by PCGM
Every year, the Wellington City Council puts pen to paper and publishes a plan for the year ahead, so that the community has an idea of what it’s up to and how the money will be spent. This Annual Plan is a legal requirement for the council. It’s not the most anticipated document, but it generally gives a pretty good sense of how the money will flow in and out of the council. Not so this year: despite the impact of the pandemic, it’s one of the worst examples of the genre we’ve ever seen. Read more »

by Lindsay Shelton
Five city councillors are telling us that they really, really want to reopen Wellington’s Central Library as soon as possible. But staff papers for next Wednesday’s council meeting do not show any evidence that such an aim is being pursued with any urgency. Read more »

by Lindsay Shelton
The most powerful statement at last July’s public meeting about the Central Library came from a Wellington structural engineer with 40 years experience. He said that work to reopen the building could start in two months – “if you had the will to do it.” Read more »

Wellington.Scoop
The Wellington City Council today released documents giving engineering advice about the cost of strengthening the Central Library, or demolishing it. Without making any commitment to saving the building, the council also announced plans for two months of public consultation to find out what Wellingtonians think of their Central Library. Read more »

by Helene Ritchie
I have a dream, that one day soon the mayor and councillors will declare the Wellington Central Library open again. They will have their photos taken against the elegant glassed backdrop into the Civic Centre and announce that their personal legacies have been fulfilled on behalf of the people of Wellington whom they serve. Read more »

by Kathryn Curzon
Descending into the Taputeranga marine reserve off Island Bay on a sunny day, I was astounded by the volume and diversity of ocean life that this much-loved dive spot supports. Inquisitive blue cod didn’t hesitate to come within inches of my dive mask, the rock pinnacles were covered in healthy kelp beds and it was easy to spot a large resident conger eel hiding from the sun. Read more »

by PCGM
The famous dictum of AA (no, not the motoring body, the other one) is that the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. The Wellington City Council clearly needs to take this to heart over the private motor car, the do-we-love-it-or-do-we-hate-it icon of transportation that is still at the heart of the political log-jam that has stymied the capital for decades. Read more »

by Dr Jenny Condie
This week the Wellington City Council has to decide whether to continue the trial of public share e-scooters. I have a number of questions I would like answered before I make this decision. Read more »

by Lindsay Shelton
The petition to make Courtenay Place vehicle free is an appealing idea. It’s been around for ages, but successive councils have failed to take it seriously. Now could be the time. Read more »

by Andy Foster
We are in uncharted waters. There have been many pandemics in history, but never has our modern internationalised global economy and society been quarantined in this way. Read more »