A capital conversation: Your say

Dave

Being a born and bred Wellingtonian, and having brought my family up here, I, of course, love the city – but yes, currently there are major issues.

Three of my four children have permanently left Wellington for cities that appear to have a lot more to offer – and they are not missing Wellington at all.

Our water problems are due to inaction by all politicians, both central and local government, for a long time, as are our schools, hospitals, and social housing.

We are living beyond our means, and in the most basic of situations when that happens you need to look at what are the nice-to-haves, and what are essential and cut the nice-to-haves. I think that is economics 101.

I hope Wellington can find its mojo again – it needs to.

James

Please do let me know when you’ve opened up a conversation that includes people who can explain why public transport is the life-blood of many small, wealthy and compact cities around the globe, can discuss why stating “Wellington’s population must increase by xx,000 a year” is contentious, and suggest alternative national and regional population targets, can offer thoughtful and informed comment on how the Kaikōura earthquake damaged our city, its pipes and its buildings, and why that hasn’t been recognised in media or government discussion, can notice that a by-election candidate who has election posters in the yellow and purple colours of a political party might be aligned in some way with that party, or might possibly want voters to think so.

Ken

I don’t live in Wellington (Masterton, in fact), so in some eyes I am not a qualified contributor because I don’t have skin in the game. True – I don’t have to pay your rapidly climbing rates, or wait for never-arriving buses, or search for ever-disappearing parking space, or fret about access to libraries and swimming pools, or dodge spontaneous footpath fountains, or ... (the list goes on).

So what right do I have to comment? Well, distance can lend perspective, making it easier to see something of the bigger picture, rather than focussing on the details that irritate so many of your readers.

And figuring large in the bigger picture is climate change. Bear with me here – I’m not a leaf-waving greenie, but I have a degree in geography, and I well understand the problems of climate change from both ends – the mechanics of what is happening and its inevitable effects.

I recognise the need for countermeasures, be they cycle lanes, green spaces, public transport systems, conservation of resources (like water), reduction of emissions, development of green energy systems, waste minimisation and disposal ...

Local councils can control only some of these things, but which ones? Because resources are so limited, they must prioritise – what comes first? You can’t do everything at once. What problems are with us now? Which can you solve now, and which need longer term solutions?

A $93-million cycleway may help reduce emissions, and over many

Rhys

decades do something for our environment, but its advocates will not live long enough to reap the rewards. They would, however, experience the benefits of $93 million spent on water pipes. Thus there must be a balance between long-term nice-tohaves and present-day must-haves.

And water is a musthave.

Pip

You have rightly pointed out that it is important for local government in Wellington to build and maintain relationships with key government ministers and to push for central government assistance with the critical infrastructure, housing and transport problems the city and the region face.

However, it is quality, not quantity, that counts. The councils in Wellington have sensibly decided to take a collective, region-focused approach to dealing with central government (as your article notes).

Why therefore, did your front-page headline single out Tory Whanau for critical treatment?

It would have been more accurate to call out the regional group as being slow to get going.

An excellent piece in today’s Post on the mess that Wellington has now become, not helped by a mayor who is no longer fit for purpose and a cabal of Green, Red left-leaning councillors who couldn’t run a bath, let alone a major city.

We are poorly served by these

ideologists, basket weavers and no hopers for their lack of business savvy.

Maurice

My family and I rocked up to Wellington in July 1990. I was a bit wary as I had encountered a number of people in Auckland who had moved north for a variety of reasons, including more clement weather.

After being here a couple of years and enjoying the cosmopolitan nature of Wellington, I was offered a job back in Auckland. Interestingly, my family, whilst not in total revolt, did voice a strong opinion that they would rather I stayed.

So in Wellington we have stayed ever since, apart from my son who lives in New York, but that’s a totally different city with just as many foibles and problems.

We have come to not only like but love the city and have no desire to live anywhere else. What a shame it’s turned me into a grumpy old man.

And it’s not the weather, it’s a sense of frustration as the city heads in a direction which I disagree with but where there seems to be no avenue I can take where my concerns can be given a considered listening. The consultation meetings that I have attended smacked more of advocacy by officials rather than a consultation. You leave such meetings with a sense that the outcome is predetermined.

I also feel frustrated with the abysmal voter turnout. When we look at the mayor’s mandate I pointed out in one of my letters to The Post that just short of 80% of the electorate didn’t vote for her.

To my mind, we shouldn’t be growing the city until we can guarantee an infrastructure to support it. It’s not a debate about growing out or up, it’s a debate about the ability to support. It’s also not a debate about affordable housing but affordability in general. It’s pointless building affordable housing if the rates are through the roof.