Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau
Our 10-year Plan
2024–34 Long-term Plan Volume 1 – Summary of our plan

2

Ihirangi
Contents

Wāhanga 1: Kupu Whakataki

He mihi nā te Koromatua me te Tumu Whakara
Mayor and Chief Executive’s Welcome
Te Tākai Here Tākai Here Partnership	

6	Ngā whakarāpopoto rautaki matua
Key strategy summaries
He kupu whakataki
Introduction	
21

21	
Tākai Here Partnership
Tā mātou mō te anamata	8	He whakarāpopoto o te rautaki ahumoni		
Our vision for the future	11	Financial strategy summary	22	
Tā mātou mahere ngahuru tau
Our plan for the next 10 years	
12	Kōrero ahumoni kē atu
Additional financial information	
27	
Ā mātou i rongo ai
What we have heard	
15	He whakarāpopoto
o te rautaki tūāhanga		
		Infrastructure Strategy summary	30	
		Tā mātou anga rautaki
Our strategic framework	
36	
		Ngā Kaikaunihera
Your Councillors	
44	
		Tō te Kaitātari Kaute Whakaaro
Independent Auditors Report	
46	

Section 1: Introduction	4

Wāhanga 2: He whakarāpopoto
Section 2: Summary of our plan	20

3

Contents

Wāhanga 1 | Section 1

Kupu Whakataki
Introduction

Kei tēnei wāhanga
Kei tēnei wāhanga, he kupu tāwhiri nā te Koromatua rāua ko te Tumu Whakarae, he whakarāpopototanga anō hoki o tō mātou tiro whakamua, o
ā te hapori whakahoki kōrero, me ngā panonitanga i muri mai o te whakawhitinga kōrero.

In this section
This section includes a welcome from our Mayor and Chief Executive, summaries of our
vision, feedback from the community and what was changed after formal consultation.

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Kia ora
Welcome

Ko tō mātou matawhānui mō
te anamata o Pōneke: te pokapū auaha e ora tōnui nei te tangata me te taiao, e whai ana kia tāone tainekeneke, tāone toitū, tāone ngangahau anō hoki.
Me whakatakoto e mātou ngā tūporo ināianei hei tūāpapa mō te anamata.

Ko tā te mahere pae tawhiti he whakatakoto i te ara e taea ai tēnei whāinga. Ka whakatakoto i ngā whakaarotau mō ngā tau 10 e haere ake nei, ko ngā mahi ēnā, me ngā moni e utua ai ēnā mahi.

Our vision for the future, Pōneke: the creative capital where people and nature thrive, is about creating a dynamic, sustainable and vibrant city.
We need to put the building blocks in place now to lay the foundations for this future.

A Long-term Plan sets out how we will do this. It states our priorities for the next 10 years, including what we will do, how much it will cost and how we will pay for it.

Contents

What makes up the plan?
Volume 1
Strategic priorities and overview of work programme
Budget summary
Financial Strategy summary
Infrastructure Strategy summary

Volume 2
Statements of service provision
Significant forecasting assumptions
All financial policies and strategies that support this plan
Volume 3
Full strategic framework
Full Infrastructure Strategy

and priorities community engagement

review community engagement
Citizens’ Assembly

decisions on levels of service

issues and budget for consultation

consultation with the community

oral hearings
Final
decisions on the plan and budget

term Plan is adopted

Financial Strategy

2023	2024	We are here	

April	
September	
November	
December	
February	
April	
May	
June	
Outcomes	Rating policies	Key	Draft Budget	Decisions on	Formal	Community	Final Long-	

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

He mihi nā te Koromatua me te Tumu Whakarae

Kātahi te tāone papai, ngākau ko tēnei. Ngā toi, te taiao, me te hapori kanorau – koinā i pai ai
tēnei tāone hei noninga, hei wāhi mahi, hei wāhi pārekareka.

Heoi anō kua eke tō tātou tāone ki tētehi wā motuhake o tōna hītori. Me whanake tātou e pai kē atu ai, e manawaroa ake ai tō tātou tāone ā haereke nei, me te whai whakaaro anō hoki ki ngā take ōhanga o te wā.
Nā reira ko tā mātou mahere ngahuru- tau 24–34, he mea nui whakaharahara. Ko tā mātou, he āta tāupeupe i te kahu, kia whai tahua haumi a Pōneke hei oranga mō ōna hapori, ka rua he ngana ki te papare i ngā aukaha o te ao ōhanga e rongo nei tātou katoa, huri i te motu.
Inā te nui whakaharahara o ngā whakataunga mō tēnei tāone, ko whea hoki ngā whakaarotau, me te titiro whakamua tonu anō ki te anamata ngahuru tau o tēnei tāone, ā haere ake noa. Inā anō te nui o ngā wero. E pahake haere ana ngā tūāhanga – e mate moni ana ngā whatunga tūnuku, tūnuku ā-wai anō hoki.

Me mātua whai tātou kia whare manawaroa ō tātou whare, kia whakarite katoa i ngā whare me ngā tūnuku mō te tini haeretanga o te tangata, me te āki tonu i te kauparenga o te huringa āhuarangi.
I roto i ngā ngahuru e haere ake nei, kua maheretia e mātou, kia whakapaua he $4.9 piriona ki ngā utu pūrawa hei
tahua whakapaipai i te tāone, ā, he $11.6 piriona ki ngā ratonga maha mō te tini
o Pōneke – whare pukapuka, hōpua kaukau, whare rēhia, whīra hākinakina, whetiwara, ara hīkoi, me ngā mātou ratonga whakahaere.
Kua waihangahia e mātou tētehi mahere pūtea ka 16.9% te pikinga ki ngā utu rēti, me tētehi pikinga toharite, 8% te nui, i ia tau, mō ngā tau ngahuru e haere ake nei. Ka whakataki ake ngā utu rēti hei te tau 2024/25, ā, he pikinga 1.6% anō tērā. Ko te whakaarotau e kaha kitea ana i tēnei mahere ngahuru tau, ko te whakatikatika i ngā tūāhanga me ngā pokorua wai. Kua whakapiki kē atu mātou i te tahua i roto
i ngā tau, ā, e whai ana tēnei mahere kia mātua whai tahua tautoko a Wai Pōneke, e $1.8 piriona te nui i roto i ngā tau ngahuru e haere ake nei. He pikinga 68% tēnā i te mahere ō mua, ka mutu. he tahua anō kei reira ki ngā mita wai.

Me whakaaro tō tātou taiao, ā, e kitea ana i roto i te rautaki a te kaunihera, a Zero-Waste, me tētehi pikinga tahua ki te mawaroa o te āhuarangi, me te whakatō rākau horapa i te tāone. Ko tā te rautaki
Zero-Waste, he whai kia manawaroa mō te anamata, mā te tukurua, mā te hangarua, me te whakaiti i ngā para. Hei te tau 2027, ka whakataki ake mātou i tētehi ratonga kohi pararopi, ā, ka whakahouhia katoatia hoki te kohi para, kia whakaiti i te para e tukua ana ki ngā ruapara.
Pērā anō me ngā mahere pae tawhiti katoa, me mātua whakaaro te manawaroatanga o te ahumoni. E tipu haere ana ngā tūraru taiao, ā, e tipu haere ana hoki te uaua ki te whai ārai inihua, nā tēnā kua rerekē katoa ngā tūraru inihua ki te kaunihera. Ā, nā tērā anō hoki, kua kore ō mātou huarawa tūmatanui, pēnei i ngā whare pukapuka, i ngā hōpua kaukau, me ngā ratonga tukupara e whai ārai inihua. Nā te korenga o tā mātou kōpaki haumi i kanorautia, e whakaraerae ana te nuinga o ā mātou haumi huarawa ki aua tūraru anō.
E memeha ai ēnei tūraru, e whakapakari ai te manawaroa o tō tātou taone, kua hokona atu e mātou tō mātou whaipānga iti ki Te Taunga Rererangi o Pōneke, ā, ka whakamahia aua moni ki te whakarite i tētehi tahua haumi mutunga kore hou,

he mea toha haumitanga, ā ka hoki ngā utu whai pānga ki te tāone, ka whakaiti i ngā tūraru haumi, ka whakakanorau hoki i tā mātou kōpaki haumi. Ka pai kē ake te noho ā tēnei tahua hei tautoko mehemea tātou ka karawhiua e ngā take āhuarangi, e te huarere, e ngā rū whenua rānei.
E tohu ana tēnei mahere ngahuru tau i tētehi tirohanga whakawhanake, he mea ārahi i te ngahuru tau e haere ake nei. Tēnā koutou katoa o Pōneke i whai wāhi mai ki ā mātou tono. Mā te kotahitanga, ka ora pai a Pōneke, tōna taiao, me ōna tāngata.

Tory Whānau
Te Koromatua o Pōneke

Barbara McKerrow Te Tumu-Whakarae

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Mayor and Chief Executive’s Welcome

We have a great capital city with a lot of heart. Art, nature and diverse communities – it’s what makes the city such an amazing place to live, work and play.
But we’ve come to an important time
in Wellington’s history. We must develop into a more liveable and resilient city for the future while responding to our current economic environment.
So this next 10-year plan (our 2024–34 Long-term Plan) is hugely important. We’ve had to balance between investing in Wellington, so our communities thrive while also responding to tough
economic conditions being felt by councils and communities all over the country.
As a city, we’ve had to make some hard decisions about what to prioritise while also picturing what our city can look like in ten years’ time and beyond.
We have some major challenges. Our infrastructure is ageing – our water and transport networks need significant, ongoing and costly upgrades. We need to ensure our buildings are resilient, prepare for population growth with housing and transport, and act on climate change.

Over the next 10 years, we plan to spend $4.9 billion in capital costs
to make improvements in the city, and
$11.6 billion in operating costs to provide the hundreds of services Wellingtonians use everyday – including libraries, swimming pools, recreation centres and sports fields, festivals, footpaths and our many regulatory services.
We have created a budget that results in
a rates increase in 2024/25 of 16.9% (after growth in the ratepayer base) and an average annual increase over the 10 years of the plan of 8%. The sludge levy, which is in addition to general rates, will be introduced from 2024/25 and is a further 1.6% increase (average annual increase of 0.6% over the 10 years of the plan).
A clear priority in this Long-term Plan is fixing our water infrastructure and pipes. In recent years, we’ve significantly increased funding in this area, and this plan provides funding for Wellington Water of a record
$1.8 billion over the next 10 years. That’s a 68% increase from our last Long-term Plan and includes funding to roll out water meters.

Our environment also needs care and attention, and this is reflected in the Council’s Zero-Waste Strategy, as well as increased funding for climate resilience and tree coverage in our city centre.
Our Zero-Waste Strategy aims to build a sustainable future through reusing, recycling and reducing waste. From 2027, we’ll be introducing an organics collection service and redesigning our rubbish and recycling collections to reduce landfill waste.
As with any Long-term Plan, we’ve also needed to consider our financial resilience. The increasing risk of earthquakes and climate change-related disasters, and the increasing difficulties getting insurance cover, has massively changed the insurance risk that Council faces. As a result, our public assets like libraries, pools and waste systems cannot be covered by insurance. As our current investment portfolio is not diversified, most of our investment assets are exposed to the same kind of risk.
To mitigate these risks and build our city’s resilience, we are selling our minority shareholding in Wellington Airport and using this money to set up a new perpetual investment fund that will make green, ethical investments to return a dividend
to the city, reduce our insurance risk, and diversify our investment portfolio.

This fund will be better placed to provide cash to help rebuild Wellington after a climate change-charged weather event or a major earthquake.
This Long-term Plan represents a developing vision which will inform the next decade. Thank you to the thousands of Wellingtonians who participated in this process and provided feedback
on our proposals. Together, we can ensure Pōneke continues to be a creative capital where people and nature thrive.

Tory Whanau
Mayor of Wellington

Barbara McKerrow Chief Executive

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Te Tākai Here
Tākai Here Partnership

In April 2022, Te Kaunihera o Pōneke and mana whenua in the Wellington rohe adopted Tākai Here – a collective partnership agreement with Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika,
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, and Te Rūnanganui o Te Ātiawa ki te Upoko o te Ika a Māui.
This collective agreement set the principles, values and priorities for our work together. The date of the signing was significant,
in being the 182nd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

The partnership is expressed through the narrative and imagery of a waka. The role we all play is like that of a hoe (paddle) propelling the waka forward, creating a partnership that looks ahead and plans for the future of Wellington. It also refers to the binding, lashing,
knotting and tying of the waka to ensure it is safe and fit for our shared purposes. This represents the way our shared values and tikanga ensure a strong relationship.
The Council is dedicated to strengthening our relationships with our Tākai Here partners as well as Māori communities.
This includes providing opportunities for meaningful input, contribution and leadership roles in the decision-making process for our city.

Contents

Wellington City Council

8

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Ko wai mā ō mātou hoa Tākai Here?
Who are our Tākai Here partners?
Within all these iwi are multiple hapū (sub-tribes) and whānau (families) who we will work with to establish formal partnerships over the coming years.

Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika
The Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust was created in 2008 to receive the settlement package for Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o Te Ika (Taranaki Whānui). Taranaki Whānui represents people who whakapapa back to Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Ruanui, Taranaki, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga and other iwi from the Taranaki area.
Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika is the collective group of individuals who descend from one or more of the
ancestors of the following Iwi: Te Atiawa; Ngāti Tama; Taranaki; Ngāti Ruanui;
and other Taranaki iwi such as Ngāti Mutunga. The takiwā for Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o te Ika was recounted to the New Zealand Company by the Rangatira Te Wharepouri in 1839 and followed
the Māori tradition of marking a takiwa by tracing from headland to headland. The eastern boundary was established by the kāinga at Mukamuka on the stream of the same name. The takiwā (areas) included are the catchments
of the Orongorongo, Wainuiomata, Te Awakairangi (Hutt) Rivers and Makara Stream along with Te Whanganui-a-Tara and the three islands in the harbour.
The western boundary was established at Pipinui Point and included the pā of Ngutu Kākā on the northwestern side.

Ngāti Toa Rangatira
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira is the mandated iwi authority for Ngāti Toa Rangatira. It is the administrative body for their assets and interests.
There are two Ngāti Toa marae in
Te Upoko o te Ika – Hongoeka Marae and Takapūwāhia Marae.
The Ngāti Toa Rangatira area of interest spans the Cook Strait. It covers the lower North Island from the Rangitikei in the north and includes the Kāpiti Coast, Hutt Valley, and Wellington areas, as well as Kāpiti and Mana Islands.
It includes large areas of the Marlborough Sounds and much of the northern South Island. The main areas of Ngāti Toa Rangatira occupation in the Wellington Region were the lands on the south-west coast of Wellington at Ōhariu, Porirua, Kāpiti Island and at locations on the Horowhenua Coast.

Contents

Te Āti Awa
Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui is based out of Te Māori in Waiwhetu.
There are three Te Āti Awa Marae in the region, Waiwhetu Marae, Pipitea Marae and Te Tatau o te Pō Marae.

9

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Ngā Whakaarotau rautaki
Strategic priorities
To fulfil our vision of Pōneke being the creative capital where people and nature thrive, we need to ensure that these iwi and Māori from our wider community are contributing to the decision making in our city.
To ensure we successfully achieve this we will continue to work on the following shared strategic priorities with our Tākai Here partners and Māori communities:
Mauri Ora o te Tangata – Wellbeing of people
Te Ao Māori and te reo Māori – Wellbeing of culture, heritage, arts, and language
Kāinga me te Whenua – Wellbeing of housing and land
Taiao – Wellbeing of our environment
Partnership.

Together with strong, open and transparent relationships, these priorities will provide the platform for further opportunities for Māori to participate in and create a positive future for Wellington.
We already have several strategic and operational commitments, which align with these priorities. Council staff will continue to work alongside Māori in
our city to enhance effective engagement of Māori in decision-making. We have committed staff and other resources to support, advocate on behalf of, and guide the Council’s interactions with Māori.
We are dedicated to building the staff capability and cultural intelligence of our organisation to further strengthen our capacity as an organisation to respond to the needs of our Tākai Here partners and Māori. This includes building staff capability in basic te reo Māori (language), tikanga (practices) and developing
staff knowledge and understanding of Māori concepts, values, histories and experiences. It also includes enhancing staff confidence and skills in engaging with Māori to establish and manage effective relationships.

Contents

In October 2022, Council appointed two Pouiwi, both of whom were nominated by our Tākai Here partners.
These Pouiwi have joined us for the 2022– 2025 triennium, have full voting rights
on all committees and sit on nearly all Council committees and sub committees. Council also established Te Whanganui- a-Tara, Māori Ward at the 2022 election so that all Māori in the city have stronger representation. Increasing the ways that the Council involves Tākai Here partners
and Māori in the formal governance of the Council are key steps toward achieving meaningful partnership with Māori in shaping the future of Wellington City.

10

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Tā mātou mō te anamata

Community outcomes	LTP priorities

Our vision for the future

Cultural Wellbeing
A welcoming, diverse and creative city

Nurture and grow our arts sector
Celebrate and make visible te ao Māori across our city

Wellington City Council is situated at the south-western tip of the North Island and is New Zealand’s capital city. We provide various services to the
community to achieve our vision:

Pōneke, te wāhi auaha e whitawhita ai ōna tāngata me tōna taiao Pōneke, the creative capital where people and nature thrive.
Our commitment to our mana whenua partners grounds us in how we deliver on the vision.
We are committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and strong partnerships with mana whenua. Tākai Here and Te Tiriti o Waitangi lay
the foundation for everything that the Council does.

Underpinning our vision are five intertwined community outcomes. These are aspirational statements and more detail on these is provided from page 38–42.
To help us achieve these goals,
we asked what priorities we should focus on now to make sure we make progress towards them. In March
to May 2023, more than 3,000 Wellingtonians gave us feedback that led to the nine on the right.
These priorities have helped us shape this plan and to make the hard decisions needed.
We are proud that this 10-year plan also embeds five approaches to help guide the Council in all parts of our work – meaning that going forward we are committed to putting te ao Māori, accessibility, the climate, community engagement and effective delivery at the heart of the Council and your city.
More information on these approaches
is included from page 37 of this document and is also provided in our Statements
of Service Provision in Volume 2.

Social Wellbeing
A city of healthy and thriving whānau and communities

Economic Wellbeing
An innovative business friendly city

Urban Form
A liveable
and accessible, compact city

Environmental Wellbeing
A city restoring and

Increase access to good, affordable housing to improve the wellbeing of our communities
Invest in sustainable, connected and accessible community and recreation facilities

Revitalise the city and suburbs to support a thriving and resilient economy and support job growth

Collaborate with our communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change
Transform our transport system to move more people with fewer vehicles

Fix our water infrastructure and improve the health of waterways
Transform our waste system

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034

protecting nature

to enable a circular economy

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Tā mātou mahere ngahuru tau
Our plan for the next 10 years
We plan to invest

Contents

Three Waters

$4.8b
Total spending on the

three waters network including:

$1.8b
of funding to Wellington
Water Ltd: $1.17b CAPEX on three waters upgrades and renewals, and $680m OPEX to deliver services and necessary repairs

$4.9billion
of capital expenditure (CAPEX) to improve our city over the next 10 years

$11.6billion
of operating expenditure (OPEX) to run our services

$274m
of (total project cost $400m)
of CAPEX on the Moa Point Sludge Minimisation Facility

$2.7b
on other operating costs eg,
depreciation and interest

Environment and Infrastructure	Economic Development and Cultural Wellbeing

$42.1 m
of CAPEX on upgrading
and renewing our Coastal, Town Belt and Reserves and Walkways infrastructure

$33.4m

of CAPEX on the Southern
Landfill extension

$28.7 m
of OPEX on waste
minimisation programmes

$224.5 m
of CAPEX on our venues,
museums and galleries, including
$57.6m on the Town Hall

$124.2 m
of OPEX over 10 years in
grants for our arts, cultural and economic communities

12

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Urban Development	Social and Recreation

$62.4m
of OPEX on our public
spaces, including the Green Network Plan

Governance

$36.2 m
of OPEX over the 10 years for
protecting our history through the City Archive

Transport

$112.9m
of CAPEX on the Golden Mile

W

$57.4m
of OPEX over the 10 years to
provide help to our residents through the Service and Contact centres

$106m

of CAPEX on our recreation facilities

and services, including $12.4m to upgrade Grenada North sportsfields

$57.3 m
of OPEX over 10 years in grants
for our social and recreation communities

$104.4m
of CAPEX to finish
construction of the new
Te Matapihi Central Library

$592.9m
of CAPEX on renewing and
upgrading our social housing units

$1.1 b
of CAPEX on our transport network, including $115.2m on
sustainable street changes through Paneke Pōneke, our bike network plan, and $187.4m on our retaining walls, tunnels and bridges

$325.3m
of OPEX on our social housing
portfolio

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

458,227
254,390
389,440

254,877

684,702
557,435

21,350

624,888

146
263,611
147,801

347,105

1,898,322

1,395,696

90,519

Operating Expenditure over the next 10 years ($000s)

1,420,579

616,331

1,398,418

1,143,612

157,640
32,902

Capital Expenditure over the next 10 years ($000s)

809,723

884,793

208,646
35,735
54,359

342,204

322,771

115,024

28,807

738,207

698,500

135,894

Governance, information & engagement Parks, beaches & open spaces
Waste reduction & energy conservation Water supply
Wastewater

Stormwater Conservation attractions
City promotions & business support Arts & cultural activities
Recreation promotion & support

Community participation & support
Urban planning, heritage & public spaces development
Building & development Public health & safety

Transport Parking
Organisational projects

14

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Ā mātou i rongo ai
What we have heard

Tā te hapori ki
te waihangatanga o te mahere
How the community shaped our plan
The following section summarises the engagement on the 2024–34 Long-term Plan, the feedback
we received and the decisions adopted by the Council following formal consultation.

We have built this plan with help from our community. In the past 18 months we have conducted specific Long-term Plan engagements on community outcomes and priorities in March–May 2023, on the review of our rating policies in September–
October 2023, a Citizens’ Assembly in October 2023, and a final formal consultation phase in April–May 2024.

Summaries of the information we received on this Long-term Plan are below with more information on our website wcc.nz/ltp.

Priorities for the Long-term Plan
We received 2,722 responses in this early engagement – a huge increase on the 327 responses to the similar engagement for the 2021 LTP.
The priorities that were consistently ranked highly by the community were:
Improve resilience of pipes, roads and other infrastructure
Improve city safety at night
More funding for the arts and cultural sectors
Better public transport infrastructure
Make our cultural diversity more visible
Upgrade suburban town centres
Shift to an economy that creates less waste

Improve the health of our waterways
Prepare to withstand and adapt to climate change.
The feedback from this stage was used alongside data and research to develop the priorities for the Long-term Plan that are outlined on page 9 and this information informs our full strategic direction, which is summarised from page 36 of this document and in
full in Volume 3.
The full report of this stage is available on our website.

Contents

15

We received
2,722
responses in this early engagement – a huge increase on the 327
from the 2021 LTP

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Rating Policy Review
As part of this Long-term Plan we conducted a review of our rating policies. This determines how we cut up the rates pie, not how much the rates are. We received 160 submissions during an engagement process where we asked about six changes to our rating policies:
Decreasing the commercial rates differential from 3.70 to 3.25
Introducing a general rates differential of 4.5:1 on vacant land/derelict buildings
Increasing the value threshold for properties with more than one land use from $800k to $1.5m
Introducing a remission of general rates for Earthquake-Prone-Buildings (EPB) and targeted rates for
both residential and commercial not-fit-for-purpose buildings
Removing the first home builder remission
Extending the current Māori freehold land remission policy to all types of Māori land.

After receiving the feedback, Council has made the followings changes to Rating Policies:
Introducing a general rates differential of 5:1 on vacant land and for derelict buildings
Increasing the value threshold
for properties with more than one land use from $800k to $1.5m
Increasing the rates remission for low-income ratepayers from $700 (GST inclusive) to a maximum of
$800 (GST inclusive)
Introducing a remission of general rates for Earthquake-Prone-Buildings (EPB) and targeted rates for
both residential and commercial not-fit-for-purpose buildings
Removing the rates remission for first home builders
Extending the current Māori freehold land remission policy to all types of Māori land.
More information is available on page 28, and all of the details are in the full policies in Volume 2 of this plan from page 160.

Contents

Citizens’ Assembly
In September and October 2023, a Citizens’ Assembly of 42 Wellingtonians met to deliberate on the following question and provide their perspectives to feed into Council decisions about the Long-term Plan:
We need to find a balance between what WCC could deliver, and what resource it has available, which is fair to everyone. How might we do this?
Sessions were facilitated to ensure all perspectives were heard, and subject matter experts were called upon to answer participants’ questions and provide information to support
the Assembly in developing its advice. During the final session, the Citizens’ Assembly’s advice to Council was presented to the Mayor, Councillors and members of the Council’s Executive Leadership Team. The full advice is available here wcc.nz/citizens-assembly. It includes 10 pieces of advice across the following areas:
Investigating alternative revenue streams
Capital expenditure
Open space
Housing
Community funding
Process

16

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Formal consultation
The formal consultation went live on Friday 12 April and ran until midnight 12 May. The public could submit via our Let’s Talk website, through posted or emailed submission forms or via direct email to ltp@wcc.govt.nz. The aim was to accept feedback in as many forms as possible from as many audiences as possible. We received 4,077 submissions in the month, double the number received in 2021.
Overall, there were 7,724 downloads of LTP information from our website. The consultation document was downloaded 3,779 times, and the additional individual files on the key proposals were downloaded 1,709 times. The third highest downloaded document was the information on fees and user charges which was downloaded 1,208 times.
We hosted 16 hui across the month of consultation, including a general
public webinar, school workshops with
130 children, specific consultation with hapori Māori, businesses, and topic

Direct emails were sent to over 10,000 people, including all
83 primary and secondary schools in Pōneke and 87 community organisations, including 14 te ao Māori organisations. Our promotional campaigns on Council social media channels had 1,534,503 reach, 42,422 engagements, and 7,870 link clicks to the LTP website.
Digital advertising had 1,375,158 impressions, with 8,102 clicks through to the website.

total submissions

4,077

298
oral hearing
requests

44
funding requests

3,799
downloads of the
consultation document

4,013
comments across 2,367
website submissions

specific engagement on Khandallah Pool and Wadestown Community Centre.

27,000+
unique visitors to the
LTP website homepage

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	17

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

Ngā whakataunga
What was decided
The Council deliberated on the key proposals and all of the consultation feedback and other changes to the plan at the 30 May 2024 Long-term Plan committee meeting.
The three key proposals were adopted as consulted:
Increased water network funding:
Investment of $680m OPEX and
$1.2b CAPEX, addressing some of the drinking water network issues in the short to long-term with additional operational funding for short-term work to address water leaks as well as initiatives, such as water meters, to address water
supply over the medium to long-term. Our capital expenditure will be prioritised toward the most critical wastewater network risks.

Waste collection changes:
The new services to be introduced from 2027 onwards are: a rates- funded rubbish wheelie bin that will be collected fortnightly, combined with a rates-funded weekly organics service for food scraps and garden waste; a bigger 240L fortnightly recycling wheelie bin and retaining our 45L fortnightly glass service.
In addition the Council will:
investigate how to implement collection trials for multi-unit developments and the central city
investigate how the current recycling bins can be repurposed or recycled as part of the
implementation of the new services
review the size of the bins for the collection of rubbish 6 to 12
months after the implementation of the new services to ensure the collection meets the needs of households, including those with high and low waste disposal needs.
Investment and insurance:
The Council will sell its full holding of airport shares and create a new publicly owned financial asset by reinvesting the proceeds in a perpetual investment fund. Proceeds from future ground lease sales could also be transferred into the fund (if/when these leases were considered for sale).

Key changes
Parking
The Council agreed not to include the additional parking revenue from the suburban parking proposal for the 2024/25 year in the LTP, and it will investigate and report back in time for the 2025/26 Annual Plan process on options for suburban parking where demand for parking is high and which align with Parking policy. This change will result in $2m of lost revenue and a 0.4 percent increase in rates for the 2024/25 year.
The Council adopted the motorcycle parking fees as per the consultation proposal. It noted that the fee is up to
$2.50 per hour but the specifics of the fee will be determined through a separate Traffic Resolution consultation process that will follow the LTP process. There will also be the option of a daily cap
on the fees included as part of the traffic Resolution process.

Khandallah Pool
The Khandallah Pool will remain open for at least Year 1 and a community advisory group will be established to be engaged with over six months. This group receive the findings of an engineering review that will identify if a cheaper fix for the pool is possible within the $7.5m budget currently assigned to this project.

Contents

This group will include representatives from both the community, to be approved by the Mayor, and the Council and will be supported by Council officers. The Council will also commission further technical and engineering expert advice to support this process, noting the health and safety imperatives of any preferred solution. Officers will report back to Council at the conclusion of process with all final decisions remaining with the Council. This process will cost $80,000.

Community requests
In summary, the Council decided that the final plan should include the following additional changes from the draft that was consulted on.
Capital Kiwi: Allocate $100,000 per annum to the community organisation.
Wellington NZ funding: Reallocate
$500,000 per annum of funding from Te Papa to Wellington NZ. This results in a $500,000 decrease in funding for WellingtonNZ, as opposed to the $1m decrease proposed in the draft budget.
National Music Centre: The Council will provide the requested $182,500 funding for the National Music Centre in Te Ngākau Civic Square, which is its portion of the centre’s request that the region’s councils provide $500,000
of funding, with a funding proposal to be developed between officers and the centre.

Wellington City Council

Contents

Kupu Whakataki | Introduction

This funding will come from reprioritising the existing Creative Capital operational budget from the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial year to the National Music Centre.
City safety: The Council will develop a plan (including key measures), with relevant agencies, to reduce crime and improve safety in Wellington with a focus on the central city, including increasing social grants funding for safety initiatives by $500,000 per annum from Year 1.
Arts sector:
Retain ongoing commitment to support a Living Wage top up for events and artists, and review the options in the next 12 months for this to be achieved through existing fund criteria or the continuation of specific top-up Living Wage funding.
Add a musicians’ sector group to the Aho Tini Creative Sector working group(s) in line with the Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy and Aho Tini Action Plan.
Skate parks: The Grants Subcommittee will allocate $80,000 from the Sportsville Fund in Year 2 of the LTP for feasibility studies for upgrades of the Waitangi Park and Ian Galloway skateparks.

Living wage: On top of the events and artists funding above, the Council will provide Council-controlled organisations (CCOs) with additional top-up funding (at a cost of $145,000) to pay the Living Wage in the 2024/25 financial year, with direction that CCOs will need to manage this within their budgets from Year 2 onwards.

Other changes
Climate initiatives: $14m from the Climate Resilience Fund will be allocated to degasify the pool network, reducing emissions and operating costs.
Waste initiatives: The Council will support community compost hub providers to educate the community and divert organics from the waste stream. This will be funded using (ring fenced) Waste Levy Funding of
$50,000 to $150,000 per annum until the 2027/28 Long-term Plan. It will then be reviewed to assess whether the initiative should continue.
Capital programme: If funding currently allocated against the Town Hall and Te Ngākau strengthening projects is not fully spent, officers will report to the Council as soon as
possible with options to reallocate the money to the water network’s capital projects. The capital work programme will be closely monitored for other opportunities to reallocate funding to the water network’s capital projects.

City Streets: Officers will report back on all projects within the City Streets budget for a Council decision on prioritisation by September 2024 with a focus on delivering the following central city projects within Years 1 to 3 of the LTP:
Secondary bus corridor (bus spine on the Quays).
Cross-city cycle connection (connect Thorndon Quay to Cambridge Terrace).
Cuba St pedestrianisation infrastructure and activations (significant improvements beyond proposed footpath widening).
Dixon St upgrade (required as part of the Golden Mile design).
Transport: Once the Waka Kotahi National Land Transport Plan is finalised, officers will report back to the Council on the Paneke Pōneke Bike Network Plan and whether projects will require reprioritisation.
EV chargers: The Year 1 funding for the installation of EV chargers which have already been approved is retained within the LTP (bringing
the total installed to 34), but funding beyond this amount is removed, pending further advice on the costs and benefits of proceeding with installation of the remaining 26 chargers. We will also investigate the potential to sell existing EV chargers to recover the Council’s investment.

Golden Mile: Officers will report back by September 2024 on how the Golden Mile design can be revised to give higher priority to pedestrian space including the connection to public transport.
Business Improvement Districts: Officers will report back in time for the 2025/26 Annual Plan on options for further investment in areas with Business Improvement Districts to support more effective economic development.

19

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Wāhanga 2 | Section 2
He whakarāpopoto

Summary of our plan

Contents

Kei tēnei wāhanga
He whakarāpopoto o tā mātou rautaki ahumoni, rautaki tūāhanga, me tētehi tironga whānui o te anga rautaki.
Kei ēnei tuhinga ā mātou whakamahere katoa, ā kei te huānga tuatoru katoa.

In this section
This section includes summaries of our Financial Strategy and Infrastructure strategy and
an overview of our Strategic Framework. These documents underpin all of our planning and are available in full in Volume 3.

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā whakarāpopoto rautaki matua
Key strategy summaries

He kupu whakataki
Introduction
Our city is experiencing the impacts of earthquakes, the aftermath of the global pandemic, issues with our ageing three waters network, and climate
change. We also have financial pressures, with higher inflation and increases in the cost of interest and insurance, as well as higher costs associated with asset ownership (for example, higher depreciation). We know our community faces many of the same cost pressures, meaning the ability to pay for these increasing costs is becoming more difficult. It is important for the Council to operate a sensible budget.
The biggest challenge for the Council is being realistic about what we can pay for and when. We own a lot of infrastructure that we need to maintain
and upgrade (buildings, roads, pipes and more). We also need to keep our budgets affordable and to have money available for future risks, such as responding to
a natural disaster.

This means the list of what we need to pay for is growing faster than our ability to pay for it.
To make sure we continue to work towards our vision for the future, the Council has rephased and reprioritised the work in our capital programme, with a focus on completing projects that we have started, looking after our existing assets, and meeting our regulatory requirements.
The financial challenges we face are not limited to the 10 years of this plan. We also need to think about how we provide financial sustainability
for the future. We are exposed because we cannot insure all our assets so if there is a natural disaster we will
not have sufficient funding to repair damage and rebuild our city. Also, all our investments are concentrated in Wellington International Airport Ltd shares or ground leases.

This means if something were to happen to those assets, we could lose our investment revenue.
We will manage these risks through the establishment of a perpetual investment fund.
The following summaries of our Financial Strategy and Infrastructure Strategy and how we are planning to face the current challenges to create a more liveable and resilient city for the future.
More detail is provided in our Financial Strategy and Infrastructure Strategy in Volume 3 of this plan.

Contents

21

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Contents

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

He whakarāpopoto o te rautaki ahumoni
Financial strategy summary

Affordability
The Council and residents of the city are facing affordability challenges. The economic and community operating environment has changed dramatically since the Council prepared its 2021–31
LTP. We are operating in an environment of high inflation and borrowing costs have also increased steeply since 2021. Insurance premiums continue to rise while access to insurance for many
of Council’s assets is becoming more difficult. Put simply, everything we do is costing more to deliver. Residents ability to pay more rates is limited, and the Council will need to find ways to deliver our services in a more constrained funding environment.

Our budget results in a rates increase in 2024/25 of 16.9% (after growth) and an average annual increase over the
10 years of the plan of 8%. The sludge levy, which is in addition to general rates, will be introduced from 2024/25 and is a further 1.6% increase (average annual increase of 0.6% over the
10 years of the plan). The Council has set an average rates increase limit of between 5–8% (excluding sludge levy) over the 10 years of the Long-term Plan. However, the higher rates increases in the first four years of the Long-term Plan are necessary to continue to fund the current core levels of service. These include moving to fully fund three waters depreciation by 2028/29 and dealing with increasing operating costs,
such as insurance and interest. The graph of the forecast rates increases for the
10 years of the plan is on page 24.
We have tried to forecast a fair and balanced budget for this plan that deals with the critical issues and keeps our city moving forward.
More information about our budget and how it was created is available in the Financial Strategy.

Funding issues
Council revenue
Local government has a narrow range of tools for funding projects and everyday costs. Most of our operating revenue comes from residents through rates, or fees and user charges, and our capital investments are paid for through debt. We also receive some funding for projects from the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
There is significant uncertainty about the level of funding from NZTA. In creating this plan, we have made some assumptions on the level of subsidy that may be available. This may need to be revised once the NZTA funding
is finalised. If the funding is less than expected, we may need to look at altering our capital programme.
We have been able to access funding through the Infrastructure Funding and Finance Act 2020 for the new Moa Point Sludge Minimisation Facility. Getting
a loan for this asset via this central government pathway means we don’t increase our debt directly, but it will still impact ratepayers through a levy on rates bills from August 2024
(a 1.6% increase in 2024/25).

More information about this project, including the levy and how it is funded, is available here wellington.govt.nz/sludge. The projected levy is included in the rates graph on page 24.
All of our budgets are linked – increasing our debt also increases the operating costs for paying it back, including the cost of interest. Therefore, we need to balance having a city we can all enjoy, with the ability of our residents to pay rates.
As part of this plan the Council reviewed its balance sheet (what we own and owe) and identified that it was not sufficiently resilient and was overly exposed to certain risks. Some of this is because of the limited sources Council has for funding. This has significant implications for our long-term financial position and action is required to address this. Part of the advice from the 2023 Citizens’ Assembly was for Council to diversify revenue streams and to advocate to central government for changes to reduce the burden on ratepayers. This work is underway and the Council’s decision to set up a perpetual investment fund
is part of this work. See our full Financial Strategy in Volume 3 for more detail on our funding sources, from page 140.

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0%

19%

19 %

2024 / 25
Revenue

58%

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Our Financial Strategy and budgets are based on operational money coming from the following areas:

2%
2 %

%

0

 Development Contribution Revenue  Revenue from Operating Activities  Rates & Levies Revenue Water supply

Other Revenue

 Investment Revenue

 Grants & Subsidies – Operating Grants & Subsidies – Capital

Contents

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Council debt
The Council’s net debt is expected to increase to $2.9 billion (including insurance headroom of $272m) by 2033/34. The forecast shows that the Council will exceed its debt to revenue limit, for the first eight years of the plan, then it gradually returns within this limit in Year 9.
However, if we exclude the insurance headroom and look at the debt forecast to be drawn down, then the debt to revenue limit is not exceeded.

4.000

$ billion

3.000

2.000

1.000

0.000

Forecast debt/ revenue ratio

1.8

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.7

2.7

2.6

2.1

2.5

2.4

2024/25	2025/26	2026/27	2027/28	2028/29	2029/30	2030/31	2031/32	2032/33	2033/34

This headroom amount was set in the 2021–31 LTP and reflected the gap in insurance coverage available to the Council. The current Financial Strategy retains the insurance headroom and

Closing net borrowings
280% debt to revenue ratio LGFA limit

225% debt to revenue limit
225% debt to revenue ratio limit including insurance headroom

from Year 3 assumes the establishment of the perpetual investment fund, which will mitigate some financial and insurance risks.

20%

% rates increase

16%

12%

8%

4%

Forecast rates increases (after growth) – Average 8%

18.5%
 1.6% 

13%

12.8%

1.4%

11.4%	9.9%
1.1

5.4%
0%

4.6%
 0.1%

5.3%
0%

4%

0

%

4.1%

0.2%

4.8%
0%

13%

16.9%

4.8%

4.5%

5.3%

5.4%

3.9%

4%

8.8%

10.1%

11.4%

1.3%

0%
2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

2026/27

2027/28	2028/29	2029/30	2030/31

2031/32

2032/33

2033/34

Sludge levy
Proposed rates increase (after growth)

Rates limit

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ensuring fairness
Everyday costs should be paid for from everyday revenue. If we fail to achieve this, the everyday costs are funded by increasing debt. This means existing ratepayers are not paying for some of the services and amenities being provided to them. This is like using a loan to pay for everyday costs – sometimes this is necessary in an emergency, but it puts pressure on future budgets when the money needs to be paid back. This is neither prudent nor sustainable.

Increasing costs
As mentioned in our Infrastructure Issues section on page 31, we have gone through the budgets included in this plan to make sure we are successfully delivering our important services. This has included initiatives
to find cost savings, looking for where we can be more efficient and considering if we need to change the levels of service we provide. The review resulted in several changes to service levels
to manage costs and the key ones are detailed from page 18.
Section 100 of the Local Government Act 2002 requires that a local authority must ensure that each year’s projected operating revenues are set at a level sufficient to meet that year’s projected operating expenses.

For the first five years of the LTP the Council has a balanced budget, and for Years 6 to 10 there is a minor
imbalance. We consider this prudent as we only want to set rates to cover the depreciation costs (the cost of looking after our assets) for the assets we intend to replace in the future. We also don’t collect rates for the assets that we expect to get third party funding for
(for example NZTA funding).
To keep the costs to our residents down, we will not be using rates to fully fund depreciation on three water assets due to the revaluation on 30 June 2022 which saw a significant increase in the value of our water assets. We will move towards fully funding depreciation on water assets by 2028/29. We are also proposing to not fund depreciation costs on some of our other assets which are unlikely to be replaced. While the Council is forecasting a balanced budget in the first five years of the Long-term Plan, it is important to note the Council is recognising significant revenue
in those years to fund the sludge minimisation project. If this funding was not included, the Council would not be setting a balanced budget for those years of the plan.

Insurance costs and investment risks
The Council has two financial challenges to manage: the increasing difficulty and cost to insure our assets means we are significantly underinsured, and the lack of diversification of our investment portfolio means all our investments are exposed to the same kinds of risk – in other words, all our eggs are in one basket.
More information on these challenges is available in our full Financial Strategy in Volume 3, from page 140.
The scale of the challenges cannot be ignored – doing nothing leaves the
Council exposed to unnecessary risk and any solution needs to address both the insurance and diversification problems. Therefore, we will set up a new perpetual investment fund by selling our minority 34% shareholding in Wellington International Airport Ltd and reinvesting all the proceeds into the fund. We will also use money from the future sale of some property ground leases to further increase the fund. This will be a publicly owned fund that is intended to continue forever and support generations of Wellington ratepayers by ensuring funding is available to support the
city’s recovery from natural disasters, including by covering an insurance gap.

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The proceeds from the sale of airport shares will not be used to pay for Council related projects or pay down debt and there will be mechanisms in place to ensure the fund is appropriately protected and used only for the purposes for which it is created. The fund will become a strategic asset in the
Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy, meaning if significant changes were proposed, we will need to consult with the community.

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Contents

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Deferral of renewal spending
The Long-term Plan capital expenditure programme includes only a proportion of the required renewal investment for our infrastructure based on our asset planning. This will result in some assets not being renewed at the time they should be. This is a 10-year decision, with a need for a catch up to happen over years 11 to 20
of our asset management plans.

good procurement practices and we will review our programmes to identify	Capital expenditure	Renewals	Upgrades	Growth	Total	
more cost-effective options. For some areas there is a low risk of this reduced spending resulting in a lower level of
service, but in Transport, Property,	Activity Group
 	
Water supply	($000s)

168,264	($000s)

177,164	($000s)

1,677	($000s)

347,105	
Housing and other community assets	Wastewater we are planning to defer 25% of the	394,367	482,698	7,729	884,793	
renewals spend. This carries some	Stormwater risk that the levels of service experienced	53,014	153,954	1,677	208,646	
by the community will be lower than	Transport	434,038	309,306	400,268	1,143,612	
a greater use of chipseal rather than	Other Activity Groups	1,517,703	636,954	158,199	2,312,856	
asphalt. This risk can be reduced by
having confidence in the condition data	Total Capital expenditure	$2,567,387	$1,760,077	$569,551	$4,897,014	

To reduce spending, we will seek value-for-money options through

This approach has not been applied to the three waters network.
The table below shows the total cost of capital projects over the 10-year period of the 2024–34 Long-term Plan categorised by type of expenditure.
We have split out our top four key areas of spending – the three waters network and our transport network. Further details are in Our plan for the next
10 years on pages 12 to 13.

planned. For example, this could involve

for our assets. We will prioritise renewals where the greatest need is, such as for safety and resilience reasons.

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Kōrero ahumoni kē atu
Additional financial information

Contents

Capital Values $	2024/25 Total Rates (inc GST) $	Increase over 2023/24	
1,000,000	12,782	13.09%	
1,500,000	19,034	13.03%	
2,000,000	25,287	13.00%	
2,500,000	31,539	12.98%	
3,000,000	37,792	12.97%	
3,500,000	44,044	12.96%	
4,000,000	50,297	12.96%	
4,500,000	56,550	12.95%	
5,000,000	62,802	12.95%	

Indicative downtown commercial property rates inclusive of GST (for properties with a water meter)

What are my rates?
The tables in this section show a selection of the indicative rates for residential, suburban commercial and downtown commercial ratepayers.
These do not include the sludge levy.
They are for indicative purposes only and may vary from actual rates. Fuller tables are provided in Volume 2, from page 241.

Sludge Levy
In July 2024, the Council will be collecting a new sludge levy to fund the cost of the new Moa Point Sludge Minimisation Facility, on behalf of Crown Infrastructure Partners. This was approved under the Infrastructure Funding and Finance Act 2020 (IFFA). We consulted on this option through
2021/2022 and received support from the New Zealand Government (Cabinet and the Minister of Housing) in August 2023.

classified as commercial or residential	400,000	1,937	18.94%	3,000,000	33,252	15.02%	
and where its wastewater is treated.	800,000	3,365	18.57%	3,500,000	38,748	15.01%	
	1,200,000	4,793	18.42%	4,000,000	44,244	15.01%	
	1,600,000	6,221	18.34%	4,500,000	49,740	15.00%	
	2,000,000	7,649	18.29%	5,000,000	55,236	15.00%	

The amount of the sludge levy is dependent on whether the property is

The following examples outline the indicative sludge levy for a property with a capital value of $1 million:
Levy for commercial property with wastewater treated at Moa Point, Karori or the new Sludge Minimisation Facility: $108.37
Levy for residential property with wastewater treated at Moa Point, Karori or the new Sludge Minimisation Facility: $83.03
Levy for commercial property with wastewater not being treated in one of the above plants or not connected: $31.72
Levy for residential property with wastewater not being treated in one of the above plants or not connected: $21.40

Capital Values $	2024/25 Total	Increase over
Rates (inc GST) $	2023/24

Indicative residential property rates inclusive of GST (for properties without a water meter)

Indicative suburban commercial property rates inclusive of GST (for properties with a water meter)

Capital Values $	2024/25 Total	Increase over
Rates (inc GST) $	2023/24

1,000,000	11,268	15.12%

1,500,000	16,764	15.07%	
2,000,000	22,260	15.05%	
2,500,000	27,756	15.03%	

	

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Changes to Rating Policies
These policies are provided in full in Volume 2 of the Long-term Plan from page 160.

Rating Policy
This Long-term Plan we have made some changes to our Rating Policy. This impacts how and who we charge rates.
Key changes are:
A new general rates differential on vacant land and derelict buildings
A targeted rate for recycling and organics collection (starting from Year 4 of the LTP)

Vacant Land and Derelict Building Differential
The purpose of the differential on vacant land and derelict buildings is to promote development in the city and to ensure that owners of vacant sites and derelict buildings pay their fair share of costs.
A key community outcome the Council wants to achieve is a vibrant central city, and vacant land and derelict buildings can decrease the likelihood of this, and can have negative effects on retailers. Furthermore, vacant land and derelict buildings have a lower capital value (compared with similar land that is non-derelict or has improvements) and the benefits that owners (whether in the commercial or residential zone) receive from our general activities
are disproportionate to the rates they pay, as compared to land which is fully developed and utilised. Also, the
appearance of vacant land and derelict buildings can have a negative impact on the perceptions of the central city.
Further details on the definition of vacant land and derelict buildings can be found in the Funding Impact Statement Rating Mechanism section in Volume 2 from page 184.

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Waste targeted rate
This proposed targeted rate will pay for the rubbish and organics collections and will start from Year 4 of the LTP. The targeted rate will be a fixed charge per residential, serviceable rating unit. Further specifications of the targeted rate will be worked through and consulted on later. Residents in non- serviceable rating units will need to continue to access rubbish and organics collections through private providers.

Rates Remission and Postponement Policy
The Council has made some changes to the Rates Remission and Postponement Policy to provide support to ratepayers where really needed.
Key changes are:
Increasing the low-income remission from $700 to $800
Providing a remission of general rates for owners of earthquake prone buildings who undertake strengthening work
Clarifying that the remission of targeted rates for properties under development applies to both residential and commercial properties.
Extending the remission on Māori freehold land to other types of Māori land
Providing a remission for vacant land if the vacant land is ‘activated’.
Further details on the policies can be found in the Rates Remission and Postponement Policy in Volume 2 from page 231.

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Changes to Fees and User Charges
Our Revenue and Financing Policy guides our decisions on how to fund council services. We consider who benefits from a service (for example, individuals, parts of the community or the community
as a whole) to help determine how the service should be funded.
The policy also sets targets for each Council activity, stating what proportion should be funded from user charges, general rates, targeted rates and other sources of income.
As part of the Long-term Plan, we have reviewed our fees and charges and have made some changes. The full list of fees and charges is provided in Volume 2 of the plan from page 243.
The following areas have material
fee increases because of the alignment of fees with market rates or implementation of Council Policy:
Transport network control and management – the fees structure for Corridor Access Request applications will change to align with market rates.
Parks & Reserves – fee increases related to the implementation of the Temporary Trading & Events in Public Places Policy.
Parking – Introduction of paid carparks for motorcycle parks, in line with the Council's Parking Policy. More details are available in the Revenue and Financing Policy in Volume 2 from page 178.

These material fee increases reflect the rising costs to Council to offer the services:
Waste minimisation services – increased costs due to increases to the Waste Disposal Levy, brought in through the 2024 changes to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008.
Building control and facilitation – new fee charged as part of the Corridor Access Request application process
to recover the cost of the Wellington Underground Asset Map project.
Building control and facilitation, Development Control and Facilitation, Public Health Regulations – fee increases reflect the increasing costs associated with the delivery of the services,
including operating costs to support ageing digital systems, support improvements to delivery, and costs associated with developing and maintaining staff competencies.
Cemeteries – fee increases for urns due to supplier price increases.

We are also introducing new fees in the following areas to streamline some Council booking processes or to offer new services:
Charged Up Capital – the Charged Up Capital project is a Council initiative to increase the availability of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging facilities in Wellington. Fees will apply to battery charging (per kwh) and for parking in the spaces on which the chargers are located.
Parks & Reserves – new fees related to the implementation of the Temporary Trading & Events in Public Places Policy.
Urban Planning & Policy – new fee related to the Wellington Underground Asset Map project.
Wellington Gardens – new fees related to the implementation of the Temporary Trading & Events in Public Places Policy, as well as for hiring Sexton’s Cottage.
Marinas – fees for Evans Bay boat ramp parking.

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We also have standard inflation increases for the following areas:
Swimming pools
Recreation centres
Golf course
Cemetery
Waterfront.

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council

Contents

He whakarāpopoto
o te rautaki tūāhanga Infrastructure Strategy summary
We all know that a city’s infrastructure is crucial for residents to thrive, but it is often taken for granted. Poor infrastructure can have significant negative consequences
on our city, affecting our environment, public health and safety, and community and business confidence.
However, dependable and future-proofed infrastructure is expensive and must
be affordable, have benefits for future generations and meet the Council’s other investment priorities.
In this Long-term Plan, we’ve prioritised funding for three waters infrastructure,
and are focusing our efforts on investigating our buildings and other assets to address significant earthquake prone issues and changing community demands.
We’ve identified five infrastructure challenges for this LTP, with more detail
in our Infrastructure Strategy and Financial Strategy. These are significant problems that need long-term planning to solve them. There is no quick fix and these issues need funding across multiple years.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Five infrastructure challenges

  1 

Population growth and changing demand
We need to future-ready our infrastructure to serve our growing and changing population, so that we can foster liveable, safe, low- emission neighbourhoods and travel. Considerations include:
Population growth and ageing demographic profile
Lack of growth capacity in transport and three waters systems
Changing community needs and service use patterns.

 2 

Ageing and declining condition of infrastructure
Much of the city’s infrastructure was built in waves when parts of the city were urbanised, including a sizeable portion that was built after
World War Two. This means a lot of our infrastructure will reach the end of its life in the next 30 years. Issues include:
Some assets have exceeded their useful life
Historical lack of a coordinated, data-based approach to asset management, and data maturity resulting in under investment in maintenance and renewals.

Mitigation and adaptation to climate change

 3 

Our city’s infrastructure, including transportation and waste systems, play a key role in where we live, how we move around, and the industries
we support. However, as a steep coastal city with many of our emergency lifeline routes and other critical assets situated at or near sea level, the functioning
of our city depends on our infrastructure adapting and being resilient to climate change. Issues include:
Global warming
Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events
Coastal hazards
Climate adaptation costs.

 4 

Earthquake hazards and earthquake prone buildings
Wellington is built on shaky ground due to its location on an active tectonic boundary, and climate change makes things worse by causing land to sink and saturate the soil in low-lying areas.
This combination increases the likelihood and severity of natural disasters in the city. Considerations include:
Landslides
Earthquakes
Earthquake prone buildings.

 5  Affordability and deliverability

The costs of maintaining, operating, renewing, and upgrading infrastructure are big and have been increasing quickly since the global pandemic. Obtaining the funds to improve our infrastructure is also becoming challenging as the costs increase. Local government funding
is therefore a pressing issue and Councils are working with central government to address the funding issues and find a sustainable system for the future. Challenges include:
Limited funding tools
High inflation putting pressure on construction costs
Constrained capacity of the construction market to deliver
Increasing insurance costs.

We also recognise that we have not always consistently delivered the planned infrastructure programme. To ease the increase in everyday costs, and have a programme that can be fully delivered, all the individual budgets included in the draft Long-term Plan have been scrutinised
and refined. The focus has been on ensuring we’re delivering core services. A key part of ensuring deliverability includes a focus on budgeting for 75% of renewal spending
(refer to the Infrastructure Strategy in Volume 3 from page 41 for more information).

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Responding to the challenges
Solutions to these challenges are not simple. There is also a better outcome if we think holistically. We can
achieve this by taking a consistent approach using sustainable principles in projects, and through collaborative and integrated planning. Five principal
options for addressing our infrastructure challenges in the long-term are outlined in the Infrastructure Strategy:

 1  Prioritise growth areas

Phase investment for growth and urban form.
Coordinate land use and infrastructure for cost-effective growth.
Select priority areas: Tawa, Johnsonville, Central City, and Newtown.
Focus on three waters network resilience and growth planning.

Target emissions reductions
 2  for the greatest gains and operational efficiency
We have set an objective of net- zero emissions by 2050 through Te
Atakura: First to Zero Strategy, with a target of a 57% reduction in city and the Council's emissions by 2030.
We’ve made progress already, with 10% reduction in city emissions, and 44% reduction in council emissions.
We have an emissions reduction plan which focuses on decarbonisation through electrification and efficiency. Council actions include electrifying our vehicle fleet and degasifying facilities such as heated pools.

Grow our understanding
 3  of climate impacts and adaptation costs
Understand climate risks and embed resilience from the outset. This is critical for ensuring we meet our objectives for assets in terms of serviceability, financial return and social outcomes.
Base our planning for climate change on modelling by NIWA for the Wellington Region, to anticipate heightened risks.
Focus on gaining a systematic quantitative understanding of the localised impacts and developing adaptation plans, enabling us to plan for climate adaptation costs alongside future asset renewal cycles.

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Carry out strategic rationalisation
 4  to better manage the overall asset portfolio
Make sure our assets match what the community needs before spending on repairs or new assets. Consider selling or getting rid of some assets.
Take a careful look at all assets, conducting strategic reviews, to ensure investments are financially sustainable and contribute to community outcomes.
Foster coordination and integration across the whole organisation and city.
Identify inefficiencies and overlaps in operating models and infrastructure.
Use accurate asset condition data to assess and manage the assets in an effective manner.
Remain abreast of technological advancements to address evolving community needs and enhance asset management practices.
Employ a balanced approach of reactive and proactive investment; prioritising longevity and cost- effectiveness.
Assess the necessity and potential for upgrades or replacements before undertaking asset renewal initiatives.
Target renewals at 75% of unconstrained forecasts for the first 10 years, with the exception of the three waters network.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Prioritise the interventions
 5  and work programme for affordability and deliverability
Apply a hierarchy of interventions, considering lower cost interventions before higher cost interventions; integrated land use and infrastructure planning, managing demand, making best use of what we have, and using best practice in business case development.
Reprioritise and rephase the capital programme to manage affordability.
Maintain financial capacity for the future.
Adjust to external cost pressures.
Prioritise non-asset solutions to maximise the use of our assets and deliver value for money and operational efficiency.
We cannot afford to continue maintaining, operating, and renewing all our assets as we have in the past eg. adding more assets when affordability was less of an issue.
This is now not sustainable. Therefore, we must pause and reset. This means taking a careful look at all of our assets and by conducting strategic reviews.

Financial affordability for both the Council and ratepayers means that we must focus on doing the right things at the right time in the most cost-effective way whilst deliberately managing risk. We will prioritise
non-asset solutions to maximise the use of our assets and deliver value for money and operational efficiency.
The focus of the Infrastructure Strategy is addressing our infrastructure challenges. These challenges are heavily linked to the financial challenges, which are addressed in the Financial Strategy (in full in Volume 3 from page 140), for example:
The Council and residents of the city are facing affordability
constraints. With higher interest rates, a greater proportion of rates income
is being used to service our increasing debt, and with current high inflation our money does not stretch as far.
For residents, the ability to pay more rates is limited, so we need to find ways to deliver the Council's operations within a constrained funding environment.
Balance sheet (what we own and owe) resilience addresses the challenges
of managing our capital expenditure and investments to support long-term financial sustainability and resilience.

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Key infrastructure

200

seawalls

2,757 km
of pipes across our three
waters network

105

Tip Shop

three waters pump stations

700km
of roads
40km
of bike lanes
8km
of bus priority lanes
2 km

02

of bridges and tunnels

wastewater treatment plants (Moa Point and Kārori).

904km
of footpaths

The Southern Landfill, Capital Compost, the Tip Shop and Recycle Centre

4,305 ha
of parks, reserves and
beaches

19,000
streetlights

04

cemeteries

Botanic Gardens, Berhampore Golf Course, Berhampore Nursery, Clyde Quay Boat Harbour and Evans Bay Marina.

277
community facilities including:
7 swimming pools
12 libraries
5 recreation centres
25 community centres
1 marae
13 community spaces in Council housing buildings, and
83 public toilets

44
natural sportsfields

11
artificial sportsfields

108

playgrounds

Buildings and grounds for various cultural and sporting activities including the Town Hall, Tākina, TSB Bank Arena, Te Whaea National Dance and Drama Centre, Sky Stadium, Basin Reserve and City Gallery

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skate parks

07

387km
of walking and biking tracks

275
social housing buildings

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Tā mātou anga rautaki
Our strategic framework

The Community Outcomes and Strategic Priorities were identified with the Council and the community by looking at the data and evidence relating to the LTP Outcomes and Priorities, as well as the commitments made through various strategies.

Our community outcomes are our long-term goals – what we want for the city in the next 10+ years. The Council developed a set of strategic priorities, designed to look at what we want to achieve in the mid-term
(3–10 years) which will support our journey to achieving our community outcomes. We tested these with the community using an online survey and community engagement hui in April and May 2023. The results of this mahi was reported on Let’s Talk – wcc.nz/outcomes-and-priorities

Ngā Whakaarotau
Priorities
From this we have nine strategic priorities that will guide our investment and help us to measure the impact of this investment.
Four of the strategic priorities are focused on significant infrastructure investment:
Fix our water infrastructure and improve the health of waterways
Transform our transport system to move more people with fewer vehicles
Invest in sustainable, connected and accessible community and recreation facilities
Transform our waste system to enable a circular economy.

Five of the strategic priorities are focused on ongoing efforts that require community engagement, partnerships, and efficient and effective regulation and service delivery:
Collaborate with our communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change
Revitalise the city and suburbs to support a thriving and resilient economy and support job growth
Increase access to good, affordable housing to improve the wellbeing of our communities
Nurture and grow our arts sector
Celebrate and make visible te ao Māori across our city.

Wellington City Council	36

He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā ara rautaki
Strategic Approaches
Our five strategic approaches act as a lens and are embedded in everything we do.

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Integrating te ao Māori
We are building a future where Te Tiriti
is honoured through robust relationships with our Tākai Here partners and Māori communities. By integrating Māori perspectives and thinking into every aspect of our work, we are maximising positive outcomes for Māori and fostering a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Making our city accessible and inclusive for all

37

We are creating a future where everyone can effortlessly find information, access our services, and engage in social and economic activities. Accessibility is for all – including those with mobility impairments, the neurodiverse, the elderly, children, individuals who are blind or have low vision, the d/Deaf community, non-English speakers, parents with pushchairs, and people with temporary injuries. By removing barriers, we are making inclusivity a reality for everyone.

Embedding climate action
We are proactively addressing the effects of climate change with urgency, supporting Wellingtonians to do the same. Through our continued efforts
in biodiversity planning, we aim not only to minimise harm but to create positive environmental impacts. By acknowledging and preparing for future climate changes, we are committed
to safeguarding and enhancing our environment for generations to come.

Value for money and effective delivery
We are committed to using our resources efficiently and effectively to achieve the best possible outcomes, even within a constrained funding environment. By delivering high-quality, well-managed programmes and projects, we maximise value for our residents and our city.
Additionally, we will actively seek innovative funding solutions, including advocating for central government support, to further enhance our initiatives and services.

Wellington City Council

Engaging our community
We are committed to engaging with Wellingtonians in ways that respect and reflect our diverse cultural contexts, ensuring every community voice is heard. By collaborating with communities to understand their aspirations for Wellington, we utilise a variety of methods to enhance the diversity, quality, and accessibility of
our engagements. Our decision-making processes are evidence-informed, transparent, and focused on achieving the best outcomes for both current and future generations.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā hua ahurea: He tāone wairua

Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities

mahana, kanorau, auaha anō hoki Cultural Outcome: A welcoming, diverse and creative city

Celebrate and make visible te ao Māori across our city
Shifting the focus of grant funding to local arts.
Embedding Tūpiki Ora across

Nurture and grow our arts sector
Shifting the focus of grant funding to local arts.
Developing alternative venues

For Wellington – a welcoming, diverse and creative city is one that:
celebrates and uplifts te ao Māori
champions the arts
embraces heritage, creativity, curiosity, and expression of our multi- cultural communities and identities

We plan to:
Bring the city to life with the possibility of art and culture around every corner.
Integrate cultural heritage into our urban form.
Enable built heritage to adapt and change to meet present and future needs such as accessibility, earthquake resilience and climate change.
Support the arts, culture, and creative sector ecosystem through our activities.
Celebrate our multi-cultural diversity by encouraging and enabling local events and festivals.
Continue to work with Rainbow and Disabled communities to make their stories and histories visible and create safe, accessible spaces.
Increase the presence of te ao Māori by supporting a growing understanding and recognition of local iwi narratives, identities, histories, and landmarks.

Wellington City Council’s services and activity areas. This will lead to a transformed city through:
An increasing number of streets, public spaces, and facilities with te reo Māori names
Urban design that reflects Māori histories and identities
Te Matapihi ki te Ao will demonstrate a narrative and perspective that is grounded in iwi history
Increased Māori capability across all of Council. An increased focus on Puanga in advance of Matariki celebrations, which is centred on the narrative and experience of local iwi.
Investment into Kaiwharawhara Stream will enable the mauri to be restored and allow all communities to better understand the significance of the stream to our Tākai Here partners.
The Tākai Here partnerships programme provides ongoing contribution to infrastructure and community programmes.

options for Toi Pōneke, to support artists, dancers, theatre practitioners, musicians and other artists.
Continue the earthquake strengthening work for reopening the Wellington Town Hall in 2026. The Town Hall is a Grade One listed heritage building and is nearly 120 years old. It has been closed since the Seddon earthquake in 2013.
Upgrading venues including an HVAC system for TSB, minor strengthening works on Bond Store, and façade strengthening work on the Opera House.
Supporting, sponsoring and delivering events across the city to continue delivering a diverse range of cultural experiences for residents and visitors to the city.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā hua pāpori: He tāone e ora pai ana

Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities

ngā whānau me ngā hapori
Social Outcome: A city of healthy and thriving whānau and communities

Increase access to good, affordable housing to improve the wellbeing of our communities
Complete Phase 2 of the Social

Keep the Khandallah Pool open for at least a year before making a decision on its future. Establish a community advisory group to consider an engineering review and to identify whether it is

For Wellington – a city of healthy
and thriving whānau and communities is a city:
where people feel safe and connected
that takes an equity approach to caring for its people and
provides awesome, vibrant and diverse places to meet and play

Our priorities are to:
Increase access to good, affordable housing to improve the wellbeing of our communities
Invest in sustainable, connected and accessible community and recreation facilities
We plan to:
Deliver equitable outcomes for people who need more āwhina (support).
Create safe and interesting environments that encourage social connections.
Evolve towards a more sustainable, resilient and cohesive community facilities network, for people
to connect, have fun and belong.
Deliver a flourishing network of parks and recreation opportunities, interwoven into everyday life, that supports Wellingtonians to live well and connect to nature and each other.
Improve the systems and processes of our public health and safety regulations and enforcement to ensure safety in our city and to make it easier to do business.
Continue to support emergency preparedness and response.

Housing upgrade.
Continue our efforts towards meeting the target of providing 1,000 Te Kāinga affordable rental apartments by 2026. To date, we have opened three apartment buildings along Willis Street, comprising 210 units, with a fourth building of 78 units about to open.

Invest in sustainable, connected and accessible community and recreation facilities
Begin the design and engagement for Granada North Park sports field upgrade, with the aim of initiating works in the early years of the LTP.
Complete the new Kilbirnie skate park facility.
Remediate the earthquake prone Kilbirnie Recreation Centre by 2028
Upgrade two dog parks to support the recent changes to the Dog Policy.

possible to fix the pool within the current $7.5m budget.
Continue the work on Te Matapihi (the central library), progressing toward the scheduled opening
in 2026. This project has been substantial, involving the earthquake strengthening of the building foundation and the reconstruction and reconfiguration of the library.
Improve quality and provision of neighbourhood parks to support anticipated population growth (50,000–80,000 over 30 years).
Create and enhance parks to ensure they are well-utilised, accessible, and fit-for-purpose.
Overcome barriers such as lack of toilets, accessibility, and safety concerns.
Meet increasing demand for quality, accessible, and resilient trails.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā hua ōhanga: He tāone aronga hou, e pai nei ki te ao pakihi Economic Outcome: An innovative

Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities
Revitalise the city and suburbs to support a thriving and resilient economy and support job growth

business friendly city
For Wellington – An innovative business friendly city:
provides good jobs for people
operates successfully in a dynamic zero-carbon circular economy, and
has efficient and fit- for-purpose regulatory processes

Our priority is to:
Revitalise the city and suburbs to support a thriving and resilient economy and support job growth.
We plan to:
Build relationships with businesses and foster collaboration to improve city precincts and enhance the night-time economy.
Work with businesses and tertiary education providers and deliver business capability programmes to support transitioning to a circular economy, job creation, career development and to build skills for the future workforce.
Refocus and redesign regulatory services and interactions to be customer centric.
Make procurement choices that support local business and
employment ecosystems to thrive.
Upgrade suburban town centres to improve the appeal of shopping
and connecting with others locally.

Use City Growth funding to
revitalise the central city precinct, beginning with Courtenay Place.
Progress the scheduled City Streets and Golden Mile projects
as planned.
Over the next three years, we will investigate the best course
of action for Te Ngākau Civic Square area. This includes the former Capital E building, the basement supporting the Town Hall,
Te Matapihi, and the ‘City to Sea’ bridge to the waterfront.
Options under consideration include the possibility of demolishing these structures.

Continue work on the new public
park, Frederick Street Park, situated alongside the Chinese Mission Hall and a new residential apartment block on Frederick Street.
We will also explore potential options for earthquake-prone venues, including the Michael Fowler Centre, Bond Store, and Opera House.
Include a new general rates differential for vacant land
and derelict buildings to promote development in the city and ensure that owners of vacant sites and derelict buildings pay their fair share of costs. (For details, see
the Rating Policy in Volume 2, from page 160).

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Te āhua o te rohe tāone: He tāone pai hei

Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities

kāinga, ā e tuwhera ana
Urban Form: A liveable and accessible, compact city

Transform our transport system to move more people with fewer vehicles
Continue the rollout of the Paneke Pōneke Bike Network Plan. We plan

Collaborate with our communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change
Continue the programme of renewals and upgrades of transport

For Wellington – a liveable and accessible, compact city has:
affordable, warm, dry housing
zero-carbon accessible transport choices,
resilient infrastructure fit for growth, and
proudly visible te ao Māori and multicultural heritage
Our priorities are to:
Transform our transport system to move more people with fewer vehicles
Collaborate with our communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change

We plan to:
Work with GWRC to urgently deliver bus priority improvements, that support reduced travel times and increase the reliability of the services.
Improve accessibility and safety, when maintaining and improving our transport network.
Work closely with the community in the delivery of cycleways and alternative transport choices for non-cyclists.
Utilise the skills of Māori, mana whenua and local artists and creators to create a sense of place and identity when investing in infrastructure and placemaking.
Ensure the lighting and cleanliness of the city supports a high-quality experience across the city.
Improve planning and logistics for emergency events, including slips, and work closely with disabled people to meet their needs during emergencies.
Address the earthquake resilience of Council owned buildings and find creative ways to support private building owners to find solutions for their earthquake prone buildings.

to maintain the current rollout pace but at 85% of the planned cost, utilising higher-quality materials, including those used during the trial.
Progress the highest priority people friendly streets projects such as a second bus priority route through the central city and improvements on the routes between the CBD and Miramar for biking, walking and bus priority.
Developing, completing, and implementing 19 parking management plans. We have already introduced small changes to Newtown East (hospital side of the suburb) regarding the parking scheme and time restrictions as part of the Newtown Parking Plan. We will monitor the scheme until mid-2025 before making further modifications and finalising it.
Continue public EV charger roll out. (in Year 1 only).
Every second year, we will commit to upgrading a town or suburban centre, aiming to enhance safety and access within the town centre and creating an attractive and functional space for community activity.

network resilience, including on key routes. Increased investment in retaining walls across the network.
Progress an urban greening programme in the Central City to commence delivery of the Green Network Plan.
Develop local Climate Adaptation Plans to support the most affected communities, and prepare and adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Green the central city over the next 30 years.
Develop two new urban parks, improve 20 existing urban spaces, and double the number of street trees (to 4,000) in the next 10 years.
Respond to city growth and redevelopment by acquiring land for new parks and open spaces.

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He whakarāpopoto | Summary of our plan

Ngā hua taiao: He tāone whakaora,

Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities

tiaki anō hoki i te taiao Environmental Outcome: A city restoring and protecting nature

Transform our waste system to enable a circular economy
Continue with the construction
of the Sludge Minimisation Facility at Moa Point. Construction began

Fix our water infrastructure and improve the health
of waterways
Invest significant capital expenditure to fix our water

For Wellington – a city restoring and protecting nature includes:
providing easy access to nature,
with systems to reduce waste and
thriving biodiversity and nature-based solutions in natural and urban environments
Our priorities are to:
Transform our waste system to enable a circular economy
Fix our water infrastructure and improve the health of waterways

We plan to:
Weave biodiversity through our urban landscape and continue to regenerate, protect and preserve our native plants and animals, following a strong biodiversity plan.
Maintain green spaces, and when investing in infrastructure, parks, and open spaces:
Reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi, our Tākai Here partnership and mātauranga Māori
Improve access to nature for all ages and abilities
Respond to the needs of the community
Adapt to climate change
Improve the resilience of our roads and other infrastructure to reduce the risk of slips caused by heavy rainfall and climate change, and support the community to do the same.
Establish infrastructure and systems to increase resource circularity.
Investments to deliver on the Strategic Priorities

in May 2023 and the expected completion date is around mid- 2026. This facility will reduce the amount of sludge currently created and being deposited into the Southern Landfill by 60%,
by creating a stable, dry, odourless product that can be more easily transported, and used in productive ways such as a soil conditioner
and fuel for industrial heat.
Continue creating a new landfill on top of an old one at the Southern Landfill. Resource consent was lodged in March 2023, a decision is due by mid-2024, and construction is expected to begin in late 2024. The new landfill is expected to
be completed and operating
in June 2026, which is when the resource consent for the current landfill expires.
Implement the new kerbside collection system to include organics and increase the volume of recycling collected.

infrastructure, including seismic improvements at the Wrights Hill drinking water reservoir, ‘Very high criticality assets’ reservoir water quality renewals, stormwater improvements, the CBD pump station rising main programme, renewal of the rising main on Victoria St, remediation work on the Karori effluent pipelines, renewals of some critical wastewater assets at the Moa Point and Western Wastewater Treatment Plants.
Investigate and install water meters to make it easier to identify leaks and manage water losses throughout the network, and to reduce demand for water.

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Ngā Kaikaunihera
Your Councillors

Wellington City Council is made up of 15 councillors and a Mayor.

Like all other local authorities in New Zealand, the Council is elected every three years. The Mayor is elected “at large”, meaning by all the city’s residents. Councillors are
elected by voters from their respective geographical areas (wards). The last election was on 8 October 2022, with a by-election on 17 February 2024
in the Lambton Ward. We also have two Pouiwi representatives of
our mana whenua partners who sit on our Council committees.

Citywide
Tory Whanau Mayor
mayor@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Wellington City Council, and Ngutu Taki CEO Performance Review Committee
Elected: 2022

Paekawakawa | Southern Ward
Laurie Foon Deputy Mayor
laurie.foon@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Council and Unaunahi Ngaio | Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
Elected: 2019

Nureddin Abdurahman
nureddin.abdurahman@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee
Elected: 2022

Takapū | Northern Ward
John Apanowicz
john.apanowicz@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Kōrau Tōtōpū Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee
Elected: 2022

Ben McNulty
ben.mcnulty@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Koata Hātepe Regulatory Processes Committee
Elected: 2022

Tony Randle
tony.randle@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Unaunahi Māhirahira Audit and Risk Committee
Elected: 2022

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Ngā Kaikaunihera | Your Councillors

Motukairangi | Eastern Ward
Sarah Free
sarah.free@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Koata Hātepe | Regulatory Processes Committee
Elected: 2013, and served as Deputy Mayor 2019–2022

Tim Brown
tim.brown@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee
Elected: 2022

Teri O’Neill
teri.oneill@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee
Elected: 2019

Pukehīnau | Lambton Ward
Iona Pannett
iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz
Elected: 2007

Nicola Young
nicola.young@wcc.govt.nz
Deputy Chair: Pītau Pūmanawa Grants Subcommittee
Elected: 2013

Geordie Rogers
geordie.rogers@wcc.govt.nz
Elected: 2024 (by-election)

Wharangi
Onslow-Western Ward
Diane Calvert
diane.calvert@wcc.govt.nz
Elected: 2016

Ray Chung
ray.chung@wcc.govt.nz
Elected: 2022

Rebecca Matthews
rebecca.matthews@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Kōrau Tōtōpū | Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee
Deputy Chair: Kōrau Tūāpapa Environment and Infrastructure Committee
Elected: 2019

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward
Nīkau Wi Neera
nikau.wineera@wcc.govt.nz
Chair: Pītau Pūmanawa Grants Subcommittee
Elected: 2022

Pouiwi | Mana whenua representatives
Liz Kelly
liz.kelly@wcc.govt.nz

Holden Hohaia
holden.hohaia@wcc.govt.nz

Tō mātou mahere ngahuru tau | Our 10-year Plan 2024–2034	Wellington City Council	45

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Tō te Kaitātari Kaute Whakaaro
Independent Auditor’s Report

To the reader:
Independent Auditor’s Report on Wellington City Council’s 2024 34 long term plan

I am the Auditor-General’s appointed auditor for Wellington City Council (the Council). The Local Government Act 2002 (the Act) requires the Council’s long-term plan (plan) to include the information in Part 1 of Schedule 10 of the Act. Section 94 of the Act requires an audit report on the Council’s plan. Section 259C of the Act requires a report on disclosures made under certain regulations. I have carried out this work using the staff and resources of Audit New Zealand. We completed our report on 27 June 2024.

Opinion
In our opinion:
the plan provides a reasonable basis for:
long-term, integrated decision- making and co-ordination of the Council’s resources; and
accountability of the Council to the community;
the information and assumptions underlying the forecast information in the plan are reasonable; and
the disclosures on pages 154 to 158 of Volume 3 represent a complete list of the disclosures required by Part 2 of the Local Government (Financial Reporting and Prudence) Regulations 2014 (the Regulations) and accurately reflect the information drawn from the plan.
This opinion does not provide assurance that the forecasts in the plan will be achieved, because events do not always occur as expected and variations may be material. Nor does it guarantee the accuracy of the information in the plan.

Emphasis of matters
Without modifying our opinion, we draw attention to the following matters.

Uncertainty and risks over planned renewals of three waters assets
Page 26 of Volume 1 outlines that the Council cannot fund all the investment required in three waters assets over the next 30 years. The Council’s proposed level of funding for renewals over the 10 years of the plan has therefore been capped
by what it considers to be affordable.
Page 70 to 88 of Volume 3 outlines that the Council’s assessment of three waters asset renewals is primarily based on the age of existing assets. Using mostly age-based information creates uncertainty over which assets to prioritise for renewal, the timing thereof, and the forecast amounts required, resulting in a risk of asset failure and reduced levels of service.

To reduce the risk, the Council has assessed the condition of the most critical assets, and for those that are in poor condition, has prioritised renewal during this long-term plan. The Council has also planned to spend additional funds to address water leaks and to continue to collect better information about its underground assets.

Risks associated with plans to defer renewals of transport and operational assets
Page 26 of Volume 1 outlines the Council’s plan to defer 25 percent of its transport, property, housing and other community asset renewals for the next 10 years. The Council notes that the community may, as a result, experience lower levels of service than planned.

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Tō te Kaitātari Kaute Whakaaro | Independent Auditor’s Report

Basis of opinion
We carried out our work in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (New Zealand) 3000 (Revised) Assurance Engagements Other Than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information. In meeting the requirements of this standard, we took into account particular elements of the Auditor-General’s Auditing Standards and the International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3400 The Examination
of Prospective Financial Information that
were consistent with those requirements.
We assessed the evidence the Council has to support the information and disclosures in the plan and the application of its policies and strategies to the forecast information in the plan. To select appropriate procedures, we assessed
the risk of material misstatement and the Council’s systems and processes applying to the preparation of the plan.

Our procedures included assessing whether:
the Council’s financial strategy, and the associated financial policies, support prudent financial management by the Council;
the Council’s infrastructure strategy identifies the significant infrastructure issues that the Council is likely to face during the next 30 years;
the Council’s forecasts to replace existing assets are consistent with its approach to replace its assets, and reasonably take into account the Council’s knowledge of the assets’ condition and performance;
the information in the plan is based on materially complete and reliable information;
the Council’s key plans and policies are reflected consistently and appropriately in the development of the forecast information;
the assumptions set out in the plan are based on the best information currently available to the Council and provide a reasonable and supportable basis for the preparation of the forecast information;

the forecast financial information has been properly prepared on the basis of the underlying information and the assumptions adopted, and complies with generally accepted accounting practice in New Zealand;
the rationale for the Council’s activities is clearly presented and agreed levels of service are reflected throughout the plan;
the levels of service and performance measures are reasonable estimates and reflect the main aspects of the Council’s intended service delivery and performance; and
the relationship between the levels of service, performance measures, and forecast financial information has been adequately explained in
the plan.
We did not evaluate the security and controls over the electronic publication of the plan.

Responsibilities of the Council and auditor
The Council is responsible for:
meeting all legal requirements affecting its procedures, decisions, consultation, disclosures, and other actions relating to the preparation of the plan;
presenting forecast financial information in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice in New Zealand; and
having systems and processes in place to enable the preparation
of a plan that is free from material misstatement.
We are responsible for expressing an independent opinion on the plan and the disclosures required by the Regulations, as required by sections 94 and 259C of the Act. We do not express an opinion on the merits of the plan’s policy content.

Tō te Kaitātari Kaute Whakaaro | Independent Auditor’s Report

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Independence and quality management
We have complied with the Auditor- General’s:
independence and other ethical requirements, which incorporate the requirements of Professional and Ethical Standard 1 International Code of Ethics for Assurance Practitioners (including International Independence Standards) (New Zealand) (PES 1) issued by the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. PES 1 is founded on the fundamental principles of integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality, and professional behaviour; and

quality management requirements, which incorporate the requirements of Professional and Ethical Standard 3 Quality Management for Firms that Perform Audits or Reviews of Financial Statements, or Other Assurance or Related Services Engagements (PES 3) issued by the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.
PES 3 requires our firm to design, implement and operate a system of quality management including policies or procedures regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Other than our work in carrying out all legally required external audits,
we have carried out a limited assurance engagement related to the Council’s debenture trust deed, assurance engagement on greenhouse gas emissions inventory information and procurement assurance for the regional processing solution for organics in the Wellington region, and performed a review of the revenue and expenditure of the Clifton Terrace Car Park managed by the Council on behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahai which are compatible with those independence requirements. Other than these engagements we have no relationship with or interests in the Council or its subsidiaries and controlled entities.

Karen Young
Audit New Zealand
On behalf of the Auditor-General, Wellington, New Zealand

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