1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: Wellington City Council's done it again, spending the big dollars. 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: They have bought themselves a new toilet block on Taranaki 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Street just outside the Les Mills there two point three 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: million dollars. Diane Calvert is a Wellington City councilor and 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: with me now, hi Diane High Heather, Diane, two point 6 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: three million dollars can build you a really nice two 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: story house with some car parking and you know, maybe 8 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: six toilets inside it. So why how can you guys 9 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: justify this? 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,159 Speaker 2: Oh? Look, I don't know, Heather. I mean it's a 11 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 2: bit like half five hundred and sixty three k bi 12 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 2: crack and spending one hundred one point four million dollars 13 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: to move a bus stop one hundred meters. So I mean, 14 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 2: this is the culture in the in the organization. It 15 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 2: just has to change. I mean, toilets are really important, 16 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: you know in our CBD, and there's no doubt about that. 17 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 2: But did we need to take three years building them 18 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: and you know, over two million dollars and then light 19 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 2: them up like a glowing monument? I'm not convinced. 20 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, whose idea was the light show on the outside? 21 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 2: I have no idea. But you know, I think I'm 22 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,279 Speaker 2: going to light something up. We could pick something better 23 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 2: than toilets. Look, I don't mean that's this will be 24 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 2: an operational matter. And so look, you know, from you know, 25 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: from an elected member perspective, we obviously wanted to see 26 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: toilets there. We were obviously concerned in the amount of 27 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: time it took to put the to you know, to 28 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: put replacement toilets in. And remember we're building brand new 29 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,680 Speaker 2: tourlets also around the corner in our new town hall 30 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 2: and our new library. 31 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: But you don't know who signed off on this. 32 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: Look it will be it will be somebody on our 33 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 2: executive team, but I don't know exactly who James is 34 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 2: this chief operating officer could well be. But but but yeah, 35 00:01:58,760 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 2: look I just don't know. 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: Because isn't this the problem with what is going on 37 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: in a place like Wellington is just some unelected guy 38 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: somewhere is going yep two point three, absolutely fine, and 39 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: no one can hold anyone accountable. That's the problem, isn't it. 40 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 2: Well, Look, it should be the elected members that should 41 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 2: be holding the council. I mean that the officers to 42 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 2: account to something like this. I mean, obviously we just 43 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 2: become aware of the costom and that and look, there 44 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 2: will be questions as just like the five hundred and 45 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 2: sixty three k BI crack, which we're still trying to understand, 46 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 2: still trying to get a report out about what went wrong. Yeah, 47 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 2: but I'm hoping with a new chief executive, we're going 48 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 2: to see a change in culture. 49 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: I appreciate your time, Diane, very very much. Diane Calvert, 50 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: Wellington City Council. Listen, We've got to talk about councils, 51 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: to talk about right caps next and then I'm going 52 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: to talk to the huddle just to try to understand 53 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: how this kind of thing happens where the council goes yep, 54 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: we need to do that thing, and then somebody else 55 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: runs the budget and it just gets ridiculous because we've 56 00:02:57,760 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: got to figure out this stuff, don't we that that 57 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 1: seems to be the number of the problem. For more 58 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to News Talks it' 59 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: B from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.