Local leaders react:
‘‘Inefficiencies’’ in Wellington City could affect all of New Zealand.
K Gurunathan, Ka¯ piti ‘‘I’d anything welcome that will improve the current situation.’’ Campbell Barry, Lower Hutt
‘‘If one of us is dysfunctional then people look [at us all] and shake their heads.’’ Wayne Guppy, Upper Hutt
‘‘A mayor needs to trust their council. A council needs to trust its mayor.’’ Anita Baker, Porirua
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster faces two more requests for the auditor-general to investigate his council, most recently for mingling with Chinese community leaders then, two days later, moving to pull funding from their gardens.
The Office of the AuditorGeneral has confirmed it has three separate complaints: one from Foster’s council colleague Fleur Fitzsimons; one from Foster’s former council colleague and ex-deputy mayor Helene Ritchie; and one from the Wellington Chinese Garden Society (WCGS). All were being considered, though a decision on whether to launch an inquiry had not yet been made.
WCGS on Tuesday emailed the auditor-general alleging Foster undermined good faith after proposing a funding cut that would all but kill the Chinese Garden in Frank Kitts Park.
It alleges that Foster attended Chinese New Year celebrations on February 14 when he mingled with Chinese community leaders but did not mention a funding cut for the long-planned Chinese gardens. Two days later, the WCGS found out from media that Foster had moved a $6.5 million funding cut for the park redevelopment, of which the garden was part. Foster said the cost of the park had blown out to $40m, which was $10m more than budgeted a year earlier. This came as news to Tina Dome, from WCGS, who yesterday told The Dominion Post the council had been unable to yet supply her with details of how the $40m figure came about.
The Chinese Garden had originally been budgeted at $6.5m, of which the society had already fundraised $1m, which it presented to the council in October.
The council, the Chinese city of Xiamen, and possibly New Zealand central government were meant to pick up the rest of the cost, Dome said.
The email to the auditorgeneral is the latest blow to Foster, who on Wednesday called for an independent review into the
governance of elected members because of an ‘‘extended period of public and private spats between councillors’’.
On Sunday Fitzsimons – backed by at least four other councillors – asked the auditor-general to investigate after Foster’s lastminute changes to the draft council long-term plan that would see a partial privatisation of the Wellington Central Library building.
Ritchie also emailed the auditor-general asking for an inquiry and alleging the mayor’s proposals – notably the privatisation of part of the library building – were not consulted on.
‘‘I consider that the consultation process can be legally and morally challenged and should be,’’ she told The Dominion Post.
The auditor-general has the power to launch an inquiry into whether a public entity is effectively and efficiently carrying out its duties and report any critical findings to Parliament or the responsible minister.
The Chinese Garden Society’s request to the auditor-general alleges it was an ‘‘irregular resolution’’ that was made when Foster put forward the idea to remove $6.5m from the Frank Kitts Park garden development.
This was approved by the council so will be included in the draft long-term plan, which will go out for public consultation.
Dome said that there was a signed agreement, from 2014, between the mayor of Xiamen and the then-Wellington mayor to build the gardens. That could still be legally binding, she said.
Dome told the auditor-general that councillors were only told of the proposed funding cut for Frank Kitts Park just before the February 18 meeting and the only extra advice was a ‘‘difficult to comprehend’’ email Foster sent on February 16.
Foster’s office did not respond to a request for comment.