1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:00,360 Speaker 1: Right. 2 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 2: Wellington City Councilors have voted against selling the airport shares. 3 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 2: Council currently owns a thirty four percent stake in Wellington 4 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 2: Airport and the shares needed to be sold in order 5 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 2: to make its recently adopted long term plan viable. The 6 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 2: vote was narrow nine to seven against the sale. So 7 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 2: what does this mean for the council now? Wellington City 8 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 2: Councilor Ben McNulty joins me. Now, thanks for being with us. 9 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: Ben Cutor, Francesca, thank you. 10 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 2: Are you happy with the outcome? 11 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: I am ecstatic? Why this so? In June when we 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: passed our long term plan there was already a public 13 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: on the record majority of councilors who said, actually no, 14 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: we don't want to proceed with the sale of our 15 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: airport shares as part of the long term plan. Any 16 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: opportunity for the councilor to express However, in a vote 17 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: that opposition was nine to us. And we've tried today. 18 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: It's actually the fourth time we've tried since June. The 19 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: R and I look up to the flight path right 20 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: now and there's a plane over me. Out of the 21 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: fourth time since poon that we have tried to bring 22 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: a vote on this issue, and today we have just 23 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: reaffirmed what could have been done June and it actually 24 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: the support's not there at council. It's time to call 25 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: it quit, to move on. 26 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: Okay, good to have you say, did you expect it 27 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 2: to be as narrow as it was? 28 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: I did, but I was always confident that we had 29 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: the numbers. You know, from an early put on we 30 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: had a majority at Council who have for very different 31 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: ideological reasons. We had a little bit of I called 32 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: it the unholy coalition, but were all made it clear 33 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: that we did not believe the sale of the airport 34 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: shares at this time was warranted more justified. 35 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: Okay, Ben, So what does this mean for the long 36 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 2: term plan? 37 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: Yes? So fortunately Vermayor has confirmed in the statement that 38 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: she is not going to try and relitigate the airport 39 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: issue because it could have gone on and gotten a 40 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: lot mess here. So what this means now is that 41 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: we do need to go back to Wellingtonians and look 42 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: at our issues. Clearly there's some need for spending cuts 43 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: has been addressed that we will need to put to 44 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: Wellingtonians and that will go through consultation and we all 45 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: have a look at prioritizing what's really important for the 46 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: rest of tray in and what's not so important, and 47 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: we'll ask Wellingtonians for their view and next year we'll 48 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: pass the annual plan in June and that will incorporate 49 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 1: no sale of the airport whilst changes to the budget 50 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: that we need to do to move forward. 51 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 2: Is it going to have an impact on rates? 52 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: This is look, it's a good question. At this point. 53 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: We're not sure remembering selling the airport would have had 54 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: an impact on rates because the airport's returned around ten 55 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: to eleven percent consistently, where the estimates that are a 56 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: fund will do about eight percent. So we're actually we're 57 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: going to establish a shortfall in our rates funding by 58 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: moving the asset from the airport into a perpetual investment fund. 59 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: So there is a possibility that there could be some 60 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: rates impact, but there'll be hard decisions in front of counselors, 61 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: things that really test us. But that's a conversation. I 62 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: think most whaling Tonians expect us that we should have 63 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: already had and we will be happy moving forward. 64 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 2: Then I can I can you know, I hear your 65 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 2: frustration about the way the whole decision has been made 66 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 2: in the process. Do you think there are still concerns 67 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 2: about how this decision and makes counsel look and this 68 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 2: process that you've been through. 69 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: Laugh. You know, I can't really express it any different 70 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: than us. We do a resident satisfaction. So they broken 71 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: down by the ward. So I represent the northern suburbs 72 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: of Wellington and my ward had the lowest satisfaction of 73 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,079 Speaker 1: any of the five wards in Wellington nine percent of 74 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: people that proved of the way council makes this decision. 75 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: So I've been acutely aware that the way we've been 76 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: going about things has not been appropriated and has not 77 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: brought the community with us. At the same time, there 78 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: has been overwhelming opposition from the community to this proposal, 79 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: and I hope that they see today actually counselors can 80 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: come together and listen to the community and put forward 81 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: something that the community wants to see, which in this 82 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: case was no sale of the shares, and we might 83 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: just start the journey of rebuilding that trust. It is 84 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: a year's journey to happen, but if we just put 85 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: one too forward today, then I said that as a 86 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: sort of thing, Ben. 87 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 2: Look, I really appreciate your time this evening. Thank you 88 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 2: very much. Were you coming to us from a bird? Avery? 89 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: Ah, No, this is this is the beauty of Wellington 90 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: in the trees. You know, it is a beautiful city 91 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: and despite the fundamentals, we are a great place to live. 92 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: So you're hearing all the native wildlife. 93 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 2: I thought you had a soundtrack on behind you. 94 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: Ben. 95 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: That's lovely. Thank you very much, lovely to hear the birds. 96 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: Coming up next, Liam dan Is with us to talk immigration. 97 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 2: It is twelve past six. 98 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 99 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 100 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.