Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie says Tory Whanau made right call ‘for her' not to seek re-election
Asked by Mills whether he thought Mayor Tory Whanau is an effective leader, McKenzie said 'it's a tough ask for somebody to come into a mayoral role, especially in the capital city, with no local government experience and I think that showed, she'd probably admit that'.
When asked whether Whanau had made the right call in deciding not to stand again, McKenzie said 'for her, yes'.
Whanau announced she was quitting the mayoral race in April after previously saying she was keen to serve three terms and had received the Green Party endorsement for the mayoralty.
When speaking about her decision not to seek re-election Whanau admitted that she personally had become a 'distraction' – one that threatened to undermine what she wanted to achieve.
Since then, she has spoken out about the online abuse and harassment she faced over her term, saying it is an issue that will deter women and marginalised communities from standing for public office.
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau speaks to media after the Government appointed a Crown observer to the city's Council. Photo / Mark Mitchell
McKenzie said politics has long been a feature of the council and while 'not uniquely a Wellington thing' was more evident at Wellington City Council.
McKenzie wrote a report in May warning of the risks of party politics around the council table, but says he is generally ambivalent on the issue.
During his time McKenzie wrote six reports to the Local Government Minister and five to the council, as well as providing constant advice to councillors in what he described as a 'below the radar' way.
In his final report McKenzie states he does not believe further Government intervention is needed.
'I recommend that the Minister maintains a watching brief over Wellington City Council while the key decisions to implement the amended Long-term Plan are taken and the water services delivery plan is submitted', the report states.
'There are no other matters that the Terms of Reference specifically required to be addressed' he said.
McKenzie also noted he worked on 'some interpersonal difficulties both historic and recent, opening communication lines where barriers existed, acting as a go between and 'honest broker' and generally assisting to de-escalate issues that, a year or so earlier, could have led to formal complaints'.
Lindsay McKenzie.
The Herald earlier revealed McKenzie was paid $1000 a day for the role.
The council, to the disappointment of Mayor Tory Whanau, foot the bill for the observer, costing ratepayers $71,754.70 before GST as of this week, but his final invoice has not yet been received.
$12,494.70 of that was for travel, with McKenzie residing in Nelson. $385 was spent on his office set up.
Mayor Tory Whanau has thanked McKenzie 'for his professionalism, impartial advice, and valuable insights' as the council worked to pass its Long Term Plan.
'The Observer's final report shows that Wellington City Council has worked through the challenges in a robust and democratic way, getting near consensus on many key votes. I was always confident that our Council would do so, and I hope this helps rebuild public confidence in the Council's decision-making and processes', Whanau said.
Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
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1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
What we know about new road user charges and end of petrol tax
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ADVERTISEMENT Private firms will be in charge of collecting the new fees In their announcement, the Government also said that private firms will take over the collection and administration of charges from NZTA, "to foster fairer competition". Tax Justice Aotearoa said they were concerned about that change and taking the responsibility away from the Government. "We are deeply concerned by this initiative as using the power of the state to require citizens to pay charges decided by the state is a core function of government," chairman of Tax Justice Aotearoa Glenn Barclay said in a statement. "It should not be for the profit of anyone and it means that the details of thousands of road users will be held and managed by private organisations with no accountability back to the public." 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RNZ News
8 hours ago
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Treasury briefing points finger at government spending during Covid-19 pandemic
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Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Dangers Of Excessive Spending Highlighted
Minister of Finance Treasury's latest report highlights the dangers of excessive government spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Treasury's Long-term Insights Briefing released today explores the role of fiscal policy in economic shocks and crises including the way government finances were used during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. It says the response, which wound up costing $66 billion, about twice the cost of the Canterbury earthquakes (as a proportion of GDP) also shows the challenges of using big spending measures to respond to one-off shocks. 'Treasury's language is spare and polite, but its conclusions are damning,' Nicola Willis says. 'The report makes clear significant errors were made in the fiscal response to Covid. Treasury is urging policy makers not to repeat those mistakes. Our Government will not. 'The briefing notes that the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund was established in May 2020 to 'support a timely economic response and public confidence' but as the economy recovered, the then-government was advised against further stimulating in favour of more targeted support. 'Unfortunately, the Labour government ignored that advice. The consequence was undisciplined spending that pushed up inflation, eroded New Zealand's previously low public debt position, and fuelled a cost-of-living crisis. 'The briefing makes particular mention of programmes 'not tied to the shock (that) had a lagged impact on the economy and proved difficult to unwind in later years'. 'That is a very diplomatic way of saying New Zealanders are still paying the price of the previous government extending a big-spending approach initially intended for a pandemic response. 'The lesson from Labour's mishandling of the Covid response is that while there are times when governments have to increase spending in response to major events the fiscal guardrails should be restored as soon as possible. 'Kiwis can take confidence from the current Government's commitment to strong and responsible fiscal and economic management.'
