Mayor Tory Whanau says she accepts today‘s announcement the government will appoint a Crown observer to oversee the Wellington City Council - but she rejected claims of financial mismanagement at the council, and has accused the government of “punching down”.
The council has faced accusations of dysfunction over its failure to resolve issues surrounding the budget for its long-term plan. One councillor, who intends to run for mayor next year, is calling for the local government equivalent of a snap election.
Through it all, Mayor Tory Whanau has insisted the council is functioning and capable of delivering for residents in the capital, but this afternoon held a press conference where she accepted the observer but disagreed with some points raised by the minister.
“I am now considering the draft terms of reference,” saying she’d discussed it with councillors and sought advice from the chief executive on the next steps.
“In coming to his decision, the minister has fairly pointed out instances where councillors have walked out of meetings, refused to vote, and have also publicly criticised each other and council staff.”
She also said she “wasn‘t overly surprised” about the appointment, based on sentiments expressed recently.
She said she hoped the intervention reminded councillors of the importance of their roles to their community.
She also said some comments from Brown had come out of left field, including claims Wellington residents would be overcharged by $700 milion in rates in the coming decade.
She said other councils had voiced concerns about the precedent this would set for the government to intervene at a local council level.
“What I would like to see from the prime minister... is to commit to localism as they did prior to the election, to work with local councils to help us come up with solutions to address our increased insurance risk, water infrastructure, and delivering for our communities.”
“What I’ve seen in the past hour is a lot of punching down.”
Ministers have threatened to intervene at the council for over a week now, calling its recent conduct a “shambles”.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced the observer earlier today.
“This environment is not conducive to the council effectively managing the long-term plan amendment and adoption process. Not resolving these challenges would likely have adverse consequences for Wellington residents and ratepayers.
“The Department (of Internal Affairs) is of the view that the appointment of a Crown observer is necessary to better enable Wellington City Council to address the problem and allow me to monitor their progress in addressing it. I agree with their assessment,” Brown said.
“The Crown observer will be appointed to assist the council to ensure that it secures a financially sustainable Long Term Plan that prioritises the capital programme.
“The government has written to Wellington City Council with a draft terms of reference and has given the council 10 working days to respond as required under the law.”