Mayor short on meeting MPs

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has a 12minute walk to Parliament – but has taken half the meetings with new Government ministers, compared with her Christchurch counterpart 435km to the south.

A central theme of Whanau’s campaign to become mayor was her ability to build consensus and work with Parliament on behalf of the city. In November, she said she would be working with the incoming government in coming months to “get the best deal for Wellington”.

This meant working for a city deal and unlocking Government funding around improving transport, revitalising the inner city, support for earthquake strengthening and more affordable housing.

But information supplied by her office shows she has met with just three new

Government ministers since then – once when the $7.4 billion Let’s Get Wellington Moving project, which she was a big supporter of, was ditched and another when she met Local Government Minister Simeon Brown on January 29 for a please-explain about Wellington’s unfolding water crisis.

Then there was a February 14 meeting with Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk about a potential review of regulations around quake-prone buildings.

By contrast, information supplied by Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger’s office shows he has taken six meetings with ministers – Brown, Paul Goldsmith, Matt Doocey, Chris Bishop, Penny Simmonds and Mark Mitchell – in the same time.

His office confirmed all meetings, some which were on the same days, were in-person. Topics including transport, housing and planning, local government reforms and three waters were discussed.

In an emailed statement, Whanau said there was an agreement by Wellington region mayors “that it is best we approach these discussions with central government as a region” as key issues such as transport, housing, water and climate change were connected

“Furthermore, the Government has indicated its preference to do ‘regional deals’, rather than 78 individual council deals. This will be different for cities such as Auckland,” she said.

Wellington region mayors had initial discussions for a “regional deal” and Brown, as Local Government Minister, and Bishop, as Infrastructure Minister, were invited to the next Mayoral Forum to star discussions on the deal.

Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry, who has with Brown three times and Bishop twice, confirmed Wellington region mayors were taking a regional approach to talking with ministers “but I also know individual councils and mayors like to have regular meetings with them on issues that affect their city”.

Meeting with ministers was “incredibly important” because it fostered relationships, he said. Some meetings were also in his role of Local Government NZ vice-President.

Brown said his meetings with Whanau had been “informative and constructive” and he looked forward to working with her and other mayors. He would not say if the dearth of meetings with the capital’s mayor was a result of her not asking, or him not making the time.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate’s office said she met with Brown in January and discussed, the city’s growth, three waters, and Resource Management Act reforms.

Tauranga Council Commission chairperson Anne Tolley, formerly a National MP, met with Brown in December and planned to do so again in March.