1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,160 Speaker 1: Now. The Prime Minister's blunt speech to mayors and counselors 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: last night, he's got some of them fired up. He 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: told them to spend money on the basics like rubbish 4 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,159 Speaker 1: pipes and potholes and quit the weird spending or they 5 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: wouldn't be getting any money from his government. Thomas Nash 6 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: is a Greater Wellington regional counselor. Hey, Thomas, Hey, Heather, 7 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: was what he said a surprise to you, Not really. 8 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 2: But I guess the sort of manner of the delivery 9 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 2: and I guess the style of leadership and relationship he 10 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: wants to have was maybe a bit surprising. But yeah, 11 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 2: it was better today with the Minister for Local Government 12 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 2: who talked about the future. 13 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: So not a surprise that he said it, not a 14 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: problem with what he said, just the fact that he 15 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: said it in the way that he did. 16 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I guess I was hoping for some 17 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: painting of a picture of the future, like what is 18 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 2: the future for our country, what's the future for local government? 19 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: How can we work together? But the speech was really 20 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: looking backwards and kind of I guess complaining about things. 21 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 2: And I guess this morning we did have a speech 22 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 2: from I mean Brown, the Minister for Looking Government, which 23 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: was much more focused on the future. 24 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: Well, I thought the future from Chris lux in the 25 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: future is you, guys and councils don't get more money 26 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: unless you actually start tidying up you spending. That's the future. 27 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess I would have also liked to have 28 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 2: heard what is he talking about in terms of wasteful spending? Like, 29 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 2: I mean, what what is what is he actually talking about? 30 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 2: There were no real kind of example. 31 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: He talked about Taquina, the conference center in Wellington he. 32 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: Did, which was which was funded under a different council 33 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: many years ago, so it's kind of irrelevant to the 34 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 2: people who were in the road. 35 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: Totally disagree with you. I totally disagree with you because 36 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: it is an example of bad spending. 37 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean that's yeah, that's the one example 38 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 2: he gave that was not something that you know, any 39 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 2: council was embarking on in this region. 40 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: Why did you need to come on though, Why did 41 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: you need him to give you examples? I mean, wee 42 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: give you examples on a like a weekly basis of 43 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: stupid spending. What about the blinking bus hubs that your 44 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: council has funded you know, you've got heaps of examples. 45 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I mean it would have been good to 46 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 2: hear some examples. But I guess my main point was 47 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 2: where all where there's a room of hundreds of people 48 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 2: who have been elected by their communities, many many elected 49 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: people have been elected multiple times, and we're all kind 50 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 2: of here waiting to hear some leadership, some vision of 51 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 2: the future, some partnership, and that sounds. 52 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: Like absolutely bureaucratic bs. What you needed was a truth 53 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: torpedo straight at you guys about what our problem as ratepayers. 54 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: This is the thing that we talk about, right, This 55 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: is the thing that winds people up. So isn't this 56 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: exactly what you needed to hear? Neive mind all this 57 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: kind of airy fairy stuff. You needed to hear what 58 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: our problem with you people is. 59 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, But I guess the problem with that is that 60 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 2: councils are spending their budgets in a line byline way 61 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 2: on the basics, and there is a huge amount of 62 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 2: noise about a tiny, tiny percentage of spending that has 63 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,839 Speaker 2: almost no impact on You can. 64 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: Not tell me that you think takina is a tiny, 65 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: tiny amount of spending. 66 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 2: Well, if you, I mean it probably is actually in 67 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 2: terms of the impact it has had on rates increases. 68 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: Made it's one hundred and eighty million dollars. 69 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, but how much impact do you think that has 70 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 2: on right? 71 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: You tell me? 72 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 2: I mean it's capitalized over a number of years, and 73 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: the impact that capital spending that is capitalized over you know, 74 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 2: ten to fifteen years has on rates increases is very small. 75 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 3: The real impact on is this fundamentally, Thomas, This is 76 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 3: fundamentally the problem that we've got with you guys is 77 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 3: you look at a figure like one eighty and you 78 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 3: got small bear not going to have a big impact. 79 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: Why do you look at that but you're saying it 80 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: doesn't have a big impact. I look at it as 81 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: a former rate payer of Wellington and I am shocked 82 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: that this is what the money was spent. 83 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 2: Look, I was not I mean I wasn't there when 84 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: they made their decision. It wasn't a decision I made. 85 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 2: I'm not saying it was a good decision or a 86 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 2: bad decision. I'm saying that councils now have just been 87 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: through a ten year line by line budgeting exercise all 88 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: around the country and they have looked very carefully. We 89 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 2: cut our public transport expansion plans in half, well more 90 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 2: than that in the Wellington region in order to keep 91 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 2: our rates increases down, and we put our fares up 92 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 2: by ten percent in order to keep our rates down. 93 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 2: It's not as if people haven't tightened their belts. It's 94 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 2: not as if people haven't cut spending. That I think 95 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 2: is the sort of missed opportunity from yesterday was to 96 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: recognize that, yes, people are tightening their belts and councils 97 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: all around the country and we need actually to work 98 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: together rather than just sling mud at each other. 99 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, Thomas, listen, Thank you. I always appreciate you having 100 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: on the show. You're great. Thomas Nash, Greater Wellington Regional Counselor. 101 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 3: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 102 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 3: news talks. 103 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 2: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 104 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.