Next council must do better

Cracks began to appear at Wellington City Council before Andy Foster even got his feet under that much-coveted mayoral desk almost three years back. They were never filled.

Now, this term is coming to an end and we head towards a new term with the certainty of new faces around the council table. Our focus shifts from this chaotic term to hope – and votes – that the next group does much, much better.

Wellington does not need a council in full agreement on everything – or even anything – but a group of people who can argue the points, not the people.

‘‘This term has been fractious and disjointed as a result [of the infighting],’’ outgoing councillor Simon Woolf posted on Facebook this week. ‘‘It has been hard to concentrate on the priorities.’’ He is right.

Those priorities need to be on things such as fixing pipes, making it easier to get around the city, keeping rates in check, making the city safe, and ensuring people have a roof over their heads.

But too often these past 21⁄ years have felt like a battle of entrenched beliefs driven by ideology more than reality. There have been far too many unseemly spats between Foster and his councillors.

The mayor has been labelled an embarrassment by one councillor. Another told him: ‘‘you just don’t get it.’’ Yet another took a successful complaint against him for breaching the code of conduct.

To be fair, Foster invited the harpoons: He did email a long list of changes to the draft long term plan at 1.25am on the morning of a crucial vote. And he did breach the code of conduct when he tried to share confidential information about a former council staff member.

Those who have dealt with Foster know he is amicable but can be frustrating. Trying to establish his stance on some issues can be a game of verbal gymnastics.

But the blame cannot all go to him. There are now 12 – there were 14 but councillor Malcolm Sparrow stepped down and Sean Rush is taking a break for cancer treatment – other votes around the council table and until they learn to debate properly, all of Wellington will suffer.

Back in 2019, Foster only got the job – his third attempt – by amargin of 62 votes over incumbent and politically centre-left Justin Lester.

It resulted in Wellingtonians bizarrely voting in a left-leaning council with a centre-right mayor (Foster once ran unsuccessfully for Parliament under the NZ First banner).

Instantly the divisions were felt. The left bloc lobbied for one of its own, Fleur Fitzsimons, to be deputy. Foster wanted Diane Calvert, amore natural political ally. He went for then-Green councillor Sarah Free.

A political compromise perhaps but the council never recovered from it. An independent report in 2021 into dysfunction in the council found problems with Foster’s effectiveness, ‘‘political point-making’’ among councillors, and an unsustainable committee and portfolio structure. It led to some improvements but, by then, the die was cast.

It is awonder this council has achieved anything this term. Remarkably, it has. It managed to write its draft district plan, it agreed to fix and improve the central library, it has embarked on an ambitious cycleway plan, and even pushed through some politically-toxic rates increases.

Wellington needs more of these achievements, and much less of the infighting, from the next council.

Until the mayor and councillors learn to debate properly, all of Wellington will suffer.