Category: Wellington City Council

Positive Signs Around The Council Table

Posted on by tjonescan

It looks as though the outcome of the local body elections is, for the most part, good news for opponents of a Basin Reserve flyover and advocates of sustainable transport solutions for Wellington.

Crucially, John Morrison failed to sell Wellingtonians on his vision of a road-choked city, with neither his policies, his dubious campaign tactics nor his sexist remarks on the campaign trail appealing to voters.

Instead, voters chose to stick with anti-flyover incumbent Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, and have given her a Council which, if responses to Save the Basin’s and Generation Zero’s election surveys are any guide, looks slightly more in favour of sustainable transport solutions than the previous Council.

Congratulations to all the anti-flyover and pro-sustainable transport Councillors who have been elected to both Wellington City Council and Wellington Regional Council, and commiserations to those who didn’t make it this time.

Results updated: Local body election candidates state their positions on the proposed flyover

Posted on by galleryatstb

Save the Basin sent the following question to all candidates standing for positions on Wellington City Council, Makara-Ohariu Community Board, Tawa Community Board, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Capital and Coast District Health Board.

“Do you support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve”

The question was sent by email on Thursday 12 September and candidates were given until 5pm on Wednesday 18 September to submit their answer. Candidates who did not respond by this deadline were then given a further opportunity to respond, and the results have now been updated with these responses.

The question was worded to be a yes / no answer and the email stated that this was the format in which candidates were required to answer. For those candidates that did not answer yes / no, they were offered another opportunity to do so. For those candidates that did not feel they could answer the question in this way (after having been given another opportunity to do so), they were advised that they would be noted as having not answered the question.

Here are the results, broken down by ward / board / council.

Wellington Mayoral Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Celia Wade-Brown, Jack Yan.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Rob Goulden (note that although Mr Goulden responded “No” to our survey, he has since changed his mind to ‘Yes’ he does support the flyover as published in the Dominion Post on 2/10/13) John Morrison, Nicola Young.

Did not answer the question: Karunanidhi Muthu.

Lambton Ward Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Milton Hollard, Iona Pannett, Mark Peck, Steve Preston, Mark Wilson, John Woolf.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Rex Nicholls, Nicola Young.

Did not answer the question: Michael Appleby, John Dow, Jennifer Steven.

Eastern Ward Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Rob Goulden, Va’ai Va’a Potoi.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: John Coleman, Peter Kennedy.

Did not answer the question: Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Sarah Free, Leonie Gill, Graham McCready, Simon Marsh, Karunanidhi Muthu.

Southern Ward Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Paul Eagle, David Lee, Will Moore, Bryan Pepperell, Brent Pierson.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: No candidates.

Did not answer the question: Don McDonald, Ginette McDonald.

Onslow-Western Ward Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Malcolm Aitken, Sridhar Ekambaram, Hayley Robinson, Martin Wilson.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Jo Coughlan.

Did not answer the question: Dan Coffey, Andy Foster, Gill Holmes, Phil Howison, Arie Ketel, Emma MacRae, Simon Woolf.

Northern Ward Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Peter Gilberd, Justin Lester, Helene Ritchie.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: No candidates.

Did not answer the question: Reagan Cutting, Malcolm Sparrow, Jacob Toner.

Makara-Ohariu Community Board Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: No candidates.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: No candidates.

Did not answer the question: Murray Burden, Christine Grace, Judy Liddell, Wayne Rudd, Margie Scotts, Hamish Todd.

Tawa Community Board Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: No candidates.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Richard Herbert.

Did not answer the question: Sally Dunbar, Graeme Hansen, Margaret Lucas, Jack Marshall, Alistair Sutton, Robert Tredger.

Greater Wellington Regional Council Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Paul Bruce, David Ogden, Sue Kedgley, Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati, Daran Ponter.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Barbara Donaldson, Ken Laban, Chris Turver, Fran Wilde.

Did not answer the question: Jenny Brash, Nigel Wilson, Mike Fleming, Chris Laidlaw, Judith Aitken, Sandra Greig, John Terris, Prue Lamason, Paul Swain, Gary McPhee, Andrew Stewart, John Dalziell.

Capital and Coast District Health Board Candidates

NO I do not support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Camilia Chin, Sue Kedgley, Helene Ritchie, Tony Simpson.

YES I do support the construction of a flyover at the Basin Reserve: Nick Leggett.

Did not answer the question: Judith Aitken, Grant Brookes, Marianne Bishop, David Carter, David Choat, Allie Crombie, Sally Dunbar, Russell Franklin, John Hayes, Virginia Hope, Keith Johnson, Chris Laidlaw, Chris Lipscombe, Ian Murphy, Kiri Rikihana, David Talbot, Megan Williams, Nigel Wilson.

Save the Basin Campaign Press Release: Call For A Fair Go In Consenting Process

Posted on by tjonescan

The Save the Basin Campaign supports Wellington City Council’s position in asking the government to have the consent application for the proposed Basin Reserve flyover heard by the Environment Court. History shows that Boards of Inquiry, with members appointed by the government, are simply rubber-stamping exercises for government policy.

In Monday’s Dominion Post Councillor Morrison was reported as saying that the Basin Reserve ‘desperately needed the $12m stand’ that would be built in a deal with the government to try and hide the flyover. But in official documentation, NZTA says the design of the building is not complete and is subject to the decision of the consent authority on the form of mitigation required. Does Councillor Morrison know something the rest of us don’t, or is he just trying to make himself look important again?

“There are three key things the public should know about the so-called stand,” said Save the Basin Campaign spokesperson Joanna Newman. “The first is that the government is not proposing to build a stand: it is a narrow building to accommodate players and officials, with no public seating. The second is that according to NZTA official documentation no decision has yet been made on the building as this is subject to the Consenting Authority confirming it is required for mitigation purposes. Perhaps the government has done another ‘Sky City’-type back room deal and Councillor Morrison has let this slip in his talk with the press.”

“Finally, Councillor Morrison has the cheek to say that the cricket ground is in real danger of losing its test match status if facilities are not drastically improved. The only reason this is likely to happen is because the Basin Reserve Trust, of which he has been a member for many years, has been grossly negligent in its management of the facilities. It has, for instance, let the Museum Stand deteriorate to a shocking state.”

“There has been far too much behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing when it comes to the proposed flyover,” concluded Joanna Newman. “It’s time for the proposal to be considered in an open, transparent legal process where arguments will be considered on their merits, not on the basis of who makes them.”

Joanna Newman
Spokesperson
Save the Basin Campaign
Phone 027 7577 984

A Tale Of Two Cities

Posted on by tjonescan

Auckland. New Zealand’s largest city.

After several years of pooh-poohing the idea, the Government reverses its stance on funding (or at least partially funding) the Auckland central city rail loop. (Update: We have been told quite firmly by Auckland transport friends that it is not a loop!)

Even though the Government is delaying the project by five years and is coy on where the money will come from and how much it will pay, it’s still a big step forward for sustainable transport in Auckland and a triumph for Auckland mayor Len Brown, who has stubbornly maintained his support for the project in the face of Governmental and NZTA opposition. Well done, Auckland, and well done, Len Brown!

Wellington. New Zealand’s capital city.

The Government and the New Zealand Transport Agency push ahead with a roading-based transport ‘solution’ for Wellington that includes a proposed Basin Reserve flyover. The NZTA, Greater Wellington and the WCC release a public transport spine study that claims light rail will be too expensive for Wellington. The Mayor gives her support to a “bus rapid transit system”.

No sooner have the study’s conclusions been released than two Victoria University transport researchers expose how NZTA has cooked the books to greatly inflate the apparent cost of rail relative to other options. And transport researcher Kerry Wood also points out the biased costings in NZTA’s study.

A tale of two cities. In Auckland, civic leaders keep advocating for the best solution, and eventually, after much derision from their opponents, they get what they stood up for.

In Wellington, the Government and NZTA are using similar tactics. They have tried to tilt the playing field in favour of the ‘solution’ they want. They’ve been caught out.

Will Wellingtonians and their civic leaders see through the spin and continue to push for the best possible sustainable transport solution for Wellington, or will we cave in?

It’s up to us.

It’s Time For Kevin Lavery To Pipe Down

Posted on by tjonescan

New Wellington City Council Chief Executive Kevin Lavery has been in Wellington for 10 weeks. He says he misses British television, British TV news, and his family. We sympathise.

Unfortunately, he also seems to be missing the point that he is a paid servant of Wellington City Council and of Wellington ratepayers, not their master. Not content with proposing the demolition of Wellington Town Hall, he has now told The Wellingtonian that:

“I could understand the debate over the Basin Reserve flyover, but the decision has been made and it’s time to move on, just making sure there is good mitigation.”

It seems to have escaped Dr Lavery’s attention that no decision has been made about a Basin Reserve flyover. Wellington City Council voted neither to support nor oppose a flyover, and not only has no resource consent been issued for a flyover, no resource consent application has yet been made.

And as for mitigation – if Dr Lavery thinks that a 9-metre-high, 380-metre-long flyover can be mitigated, then he is living on a different planet to the rest of us.

Wellingtonians pay Kevin Lavery a very handsome salary to do his job. We suggest he stops trying to set the agenda and gets on with the work a paid employee of Wellington’s ratepayers should do.

What A Courier Thinks About The Basin Reserve

Posted on by tjonescan

Someone who works as a courier got in touch recently to let us know his thoughts about NZTA’s proposed Basin Reserve flyover. We think these thoughts are worth sharing with you. NZTA, are you paying attention?

“Driving around Wellington and using the Basin reserve roundabout is a regular feature of my day. I have a car that ‘knows its own way to the airport’ as my wife works/flies out of Wellington airport with her employment (Air NZ) whilst my son instructs flying at the Wellington Aero club. Added to the frequency of driving to/from these two locations from Central Wellington is my courier work in and around the town. Yes, it is a town and sorry for those whose city status beliefs I may have offended.

My driving whilst on duty requires me to negotiate the Mt Victoria Tunnel to access Miramar/Hataitai/Airport and also to access Adelaide Street/Newtown and the delights of Island Bay. I do this at all hours of the day and evening in addition to my husbandly duties in taking said spouse and/or son to their work destinations,  Pac n’ Save in Kilburnie is also patronised by me/us in a private capacity which involves the Basin and tunnel.

The main point here is that the traffic flow around the Basin is easy and ‘businesslike’ with a sensible phasing of traffic lights. Very rarely indeed does traffic back up into the tunnel as you exit en route to the Basin. Proceeding in any combination of approaches/exits does not cause any issue, motorists use the two/three lanes affording approaches to each roundabout intersection with a high level of responsibility. Red light infractions are rare in my observation. Simply put there is no need to do this [build a flyover] as the light phasing is reasonable. The recent re-routing of the approach to the Taranaki Street intersection via top of Tory Street has not impacted the flow despite the new traffic lights.

In short, we have planners seeking to despoil the vista/amenity of Kent Terrace and a very ‘workable’ roundabout and traffic system (you don’t hear many people cursing the Basin route or seeking alternatives via Oriental Bay etc) to install a multi-million dollar concrete monstrosity. If the council want to serve the people of Wellington, they should create infrastructure and buildings that will serve us as far as our grand-childrens’ generation and maybe beyond.”

Save the Basin Media Release: Failure Of Leadership Over Flyover Decision

Posted on by tjonescan

“A failure of leadership has resulted in a bad decision on the flyover,” said Save the Basin campaign spokesperson Joanna Newman today.

“The city needed a clear decision from councillors as to whether they support the flyover or not.  Instead, councillors narrowly voted to effectively say nothing on the subject.

“We’re disappointed that the Council has made this decision,” said Ms. Newman.  “The proposed flyover would be an ugly, unnecessary and ineffective blot on our city and on the beautiful Basin Reserve.

“Councillors should have stood by their previous decision to prefer a tunnel to a flyover, and we appreciate the work of the councillors who continue to support this stance.

“We are concerned that pressure from NZTA had a significant impact on the vote.  A government department should not be exerting this kind of influence on democratically elected officials,” said Ms. Newman.

Ms. Newman said that the Save the Basin Campaign had noticed a considerable increase in public support over the past few weeks. “In the period leading up to the recent England-New Zealand test at the Basin, we have been getting a lot of new people offering support and help. Cricket fans, sport journalists in both New Zealand and the UK, local residents, and Wellingtonians who want a modern, liveable city, not a 1960s concrete jungle designed for the needs of cars and trucks rather than people, have all been telling us that a Basin flyover must not go ahead.”

“There are a number of viable alternatives to the flyover on the table and it is important that these are considered when a hearing takes place on the proposal.  The Council’s decision to concentrate only on mitigation is particularly disappointing,” said Ms. Newman.

It is expected that the New Zealand Transport Agency will soon initiate a process leading to the Basin flyover proposal going before an EPA Board of Inquiry or Environment Court hearing.

“Save the Basin is concerned that politically appointed judges and hearing commissioners may rubber stamp this proposal.  The campaign will continue to vigorously oppose the flyover,” said Ms. Newman.

Note: Mayor Wade-Brown and Councillors Justin Lester, Paul Eagle, Iona Pannett, Stephanie Cook, Helene Ritchie and Bryan Pepperell voted to oppose the flyover.

Councillors Andy Foster, John Morrison, Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Ngaire Best, Jo Coughlan, Simon Marsh and Leonie Gill voted against the motion. 

Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon was absent for some of the vote. 

Email These Councillors Between Now And Wednesday

Posted on by tjonescan

In December, by a margin of 8-7, Wellington City Councillors voted to oppose a Basin Reserve flyover and investigate alternatives. On Thursday the 21st, the Council votes again on its flyover stance, and we want those eight Councillors to stand strong and continue to oppose a Basin Reserve flyover – starting with Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Transport Portfolio Leader Andy Foster.

Between now and Wednesday, it’s time to remind these eight Councillors of their previous anti-flyover stance, tell them again why a Basin Reserve Flyover would be such a bad idea, and urge them to continue their anti-flyover stance in Thursday’s vote.

Otherwise, we risk the Council effectively siding with NZTA in future consent hearings. That’s exactly what Kapiti Coast District Council did in the Kapiti Expressway hearings, and it proved to be a disastrous mistake for Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan, her fellow Councillors and their community.

1) Who to Contact

Please email these Councillors. If you have time to send individual emails to each Councillor, especially Celia and Andy, that would be great – otherwise, a group email is fine.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown   celia.wade-brown@wcc.govt.nz

Transport Portfolio Leader Andy Foster    Andy.Foster@wcc.govt.nz

Bryan Pepperell    Bryan.Pepperell@wcc.govt.nz

Helene Ritchie   helene.ritchie@wcc.govt.nz

Iona Pannett   iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz

Paul Eagle    Paul.Eagle@wcc.govt.nz

Stephanie Cook    stephanie.cook@wcc.govt.nz

Justin Lester     justin.lester@wcc.govt.nz

2) What to Say

People often get hung up on what to say in such emails. But there’s no need to be hung up: all you need to say is that you oppose a Basin Reserve flyover and that you want the Council to keep opposing it, too, including in hearings on the proposal. The simpler and more straightforward your message is, the better. While remaining polite, you should leave Celia, Andy and their fellow Councillors in no doubt what you mean.

But if you need some arguments, check out the articles below, and then two simple, effective emails to Councillors that their authors have kindly agreed us to post.

3) Articles

Thursday’s flyover vote: how to get the best result for the coolest capital

Facts don’t support Expressway (or Basin flyover)

4) Sample emails to Councillors

From Margaret Tobin:

Dear Celia, etc
I want to make clear to you as a Mt Victoria resident of 54 years my
very strong opposition to the proposed flyover around the Basin
Reserve. It sickens me that as Wellingtonians we have to fight so hard
to be heard about what is important to us regarding the city scape. I
joined Wellington Waterfront Watch who represent the local people
about the preservation of the beautiful features of that valuable
asset, Wellington’s waterfront. And now I have joined Save the Basin
Campaign for exactly the same reason, to protect our assets. In this
case, that oasis between the city and the eastern and southern
suburbs, the Basin Reserve.

It is very wearing to be continually
having to defend the beautiful and priceless features of Wellington
that we hold dear from groups that are only thinking about short-term
gain in the form of dollars. There are other ways to improve the
infrastructure of the city, including sensible roading around the
Basin that does not include a flyover. Personally as far as traffic
build up in the area is concerned those of us who live in Ellice
Street don’t believe a flyover will ease this at all but simply move
the congestion and make it more visible. Please listen to the people
and stick up for the people. A flyover does not fit this area. It’s
for LA.

From Patrick Morgan:

Dear Councillors,

I joined 18,000 cricket fans this weekend at the Basin.  Superb, world-class facility. Like the green belt, it’s an asset we are custodians of for future generations.

I would like my children’s children to have the opportunity to hear the sounds of leather on willow on a summer’s day at the Basin.

Rod Oram makes a good case for smart urban design:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/8430627/Oram-Govt-bulldozing-good-design

There are better solutions for our transport needs.

On the 21st, please say no to the Govt’s misguided plans for the Basin.

Investigating The Investigation

Posted on by tjonescan

Last week, the Wellington City Council officers charged with investigating alternatives to the Flyover delivered their report – and it didn’t make good reading. The report was a rushed and hasty dismissal of alternatives to a Basin Reserve flyover; though to be fair to the officials, the rush was in large part the result of the very tight timetable imposed by NZTA.

True to its tradition of investigative reporting, Wellington Scoop hasn’t taken the report at face value – and they’ve found out some very interesting things as the result of their digging. Check out their reports here:

The Wellington City Council meets to consider the officials’ report on 21 March.

In other news, we’re disappointed to hear that, despite the exhaustively-researched, well argued case put up by Save Kapiti and other groups, the EPA’s latest Board of Inquiry has approved another disruptive motorway project, the Kapiti Expressway. But there is more than one way to skin a cat, and Save Kapiti certainly don’t intend to give up the struggle. Check the Save Kapiti website for the latest information.

Poririua Mayor Nick Leggett: He’s Young. He’s Ambitious. He’s Wrong About The Flyover.

Posted on by tjonescan

Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett is young and ambitious. Rumour has it that, if Regional Council chair Fran Wilde gets her wish to be the boss of a Wellington super-city, Nick is eager to be her Deputy.

So, since Fran is a flyover fan from way back, it’s perhaps no surprise that Nick Leggett decided to make a public show of support for a Basin Reserve flyover at a recent Wellington Region Transport Committee meeting. He issued a press release about what he called a “slap down” of Wellington City Council’s decision – charming choice of words, Nick! – painting himself as a hero riding to the flyover’s rescue.

Unfortunately, he got a little over-excited in his statement, as a subsequent Wellington Scoop article pointed out in emphatic fashion.

Here is the press release made by the Save the Basin Campaign in response to these developments:

Save the Basin Campaign asks regional Mayors to think before they speak

The Save the Basin campaign understands that decisions made about transport in Wellington City affect residents throughout the region. But before Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett made his bold claim to have “slapped down” the Wellington City Council’s decision to withdraw support from the proposed flyover and investigate alternatives, perhaps he should have done a bit of basic research on such matters as which way traffic on the flyover is meant to flow and where the proposed flyover will be positioned.

The action by some members of the Wellington Regional Transport Committee appears to be an attempt to isolate Mayor Wade-Brown and the WCC, who are representing the majority of residents who have repeatedly rejected the proposed flyover.

The Wellington Regional Transport Committee process lacks integrity. By introducing an unannounced motion and attempting to interfere in the decisions of another council – just two weeks before that council will release its findings on alternatives to the flyover – flyover supporters on the Committee have shown their increasing desperation.

Of course, regional mayors like Nick Leggett and Upper Hutt’s Wayne Guppy are entitled to their own opinions. But, next time, they should think before they speak.