1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,120
Speaker 1: Together due to see Ellen, Wellington City Council has dodged

2
00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,960
Speaker 1: government intervention in the shape of commissioners because they managed

3
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,920
Speaker 1: to pass their long term plan today, which included selling

4
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,120
Speaker 1: the council's shares in Wellington Airport. Now that wasn't without

5
00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:16,520
Speaker 1: some pretty hefty opposition. A Green councilor, Nico we Nearer

6
00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:18,800
Speaker 1: tried to force a second vote on the airport sale yesterday.

7
00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,880
Speaker 1: He wasn't successful. Labor councilor Ben McNulty had another go

8
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,680
Speaker 1: at that today the Mayor overruled him.

9
00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,599
Speaker 2: I am going to rule out this amendment out of

10
00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:31,440
Speaker 2: order understanding Order twenty one point ten f as it

11
00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,360
Speaker 2: would negate a motion carried at a committee meeting under

12
00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,599
Speaker 2: its delegated authority. Are the decision that we made yesterday.

13
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,120
Speaker 2: If I could ask counselors to calm yourselves. This is

14
00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:44,200
Speaker 2: my writer's chair.

15
00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,960
Speaker 1: Nico wh Near is with us. Now, hey, Nico, how

16
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,640
Speaker 1: are you? I'm very well, thank you. How are you feeling?

17
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:51,640
Speaker 1: You must be disappointed?

18
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it's a bit of a kick in mcgut say,

19
00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:57,080
Speaker 3: but you know you've got to turn up to the

20
00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:58,560
Speaker 3: office in the morning, so what can you do?

21
00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,200
Speaker 1: Were you happy to take the long term plan. Was

22
00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,360
Speaker 1: that the aim to tank the long term plan in

23
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,280
Speaker 1: order to stop the sale of the airport chairs.

24
00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,200
Speaker 3: No, And in fact there was a vote that I

25
00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,639
Speaker 3: took with some pretty great reluctance because there is actually

26
00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:13,840
Speaker 3: some solid stuff and the rest of the plan it's

27
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,280
Speaker 3: just unfortunately predicated on one ginormous transaction which I feel

28
00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:19,560
Speaker 3: to be really really wrong.

29
00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:20,280
Speaker 1: What's wrong with it?

30
00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,520
Speaker 3: Well, first of all, it's throwing away one of the

31
00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,080
Speaker 3: very few revenue streams we actually have it Council, that

32
00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,440
Speaker 3: isn't just your rates for example. You know, local government

33
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,120
Speaker 3: is pretty constrained in ways to actually get money to

34
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,160
Speaker 3: do stuff, and the airport is one of the very

35
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,440
Speaker 3: few angles we have to do that. But even more

36
00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,080
Speaker 3: than that, on a general principle, we shouldn't be selling

37
00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,400
Speaker 3: public assets, particularly ones that are natural monopolies in the

38
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,360
Speaker 3: sense that there's only one airport and it also provides

39
00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:48,280
Speaker 3: a pretty good return.

40
00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,040
Speaker 1: Now, it's notable that you were in the Green Party

41
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,800
Speaker 1: and the Green Party agrees with your position, which is

42
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,160
Speaker 1: not to sell the airport shares. The mayor is in

43
00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,600
Speaker 1: the Green Party and did the opposite. Is the Green

44
00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,760
Speaker 1: Party angry at her? Well?

45
00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:04,520
Speaker 3: I think the first thing that we're saying is we're

46
00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,000
Speaker 3: in a slightly different position because there's there's what's called

47
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,880
Speaker 3: a big G and a little G. So I've gone

48
00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,840
Speaker 3: through a formal endorsement process and currently hold a Green

49
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,080
Speaker 3: endorsement as part of my role as counselor, whereas the

50
00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,840
Speaker 3: mayor is not in that position. So we're subject to

51
00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:24,799
Speaker 3: slightly different positions there. But yeah, I would say, yeah,

52
00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,120
Speaker 3: that's right. So there's there's quite there's quite an active

53
00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,680
Speaker 3: discussion amongst us greeneers at the moment as to what

54
00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:33,440
Speaker 3: the situation is.

55
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,560
Speaker 1: Is that active discussion including a possibility of blocking all

56
00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,799
Speaker 1: of the counselors who are aligned with the Green Party

57
00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,079
Speaker 1: who voted for the airport shares sale from ever standing

58
00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:44,000
Speaker 1: on a Green Party ticket.

59
00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000
Speaker 3: Again. Look, I mean, I got you know, I go

60
00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,560
Speaker 3: to work with these people in my colleagues. So I

61
00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,079
Speaker 3: won't speculate on you to speculate.

62
00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:53,320
Speaker 1: Just tell us what's happening.

63
00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:56,000
Speaker 3: Well, I'm not aware of anything like that.

64
00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,320
Speaker 1: I'll come on, Ico, don't you read the papers. It

65
00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,200
Speaker 1: was in the paper for two days ago, if not yesterday,

66
00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,639
Speaker 1: saying that the Green Party was talking about possibly blocking

67
00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,200
Speaker 1: standing on the ticket again.

68
00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,640
Speaker 3: I actually, I genuinely have not seen that. But what

69
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,600
Speaker 3: I will say is that's a process we take at

70
00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,560
Speaker 3: election time every year. We don't tend to mess with

71
00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,280
Speaker 3: people in the middle of terms. So I'm not aware

72
00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,520
Speaker 3: of anything like that. Haven't seen the paper today. I've

73
00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:22,200
Speaker 3: been in meetings.

74
00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,080
Speaker 1: So yeah, okay, what about Jordie Rodgers and Lori Foon,

75
00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,560
Speaker 1: both of whom are greenees as well, who voted for it?

76
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:29,639
Speaker 1: Are I going to be in trouble?

77
00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,119
Speaker 3: So? Jordy voted with me on the thirtieth of May,

78
00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,280
Speaker 3: messing he's against the sale of the airport. My Foon

79
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,040
Speaker 3: felt differently. She has her own reasons and she's entitled

80
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,120
Speaker 3: to exercise them. Ultimately, it's top time members a do.

81
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,280
Speaker 1: You think it's time to call in the commissioners or

82
00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:49,120
Speaker 1: a Crown observer.

83
00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:53,080
Speaker 3: I'll say two things on that, so I guess the

84
00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:54,920
Speaker 3: first thing is that it's a pretty high bar. You

85
00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,720
Speaker 3: basically have to be non functional as a counsel for

86
00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,600
Speaker 3: the government to take that step. I think it's also

87
00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,000
Speaker 3: worth saying that the Minister has not really made any

88
00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,440
Speaker 3: noises about that until he was prompted by quite keen

89
00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 3: interviewers the other thing I would say is, you know,

90
00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,200
Speaker 3: if you get rid of your democratic accountability, you're still

91
00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,520
Speaker 3: left with basically the exact same people running the council,

92
00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,360
Speaker 3: except you just plunk in some unlketed bureaucrats to run

93
00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,159
Speaker 3: the show. I don't think that's good for anyone. I

94
00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,200
Speaker 3: think you basically need democratic accountability of some kind and

95
00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,680
Speaker 3: I think most people run the table would agree that

96
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,440
Speaker 3: our job is to keep an eye on how the

97
00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,080
Speaker 3: council is run and make sure everything's you know, doing well,

98
00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:34,479
Speaker 3: and to the account to the public.

99
00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,359
Speaker 1: Who are these keen interviews you're talking about.

100
00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,120
Speaker 3: I can't remember it was. I think the mail was

101
00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,640
Speaker 3: on No, I thought some of them was on. Oh,

102
00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:47,279
Speaker 3: I can't remember whichat like a couple weeks ago.

103
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,880
Speaker 1: Stopt me he was on this show. If give me

104
00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,400
Speaker 1: the credit for god like jeez, not reading the papers,

105
00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,599
Speaker 1: not listening to the news, to the radio. I don't

106
00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,039
Speaker 1: know what to do with you, Nico, Thank you. I

107
00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,279
Speaker 1: really appreciate time. As always, mate, that's Niko. We near

108
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:00,760
Speaker 1: a Wellington City Councilor

109
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,640
Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive listen live to

110
00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,760
Speaker 2: news Talks it B from four pm weekdays or follow

111
00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:09,599
Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio,