is.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Also a Just to catch up, I can go through
the news feeds and see what's on you on insit
to me and what's on the stuff after you know.
So I get to get to catch up on the news.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
You'll be able to watch the video of you today
tomorrow on the bus ride. And I mean, I'm still
finding that quite incredible. Let's uh, let's take a quick
break and come back. I want to start by asking
some questions about stuff around the city. Fencing is coming down.
I want you to think about that, and our listeners
to think about that. I want to know what your
reaction and why he made that decision or who made
(07:54):
that decision while entered me Andrew Little.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Is with us.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
He will take your questions eight hundred and eighty ten eighty,
or if you're not brave enough to speak to him,
you can text a question through mister mayor. Is there
any truth in the rumor going around regarding a tax
on empty bedrooms in the city of Wellington?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, I haven't even heard the rumor that certainly, I
don't know. I'm not pushing any policy for a tax
on empty bedrooms.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
No, but you are pushing the policy of a big
tax bid text yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Going to keep up with Wayne Brown and others. I
just think, you know, for a city that has a
lot of visitors, we have conventions and all that sort
of stuff. Guess getting a contribution towards our infrastructure from
our visitors is not a bad thing to do.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Have you had a conversation with Wayne Brown?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Do you know? I know Wayne? Yes, and I haven't
actually since we've both been, he's been re elected and
I've been elected, intend to hopefully in the next few days.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
One question that I had in my mind, you know,
when you had that four and where all the mayors
had to come and it was in Lington, I believed
did he come down for it?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
No, because they're not member Auckland pulled out of the
local government U zeal So yeah, I just thought, I
thought to myself, he's too arrogant to come down and
be part of that. Oh look at Wayne is what
is Wayne? Was Wayne when I was minister? Are you
to get the old text from Minent full of advice?
So he's always wanting to help? All right, let's talk fencing.
(09:13):
I walked along the waterfront yesterday afternoon. It was glorious,
went from from here right down to round past sky
Stadium and back and I saw that the fencing was
starting to come down. Now.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
The coroner's advice was pretty strong, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Yeah, they suggested a number of things, but I think
any of the most recent death, the most recent recent
death happened out around that Kumu Toto kind of Queen's warfare,
And I think there are dangerous spots there that need
a permanent solution to it. But the fencing all along
the front of Depapa and all along around the other areas,
(09:49):
I'm not convinced that that needs to be there. When
there's good lighting and at times we know there would
be large numbers of people when there are big events,
we can put in place. You know, we have security
guards and others to prevent the hazard of people falling
into the water. But the whole thing about the waterfront development,
it was about getting people closer to the water. That's
what people wanted, and so we need to be able.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
To do that with that Corona coming out so strong.
And I started, you know, two years ago, I started
really strongly on getting it fenced. Now I've swapped over
and said, now I don't want the fencing because it
looks so ugly. How will we both feel? And I'm
not just putting it on you, but how will we
both feel? Because I've promoted to getting the fencing down.
You've watched it. You know you're overseeing it. If someone
(10:32):
does drown, yeah, look.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
As I say, you look at the most recent death,
the area where there's narrow pathways and no protection from
falling in the water. I think we do need to
do something there.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
And a lot of alcohol sales around that area.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah. Sure, But those other areas, as I say, along
between Cheffer's Marina and right around those are areas, big
wide paths, good lighting now, much better lighting now than
was before. There are places where people want to be
able to walk and stand and stand next to the water.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
And it didn't really answer my question, how will you
actually personally feel if you pick up, you know, the
paper or turn on to news talks here.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
But we're not going to st if you think about
hundreds of thousands of people who visit there every year
and visitors and all the rest of it. Look, we're
not going to stop every single accident happening, and it
would be very tragic if there were, if there were
another drowning. But by and large, the way people use
that space is responsible and sensible and safe. And I
(11:33):
think we just need to get rid of the fencing.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And it's all gone by Wednesday this week. This week
I saw them madly bringing it all down. Thirty nine
million dollars in unpaid rates, seven eight hundred people are behind.
I think I'm one month behind on my water rate,
so I'm probably one of those seven eight hundred. The
(11:56):
scary part of this was that there was no deals
being done by Wellington when you know the story was
that a guy had a property in Upper Hut and
property in Wellington got a deal done with in a
week and Upper Hut got nothing from Warrington or no
even communication for two weeks and then when you got
communication it was pay up or we're going to the
banks to get the money. Is that the approach?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It's not for me to talk about individual rate pays,
and I think I think the Councter does have an
empathetic approach to people who are in arrears. People can
have life shocks, lose parents, lose others, and sudden their
life gets out of control. I think that the Council
has a good track record and people in those circumstances
coming to the party helping out. Where people have a
(12:40):
track record of falling to areas previously or being tardy
on their rates, the sympathetic approach diminishes somewhat. So I
think the Council's got away those things in the balance
and I'm confident that they.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Do under your guidance. Will you think there'll be a
fairer and more moderate way.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
I think the critical thing is what that level of
rates are shows is that people struggling with the rates
that they are combination of you know, slowly rising incomes
and rapidly rising rates. So we do have to get
rates under control, which is why we have a dedicated
committee now looking at all these council spending and we've
got it. We've just got to do better at our
financial control. So there's that element of it. But in
(13:23):
terms of dealing with people who are in arrears, as
I say I'm confident we're talking to Council Office, is
that we do have an approach that is sympathetic for
people who have you know, those times in the lives
where they things do get out of control. But for
people who have repeatedly had the experience of getting behind,
then the level of sympathy falls off.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Okay, now you would have read the DOMS article on
Saturday morning about fifty year old Andrea real estate agent
was saying that you know, fifty year old's bringing making
calls wanting to sell up and leave Wellington because they
can't afford the rates. Personally, if I didn't have this job,
I would be doing exactly the same thing. Rates are
(14:04):
too expensive in our city.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, they are, and commercial rates too, and residential rates.
And that's why, as I say, credit a very clear
message from the selection campaign to every counsel every candidate
was get spending under control. And that's what I'm determined
that we do. And we that work is getting under
way immediately because we because it has to because we
start putting together next to his budget and therefore rate
(14:28):
levels very soon. So we've got to get We've got
to do that work. But it won't stop. I mean,
it's it's actually got to be continuous. Just talking to
some officers this morning about some of the capital works projects,
how do we stop those things getting out of control?
So we're going to start that work as well. We've
we've we've just got to get better at financial control
and how are you going to do that? Well, we've
(14:49):
got we've got the line by line review or operational spending.
So are we everything we're doing do we need to
be doing? I know the Chief Executive had already commissioned
the review that that he's done. I haven't seen that report.
I'm due to get it in the next sitt of
two to three weeks, so we're see where that gets.
But what I'm confident now in my discussions with Matt Prosser,
(15:11):
the chief executive, and others is there is a real
not only a wearness of but actually commitment and and
doing the stuff about getting cost out of the organization.
So we keep that pressure off rates.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
How many meetings have you had with Matt Proctor? How
many times have you gone for coffee? Are you hanging out?
Are you spending time together? I see him most days.
We were at the cricket together on the weekend. I
mean the day after the election. We caught up for
an hour and a half and had a good long chat.
But I see him most days, and it's sometimes it's
(15:44):
in formal meetings. Sometimes it's just him and me catching up. Okay.
And so your gut on that is your gut that
he trusts you and you trust him.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah, it's very good. The relationship's very good. I have
confidence in him. I'm really pleased with about the way
the relationship is developing. He's very responsive to the things
I've been asking for and suggesting we need to do.
I think he's very responsive to other counselors too. I've
had good feedback from other counselors. He's doing a good job.
And from everything I've seen so far.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Has he told you any stories about the previous mayor
that he thought?
Speaker 3 (16:16):
No, and I haven't asked. I wouldn't ask, I think,
and I think he's very professional. I think the officers
are very professional. And for all the criticisms that Tory
Farno has attracted, you know, she she did the job,
and she's she's left the organization ready for me to
take over and we're just now getting stuck into it.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yeah, it was more meaning that, you know, different ways
of running things from her to you, you know.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
I think, yeah, Cerding the feedback I've had, there's a
lot of the staff have noticed the difference. And look,
we'll just we'll just we'll just keep going doing. I'll
just keep doing what I think is the right thing
to do and the right way to approach the job.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
How important, because I personally, as a wanting to businessman
and rate payer, feel it's extremely important the relationship between
the CEO and mayor.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
It's that critical relationship. And I'm very clear about that.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But do you, I mean, do you have to be
on the same page. I mean, he might be as
right wing as hell and you might be left wing
as hell? Can you both be on the same page?
And I'm not suggesting he is or you are.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Yeah. Look, I wouldn't know what his politics are. That's
not important. What's important is that we have a professional
relationship that is respectful of each other. And it is
and he understands what I want to achieve and is
going about, you know, making sure that we're doing that.
I think in terms of supporting me to support other counselors,
he's very much doing that. So who makes the big decisions?
(17:37):
Is it the mayor or the CEO? It's a combination
of both. I mean, I think Matt comes to me
with various things to check my thinking, to check my approach.
I go to him, I said, look, I think this
is what we really need to get this underway, get
this going. And he says he might come back and say,
(17:57):
here's one way we can do it, here's another way.
Here's that we understand what the objective is. But his
job is to help me find a pathway to get
the stuff done that I say it needs to get done.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Is he as concerned as you and I are over
the rate our rate bill?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Yes? And he knows, he knows that the level of
rate increases is not sustainable. And he's concerned too about
a perception that people are paying more and aren't seeing
more for it. So I think he totally gets that, okay.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
And the commercial side of things, I mean, I've been
involved in a little tiny commercial investment in Wellington which
I'm getting out of because I can't afford it anymore.
Does he understand the extent of the pain that's going
on in there. I'll give you an example from one
of your hometown investors came to town to look at something,
looked at it, and walking down the street, they told
(18:45):
me they just looked at something and they said that
the rates bill was the same as what he This
is an investor from New Plymouth was paying for a
seven million dollar investment and this investment was under a
million in Wellington and New Plymouth to Wellington, I.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Mean, and we know that, and we know that that
commercial rates differential is out of whack, and we've got
to address that too. As part of the role of
the dedicated group of counselors is going to be looking
at because we've got to get we've got to sort
that out to and all the other little head ons
that we've put on on businesses too to fund Wellington,
n zend and all those sorts of things. So all
that stuff is under examination right now with a view
(19:22):
that we've got to make changes that's going to make
it easier for investors to to come to Wellington and
invest in Willington.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Can I just quickly say before we go to the
news and I gave you a big tech and I'm
not going to try and be in your cheerleader cheerleading squad,
but I will be honest and upfront like I was
with Toy that I thought that your post after the
storms was amazing saying people are willing to get out
and support your local businesses. Now, as a small businessman
and as a lot of people, would have thought, hell,
(19:52):
that's exactly what we want our mere to be doing.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yeah, and that's what we should be doing too those
because you know, we have those days where we are
to stays home businesses in town they suffer, you know's
and they got they got it. And I think about
the staff too, you know, and there's a bunch of
staff they had copped their hours, can't they? I got
university fees to pay that. I'm a union guy and
the approach I always took. Look, if the business you're
working for isn't making your dollar, then your job's at risk.
(20:15):
So I want the dollars to flow through because I
want those workers to hold on to your job. That's
the way I see it.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yeah, great, Andrew Little, maya Wellington, he said, starting to
excite me. That's that's a worry. He's starting to excite me.
Andrew Little's in the studio for the next twenty five minutes.
I've just got a text through, Andrew, you love this one.
Shame Nick has taken over the slot. What about hearing
from the listener's calls. Nick's overpowering this interview four times
(20:42):
in the last twenty eight minutes. I said, oh, eight
hundred eighty ten eighty. If you've got a question for
Andrew Little, the mayor of Wellington, call up. Do you
want me to do it again? Eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
If you've got a question for the mayor, please call up.
Let's talk about your announcements of the new committees in
(21:04):
their chairs. How did did you decide that? How did
you work that through?
Speaker 3 (21:09):
I interviewed all the councilors went on one. So I
went through everything, and some of them had written submissions
about their backgrounds and skills and what they wanted and
all the rest of it. I looked at all the committees.
I looked at the existing committee structures. I looked at
some of the priorities that I've got getting finances under control,
of getting an economic growth and development plan in place.
(21:30):
So I changed some of the committees and what they're doing,
and then I just looked across, tried to fit in
roles with people with the relevant sort of skills and
background and getting a bit of a balance across it
as well. So I was determined to make sure everybody
had something meaningful to do that fitted their skills and interest. Obviously,
(21:50):
you can't meet every expectation of every counselor, but I'm
confident that I've got a pretty good balance there.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
How do you decide which priorities to you know, what
committees actually have to have your priorities, what committees are
really important to you.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
It's actually the two the ones A working group which
is the Financial Control and Value for Money group that's
been led by Ben McNulty and has a number of
councils on including Andrew Compton Accountants written in a charge accountant.
And then the other is the group chaired by Carl
Tiffan Barker, which was the Economic Growth and Development We've
(22:25):
got to get. We've got a counsel got to have
its own plan and strategy to support business and to
support new investment in the city and so and Carl's
got that and spades and he's going to be leading
that up in terms of other communities.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Both of those people that were making noise, well Karl
stood for the mayor and Andrew have made noises of it.
Does that Does that had any effect on it? Now?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I take the view, look the elections down and dusted
and now it's just about slotting, taking the talent I've
got and starting them at to roll till I think
they can do well. And that's what that was about.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Okay, we have someone online with a question, Simon, you
have a question for the mayor.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Yes, Hi, I have a question about the roads and
footpaths around Wellington Railway Station and the Cook Straight Ferry terminals.
Does Wellington City Council have any plans to improve that area?
For example, where you cross from Wellington Railway station across
(23:27):
Jervis Key. It's a major road and people it's just
in the mornings and peak times there's a sea of
people crossing their cars can't get through and can't get
out of the Blue Bridge terminal and out of the
Wellington Railway station. I thought Gill would be great if
(23:48):
they had a bridge or something to cross there. I
was really pleased when they put a roundabout in just
south of the inter islander, makes it so much easier
to get in from the north.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Simon, what's your question? Do you want to see something
actually happen?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
Yeah, I was just wondering if there are any plans
as part of I don't know where you whether you've
got to get Willington moving or something like that to
improve Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, so let's get one into moving. As pretty much
exhausted now so because a lot of projects that were
lined up kind of never got done, never got commitment,
so it was sort of looking at other things. But
I take the point that you make. It's something I
have look at. I'm not aware of any particular plans
for any upgrades around that area, but I totally get
the point that you make. I've seen people trying to
(24:42):
get across there. There are a bedestin crossings up and
down Jo vos Key, but look, heapy to go back
and see what, if any plans there might be to
make it easy for people to cross and cars to
across those lanes.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Thank you, Simon OD one hundred and eighty, ten eighty.
If you've got a question for mey or Andrew Little
when we come back, I'm just going to take a
short break. When we come back, we're talking about the
committees and his decisions, Mayor's decisions on how he chose
those committees. There's obviously a couple of contentious decisions that
were made. We better talk about those, hadn't we welcome back.
(25:16):
We've got a question from Mamiller, who is one of
our regular callers on the show. She can't talk right now,
but she said the three of the biggest barriers to
businesses are targeted rates, commercial rates differential, and the barriers
to the front door of because of cycle ways using
precious road space that at least off peak could be
used for parking. What are your thoughts on these large
(25:39):
items hampering businesses.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah, on the race differential and the targeted rates, those
are all things that are under examination by the group
of councilors have set up to do that. On the
cycle ways and what have you. Look, a lot of
money has gone to cycleways. I'm reluctant to kind of
throw good money after bad sort of things. So well,
look at the cycleway network. I'm not planning on any
(26:04):
big changes to it. If it comes to parking, I'm
happy to look at ways we can improve or increase parking,
and whether suburban areas or down to the downtown area.
But I'm not into ripping up cycleways that we spend
a lot of money installing in the first place.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Thanks for that. Now back to our last little sticky
question about your committees and how you put them together.
Obviously in the last couple of days, he has been
a little bit of a backlash. You've been copying it
a bit from your decision to have Ray Chung run
a sub committee in charge of council controlled organizations.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah. Look, Ray's been duly elected, is a duly elected counselor.
I did make the commitment both during the campaign and
since that I want every counselor to have a role
where they're doing something meaningful, making a contribution. So Ray's
got that group. That committee meets four times a year.
It's providing oversight of the council controlled organization so out
for slights of India and the zoo and what have you.
(27:02):
And their job is to look at the recommendation of
a different outfit that makes recommendations for appointments to approve
those and that's it. It's really a chance for Ray
to kind of demonstrate what he's up for and what
he can do. But across all the range of appointments
I've made as a whole, I think on balance, it's
(27:23):
the right place for him to be.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Do you think he's getting treated a little bit harshly?
Is just the story just won't go away, will it?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Yeah, Look, this is the whole thing. What you do
and what's on the record is on the record forever,
and this is the world we live in now. But
the reality is since that time he's been re elected
by the Western Ward, they've re elected him. He's a
duly elected counselor.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
That doesn't mean you have to give him a job
or give him a profile or anything, does it.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Well, I can't ignore the fact that he's been elected
and that he's got experience, and so like all counselors,
everybody's got something useful to do. Every appointment is for
eighteen months. Will gauge it after eighteen months, see how
Ray is doing, how anybody is doing, and we'll work
it up from there.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Are you concerned at all about but he? Does it
worry you that you? I mean, you've got one hundred
and fifty emails, so it's obviously that's a large amount
of emails. I mean, I know there'll be a lot
of women that will be upset, and I get that.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
But yeah, yeah, and I think what he did was
pretty bad, actually was pretty bad. He's not the only
person on that council that would have done something that
would have been regrettable, in some cases, hugely regrettable. But
he has been elected. Even in the face of that,
known to people, known to the electors in the Western Ward,
(28:36):
He's been elected, and so he's on the council. And
I've got to accept that reality only just yeah, forty
five votes. Forty five votes is forty five votes, and
he is a duly elected counselor.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Yeah, I agree. And when I first saw it, I
actually thought it was quite a smart boob because he's
the one that's been blowharding about what he can do
and what he can't do. You've given him a position
that he can actually make a difference if he wants to.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I wouldn't describe it as blowharding. He's very confident about
I've put him to the test, my words, not yours.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I do not try to say you said he was
definitely out there telling everybody what he could do and
what he couldn't do. And let's see, let's see Mount
Victoria Tunnel. Where do you sit with it, what's going on,
what's the latest discussions. I mean it's you know, Chris
Bishop promised spades and the ground before the next election
that's coming around quick.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Yeah. So I'm supportive of the second tunnel. My support
was based on that it's going to also allow for
cycling walking and it is, so that's good. I think
there's the there's the second Terrorist tunnel as well. That's
that's part of the project. And then they're writing it
all through you know, Living Street and Cambridge Terraces and
all the rest of it. So all that's there. So
(29:45):
I've had one meeting with nz TA that basically tell
me that and I expect there'll be more, but I'm
I'm really pleased to see it. Chris Bishop told me
that they've approved, you know, that it's on the list
of projects. They haven't prioritized those projects, so we don't
know how soon it's going to be in place, but
i'd be confident that the construction of that could start,
(30:06):
you know, than a year eighteen months.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
The whole Vivian Street thing situation, it's bizarre and I
think I could be wrong, but I think we're the
only major capital in the world. I don't think we're
a major capital. But you know, four hundred thousand, the
Great Wellington area or whatever it is, you know, to
have State Highway one running straight through the middle of the.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
Town, built up area, I know, it is a bit weird.
What are the alternatives? You know, you could get a
securitist route that would go all over the place, very expensive,
build a tunnel even more expensive. It's the best solution
to get something that will be usable in five to
six years time.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
How confident are you that we are going to have
the bulldozers. I don't want him standing there and you
standing there and getting a photo taken with a shovel
I mean bulldozer is actually in the ground. How soon
do you reckon it's going.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
To be well, it depends what decision they come up
with early next year on priority. But the signal I
get is that they do want this, and I would
have thought for Cress and Nicola. Willis says the two
government senior ministers located in Willington and the Willington region.
It's in their interests to get this underway sooner rather
than later, so I'd be confident we will see something
in the next year to eighteen months.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Take a short break and be back to wrap things
up with Wellington Mayor Andrew Little. He has committed to
monthly meetings or monthly catch ups on Wellington Mornings as
previous All previous mayors have done until they get a
little bit annoyed or agitated with me and then they can,
but otherwise they commit to it. So he's committed and
this is the very first one. We've got another one
(31:30):
before Christmas.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
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.
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