WEBVTT - Will a new mayor be able to sort out Wellington's issues? 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:05.440 Hilda. 0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:08.720 I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:16.520 daily podcast presented by The New Zealand Herald. Wellington City 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:19.960 will have a new mayor by the end of this year. 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:24.040 After previously committing to run for a second term, Mayor 0:00:24.079 --> 0:00:28.120 Torri Farno has pulled out of the race. It comes 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:32.919 after her term was dominated by personal incidents and infighting 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:36.720 between counselors, but she made her decision only a day 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:41.440 after work finally started on the Golden Mile project. A 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.720 number of men are running to take over the Merrill reins, 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:49.199 with former Labor Minister Andrew Little just the latest to 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:52.720 enter the competition. But whoever takes on the city's top 0:00:52.840 --> 0:00:56.560 job will need to deal with rising rents, declining house 0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:00.840 prices and the ongoing ferry issues. Today on the front 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.760 Page ends ed Me Wellington reporter Ethan Minera joins us 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:09.560 to discuss what Farno's departure means for our capital in crisis. 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.480 So Ethan, after what can only be described, I suppose 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:22.720 as a tumultuous term, Tory Farnow is giving up her 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:24.520 re election bid in the Capitol. 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:26.800 Did this come as a surprise. 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:29.560 Well, yes and no. I mean, going back to the start. 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:32.679 Tory Fano always said she wanted three terms for the 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:35.640 mealty and she was always very consistent with that idea 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:38.319 up until sort of late last year when she was 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.319 on news talks. He'd be with Wellington Morning's host Nick Mills, 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.240 where she sort of seemed to waiver. The tone had changed. 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:46.280 She said that she was going to take the summer 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:48.480 to talk to friends and family about it. So that 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:50.320 is all sort of pricked up in the newsroom when 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:52.160 she said that, and we were asking questions, but she 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.400 came back from summer and she was very strong in 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.040 saying that she was committed to the job. She did 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.160 reveal that she had wavered, but she sort of came 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.800 out swinging up until you know, a couple weeks ago. 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:04.840 She had sought the Green Party endorsement. She got that 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.280 a couple weeks ago. And so when it was initially 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:09.760 revealed and we learnt that she was going to be 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.600 quitting the mile race, it was an initial surprise, but 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.120 I think taking a step back and listening to some 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:17.760 of the reasons why she isn't going to stand again, 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:20.959 it's perhaps a little bit less surprising. I mean, she's 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.119 given a huge range of reasons for why she's decided 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:26.239 to drop out of the race and sort of throw 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.080 her support behind Andrew Little. She says with him running 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.960 for mea she likes him as a candidate and she 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.000 wants both of them to be on council. She also says, 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.639 after turning the soil on the Golden Mile project, that's 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:40.680 a huge achievement that she's been trying to get across 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.920 the line, and now with that started, she can happily 0:02:42.960 --> 0:02:46.239 step back. I think, perhaps more realistically, there was some 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:49.040 realization there that this was going to be a hard 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:52.000 campaign to win. We saw some recent polling that showed 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:54.840 that Tory didn't have the same support that she had 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:57.200 when she was first elected. We remember she was elected 0:02:57.360 --> 0:03:00.240 with a very strong majority last election in twenty twenty too, 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:04.160 and it has been a tough mayoralty. There have been challenges, 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:06.400 and I think she perhaps thought that it might not 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.160 be as easy to win this time around, and so 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:09.360 decided to throw in the towel. 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:10.840 What's going to be her legacy? 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:13.000 I think it will be split. I mean, she's come 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.600 for herself and outlined a list of achievements that she 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:18.200 wants to be her legacy. The key one, I would say, 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:21.480 would be that Golden Mile project. It's been long mooted, 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:23.760 it's been debated a number of times, it's gone to 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.720 consultation a number of times. It will be key to 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:30.360 see whether the main work on that can be signed off. 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:32.360 I note that the contract for the majority of the 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:35.800 Courtney Place work of this transport project still hasn't been signed. 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:38.440 She wants to get that signed before the election. The 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:40.680 only part that has been signed, the only contract for 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:43.520 work is for the intersection at the top of Courtney Place. 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.000 So if she can get the rest of it signed 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:49.080 off before the election, gets spades in the ground, that 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:51.880 will be a huge legacy. I think lots of people 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:54.960 want something done there, lots of businesses also oppose it, 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:57.680 so whether it's positive or negative, that will be something 0:03:57.720 --> 0:03:59.640 that she'll be able to point to as a tangible 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:02.080 outcome for her majority getting that across the line. Other 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:05.160 things that she's pointed to assycleways and other controversial topic 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:09.040 in Wellington. Bono's celebrating adding twenty seven kilometers of new 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:12.280 bike lanes under her term. Also water, I'd say, to 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:14.880 her credit, she has been a big supporter of pouring 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:17.359 more funding into Wellington Water for them to get ahead 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:19.599 of links, and some recent data shows that they have 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.680 been getting on top of them. But I think a 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:24.320 key feature of her tenure be some of those personal 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.680 issues and some of the headlines that she's generated over 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:28.880 the past few years. You know, she admitted to a 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:32.520 drinking problem after a few instances of public intoxication. She'd 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:35.680 also revealed term media she'd been diagnosed with ADHD and 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:38.359 significant traits of autism. Late last year she said on 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:40.479 newstooks he'd be again that she sold her car to 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.960 help her pay the bills. So those sort of things 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.080 have been a real highlight of a mayority in something 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:48.760 that she's admitted herself have become a distraction. Also, relationship 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.720 issues have been a repeated issue. She hasn't been able 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:53.919 to unify the council when she admits this, She hasn't 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.160 been able to get people around the table, get those 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:59.120 conservative counselors on board, and it's been a similar issue 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.120 with central government as well. There's sort of a constant 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:07.320 battle between her and the Coalition, trading jabs often. Christopher 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.080 Luxon recently said that the Wellington councils were lame over 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:13.039 not putting in a regional deal. Tori Fano hit back, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:15.880 saying that Chris Luxen wasn't a very nice person and 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:19.280 so that's sort of been something that's constantly bubbling away 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:21.599 as her issues with central government, and something that I 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:24.560 think voters want to see in another candidate is someone 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:28.360 who can work with central government to get outcomes for Wellington. 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.400 If you are going to rape yourself out of ten 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:36.599 your scorecard, ten being the best mayor ever and one 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:39.320 being not that great, where would you put yourself. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.640 I look back at what I campaigned on, what I 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:44.880 said I would deliver to the city. I'd give myself 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:47.839 a nine out of ten. Apart from light rail, everything 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:51.520 I campaigned on is in train, and I'm really proud 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:51.839 of that. 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:52.279 You know, this. 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.360 Council's delivered the most investment in water one point eight 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:59.080 billion dollars. That's three times the previous council. We've enabled 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:03.320 more homes, delivered, more psychle ways, more bus lanes, you know, 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:06.080 really good stuff. Yes, we're a city in transition. There's 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.800 a lot of construction happening, but you know people have 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:11.680 to see that as progress. 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.560 Well, I've counted at least six men who have put 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:18.960 up their hands officially to take her job. 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:21.320 So who are the main contenders? 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:23.760 Yeah, we do have sex and interesting to note they 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.240 are all men now that are Tory funds pulled out 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:29.119 of the race. So we have former Labor Party leader 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:33.440 Andrew Little. We have current center right city councilor Ray Chung, 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:37.400 as well as cafe owner Carl Tiefenbaker, former city councilor 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:42.080 Rob Golden, conservationist Calvin Hasty and owner of the controversial 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:44.640 local Facebook page Wellington Live Graham Bloxham. 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:49.200 Has this become Andrew Little's Maryalty to lose? 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:52.920 Yeah? Well, I mean of those candids, Little and Ray 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.200 Hung as well, I'd say I definitely seem to be 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:57.320 the front runners. You know, you've sort of got one 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.080 on the left one on the right. But I would 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.039 say we asked still just under six months out and 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:04.599 things could still change. I mean, there's nothing stopping another candidate, 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.360 another strong candidate, from stepping in and shaking the race 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:09.880 up all again. Much of the commentary I've seen has 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.160 been referring to a Little as basically as if it's 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:14.400 his to lose. And you know, I've heard one reference 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:16.360 to him being the mere elect and I think we 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:19.640 do need to remember that it's less than six months away, 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.160 but it's not a done deal. There's still an election 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:27.080 and it's up to us as voters, not other politicians 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:28.920 to a point who leads the city. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:31.680 One of the big issues with Wellington City Council is 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.200 the fact that it does, like you said, seem to 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.360 be quite divided. This bothered the government so much last 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.200 year that it put a Crown observer in place after 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:43.600 the airport shares deal fell apart. Do you think any 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:46.840 of these candidates will be able to bring that kind 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:48.239 of unity that it needs. 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.160 I mean, time will only tell. All of them will 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.440 be campaigning on trying to bring that unity, as Torrifino did. 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.760 I mean, if we remember back to her campaign, a 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.760 huge selling point of her was that she had worked 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.320 in central government. She was the Green Party's chief of 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:06.960 staff and sort of sold herself on leading those negotiations 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:11.120 between the Green's New Zealand First and Labor. That obviously, 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:14.400 as she admits, wasn't able to help her get unity 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:16.800 around the council table. And I think Wellington City Council 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:18.680 is a very political place and it will be a 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.880 struggle for anyone to get everyone to agree, and we 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:25.200 shouldn't expect that everyone around Wellington City Council should agree 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.600 on everything. I mean, there will always be disagreements, but 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:30.239 it's how those disagreements are handled and how they play 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:32.760 out and making sure things don't get ugly. I think 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:35.920 Andrew Little is definitely selling himself as you know, the 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.360 sensible here of hands, someone who can get everyone together 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:41.760 and take the politics out of it. So it'll be 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.959 interesting to see, I think, as the merrial debates start 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:48.040 to kick off later this year, how people act when 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:50.160 they're up on the debate stage and whether things do 0:08:50.240 --> 0:08:52.800 get a bit feisty and but ugly, or if people 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:54.679 are able to sort of put the politics to one 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.040 side and debate the issues rather than each other. 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:07.920 I've seen a lot of the candidates have said that 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:10.800 they want to cut rates. Wellington has one of the 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:14.200 highest increases in the country and that was last year 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.800 with a sixteen point nine percent increase, I believe. So 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:20.120 how easy would it be for a new mayor to 0:09:20.400 --> 0:09:22.520 come in and lower those rates? I mean, what sort 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:24.720 of projects would need to be on the chopping block? 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.000 Well, that's the funny thing really, I mean everyone says 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:31.440 that they want to reduce rates, whether they will keep 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:34.520 them at the same level and not have high future increases, 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:36.760 or whether it is actually reducing the rates as a 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:39.360 different story. But then no one's too keen to say 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.000 what projects they would actually like to cut to reduce 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:45.080 the rates. There are a huge number of things that 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:48.720 have been brought up though as pit projects that are 0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:53.160 quite expensive, one being the town Hall redevelopment that's already underway. 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:54.800 There will be no cutting that now, I think lots 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:57.120 of the money's already spent. The Golden Miles also another 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.439 really expensive project. It is half funded by New Zealand 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.160 Transport Agency. It's about one hundred million dollars and it's 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:05.920 being paid fifty to fifty between the Council and NZTA. 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.680 But there's lots of other things. I mean, the Council 0:10:08.800 --> 0:10:13.040 has this term really been trying to cut a lot 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.640 of things to try reduce that rate's burden. There have 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:17.760 been things like the Go in your House that's been 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:19.560 looking to be demolished, as well as things like the 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.720 City to See Bridge because in both those cases, strengthening 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:27.319 and refurbishment work has been seen as too expensive by 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:30.560 the council as well as the Candala pool. That's another 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.520 issue in the same basket where redoing it has been 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.920 seen to be too expensive, and so those things, I 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:39.840 think those community facilities that vote is really really care 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:42.520 about in an important to the local communities will be 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:44.760 bought up. I know Andrew Little has already brought up 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:47.120 those sort of instances for things that he would want 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:49.480 to save, but as for what would be cut is 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:51.200 a bit more of a tricky question to answer. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.240 Now you mentioned Golden Mile. 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.360 The Golden Mile project broke ground this week with the 0:10:56.400 --> 0:11:00.439 redevelopment of Courtney Place officially starting on May fourth. Now 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.600 to say the project is controversial would be an understatement, right, 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:06.320 what's given it that moniker? 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.680 I think it's just something that's been debated for so long, 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:12.720 and because it will be so disruptive to businesses, it's 0:11:12.840 --> 0:11:15.840 really polarized people. I mean I was doing some research 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:17.640 recently and looking back at the history of it and 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:21.439 watching videos of Andy Foster, who was Meya a few 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.560 years back, doing pitching it and asking for consultation, and 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:26.800 it's just such a throwback and it was previously under 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:31.320 let's get Wellington moving. I think really the business aspect 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.320 and support for businesses is a really contentious issue there. 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:38.000 When you've got these vocal business owners saying that, look, 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.520 we would have to close if this happened because they 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:42.640 don't think they'll be able to sustain it. That's what's 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:45.240 become polarizing and that's something that we're done to see. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:47.920 Were some of the candidates coming out saying that they'd 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:49.120 like to support businesses. 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:54.120 The city is in pretty serious trouble, it looks like 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:57.280 to me, I think the heart of those problems is 0:11:57.320 --> 0:11:58.960 a lack of leadership. I think there are a lot 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:01.360 of problems being ignored. I think there's a lot of 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.400 issues been given priority that, in my view aren't really 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.280 the priorities for Wellington. Wellington's changed a lot in the 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.280 last couple of years because of the public service cuts 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.400 and the pressure on business, and we need a counsel 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:15.360 that actually is respectful of that, and it prepared to 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:16.760 change course to accommodate that. 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:21.240 I saw that. 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:23.600 While Andrew Little said he wouldn't come in and rip 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:26.840 up whatever's been done, he said it'd be unwise to 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.120 enter any new agreements before October's council elections. 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:32.680 Now that gives a tinge of uncertainty. 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.800 Hey, do you think the trials and tribulations of the 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.400 Golden Mile project are actually really over? 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:42.040 It'll fully depend on whether the current council and Torri 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:45.120 Fino can get that key contract for the Courtney Place 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:49.120 work signed before the election. They say that they're actively 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:51.439 working on it, they're trying to get it signed. And 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.240 I note after those comments were made by Andrew Little 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.720 Toy came out quite strongly and said, look Little is 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.240 not an elected member. He can't make those calls and 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:02.360 he will have to wait until he is mere if 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:04.880 he is elected to be able to say those things. 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.280 She will be doing everything she can to try get 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:10.360 them signed before the election because essentially her legacy is 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.400 on the line there. That's something that she campaigned on 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:15.440 very strongly. She was voted in with a mandate to 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:17.520 do the Golden Mile and so she'll be wanting to 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.240 see it through so that after she's gone she can 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:23.280 point to it and say, look, that is something that 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:24.320 I've achieved for Wellington. 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:24.840 Now. 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:29.120 In other Wellington related news, Minister for ral Winston Peters 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.480 has announced the retirement of the Ardite Ferry from the 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.760 Cook Straight Now. It'll mean the inter islander fleet will 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:39.000 go from three to two. What's the reaction been to. 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:42.680 This, Well, initially concerns raised to sort of surround what's 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:45.000 going to happen in the interim. So as we know, 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.680 our rail enabled theories aren't due to arrive until twenty 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:50.920 twenty nine. There are poor upgrades underway ahead of their arrival, 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:53.480 and the arditary can't use the other wharf and Pickton 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.520 because it requires specific loading and unloading of the structure. 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.000 That's that one hundred and twenty million dollars that Winston 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:03.120 Peters is talking about saving. So Rail Action Collective founder 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.280 Neil Robson says it's the only rail enabled ship, the 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:08.560 d Tiri that they have and it takes up to 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:11.880 eighty percent of rail freight across the strait. He says interround, 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.480 that is two remaining theories will have to shoulder the load. 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:17.880 But Kibi Rail chief executive Peter Reddy has said, well, 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.880 it's due to leave Wellington late next month. He said 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:24.320 they're working to give everyone certainty as soon as possible. Now. 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:27.600 Although Aditiri is currently interund that is only rail enabled 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:31.200 fury Kibirail can and already does carry rail freight on 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:35.480 Kaituki and Kayarahi using a road bridging process really says 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:37.680 they'll be super charging this operation in the meantime. 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.400 Yeah, I don't suppose the opposition parties are too pleased 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:41.120 with it as well. 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:45.120 No Salabour's transport spokesperson Tungi Utakiri has said that the 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.480 two remaining what he describes as old and aging theories 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:50.640 are going to have to work double time because of 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:54.960 what he described as Nikola Willis's botched original Fury deal. He's, 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.400 of course referring to the acting of the Rix Fury 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.800 contract eighteen months ago after it became there was a 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:02.560 three billion dollar cost blowout. 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:05.800 Now we've spoken on this podcast earlier this year about 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:09.600 how landlords were struggling to find renters and we've heard 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.920 about businesses closing down every other week. It feels like 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:16.160 some cafe or restaurant has closed. What's the mood like 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:17.920 in Wellington at the moment. 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.320 Well I think that Yeah, there has been a lot 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.760 of talk about whether this perennial debate around whether Wellington 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.600 is dying. I think a little bit of that has subsided. 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.880 There was definitely a flurry towards the end of last 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:32.280 year of business closures. The issue of rents was also 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:36.560 an interesting one. We saw rateable values for properties decrease 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.800 by around twenty five percent, so that was a huge 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:44.160 change in the property market with house prices decreasing. So 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.840 I think there are a lot of issues for Wellington. 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.240 The city's sort of at a crossroads with lots of 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:51.360 debate around how things need to be fixed. But it'll 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.840 be that October elegation that will really be a key 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:57.760 moment for the way forward and how Wellington responds to 0:15:57.800 --> 0:15:59.240 these issues that it seems to be facing. 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:03.440 Wellington has had three one term mayors in a row. 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:06.840 Are Wellingonian's hoping for a bit more stability maybe? 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:09.760 Yeah. The one term meor issue has been something that's 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:12.920 debated a little bit after obviously, after Torri final announced 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:15.160 that she wouldn't be seeking re election that will make 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:19.160 her the third consecutive one term mayor. Immediately following that, 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.400 Dame Carey Prendergast to form a three term meor came 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.560 out and told Mike Costing that that was bad for 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:26.360 the city. It's been something that I've been sort of 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.000 trying to dig into. Why has Wellington had three one 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:31.360 term mayors and why is it different from the rest 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.280 of the country in that sense. This morning I interviewed 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:38.720 at local government experts doctor Andy Asquith. He was sort 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:41.000 of saying that it's a symptom of the dysfunction at 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:44.160 Wellington City Council and those political sort of power struggles. 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.120 He thinks that the most recent two meors haven't been 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.600 able to really bring the council together and that's why 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:52.640 Wellingtonians are, in his words, sort of sick of them 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.440 and throwing them out in favor of looking for more certainty. 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:58.480 But I think an interesting aspect of this election is 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.040 that Wellingtonians now have the option to vote in the incumbent. 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:04.159 We are going to have to see a fresh face 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:06.359 and new pair of hands, and so it'll be whether 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:09.280 the person who gets voted anixt is able to commit 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:11.920 to and serve multiple terms in the role. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.840 Thanks for joining us, Ethan, great thanks for having me. 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:21.600 That's it for this episode of The Front Page. You 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:25.440 can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:29.520 at enzadherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.280 produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:34.520 our sound engineer. 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:36.520 I'm Chelsea Daniels. 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:40.240 Subscribe to the front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:44.080 get your podcasts, and tune in on Monday for another 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:45.800 look behind the headlines.