Rebuilding Wellington's Infrastructure
Wellington is a great city to live in, but our infrastructure is letting us down. Getting our city to its best is going to require infrastructure that works. Good infrastructure is how we get the homes we need, with transport options that get people where they need to go, when they need to get there, and water services that deliver value for money and remain affordable for families.
This plan builds on what’s already working well: our public transport system, our walkable central city, our strong local neighborhoods, and our position as the nation’s capital right at the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand.
But it’s also honest about the challenges we face. Years of poor decision-making have left our infrastructure crumbling, and as we transition our water services to Metro Water, we must ensure it delivers value for Wellingtonians while being held accountable for its costs. With the council’s tight finances, every infrastructure dollar needs to work harder and deliver results.
Andrew Little will:
Deliver clear expectations to Metro Water on delivery of new pipes, infrastructure and affordability, and ensure greater regulatory oversight.
Make public transport faster and more reliable through greater bus priority.
Work across the region and with Government to get a Wellington Regional Deal.
Work with Government on reforms to ease pressure on owners of earthquake-prone buildings.
The Issues
Water
Wellington has suffered from chronic underinvestment in water infrastructure for decades, with pipe replacement lagging behind other regional cities despite increased spending in recent years. Poor performance from Wellington Water has compounded these problems.
The transition to Metro Water presents both an opportunity and a risk. Done well, it could deliver the infrastructure improvements our city desperately needs. Done poorly, it could saddle residents with unaffordable cost increases driven by gold-plated repairs, inadequate oversight, and cross-subsidies for the rest of the region.
Given the scale of investment required to get our water infrastructure up to standard, Wellingtonians will inevitably face a price shock as water bills start to arrive.
We must ensure Metro Water operates with strong governance structures and robust accountability mechanisms from the Council, the community and central government.
Metro Water will also need clear direction to protect low-income households from unaffordable increases.
Water investments must be strategically prioritised to support the compact, high-density urban development Wellington needs while delivering genuine value for money to households.
Transport
Wellingtonians are great users of public transport and want practical solutions that work. Faster, more reliable buses have to be a priority. To get there we need a joined up plan that involves a new Harbour Quays bus corridor and greater bus priority for major routes coming into and through the city.
The Golden Mile project has NZTA co-funding and the potential to upgrade Courtenay Place, improve bus journeys and make our city more liveable. There is legitimate concern about the risk of blowouts and the impact on local businesses from construction, so getting these right must be a priority.
We’re also a compact city that is easily walkable and increasingly has safe cycling options. The implementation hasn’t always been perfect, but these are positive things for our city.
At the core of Andrew Little’s transport plan is giving people options to get around the city quickly, reliably and affordably and reducing our carbon emissions.
Regional Deal
It is important that the Wellington region concludes a Regional Deal with the Government to improve our city’s infrastructure and services. Andrew Little is well placed to work with other councils and the Government to negotiate a good deal on the city’s behalf.
Earthquake-prone buildings
Earthquake prone buildings are posing significant cost and risk to building owners, making inner city housing and business development increasingly unaffordable. This holds back investment in our city’s housing and
businesses.
Public ownership
The last two Councils have been advised by officials to sell off the city’s stake in Wellington Airport. This has ultimately been rejected twice, and polling shows strong public support for continuing Council ownership.
The Airport is a natural monopoly and a strategic asset for the city. Financially, it has proven to be a very good investment, with value of the Council’s shares jumping by $160m over the last year following the failed attempt to sell it off.
Andrew Little will maintain public ownership of assets and reject any attempt by Council officials to push privatisation onto the agenda.
Urban Development
This infrastructure plan works hand-in-hand with Andrew Little’s plan for more homes in places that are close to public transport and good public spaces. This all leads to a vibrant, compact and more affordable city for all.
The Policy
Water
Through the Wellington City Council’s Letter of Expectation to Metro Water, deliver clear expectations that it must:
Prioritise water investments in key residential development areas to ensure Wellington is ready for future development in the centre and aroundmajor transport networks.
Provide discounts for low-income households (for example through a free allocation) to ensure they can access water affordably.
Create a competitive tender process for the roll-out of Water Meters in Wellington with an expectation that Metro Water will provide specifications for meter types but both individuals and councils will be able to seek their own compliant options and have costs directly reimbursed.
In addition to the Letter of Expectation, Andrew Little will:
Push Cabinet for rapid phase-in of full Commerce Commission oversight (price quality) of Metro Water to ensure prices are fair, as is the case for Watercare in Auckland.
Set up a Wellington City Water Consumer Group to advocate for cost-reflective pricing, affordability, and to be consulted during Commerce Commission reviews.
Pursue a proportional governance model at Metro Water, recognising Wellington City's higher population and contribution to investment.
Work with private plumbers to allow access to the water network for small scale works on private property, including toby replacements.
Transport
Andrew Little will:
Increase bus priority:
Begin with the second city centre bus corridor along Harbour Quays.
Next priority will be improving trip times to and from Karori into the CBD.
Continue to look at how we can improve corridors to speed up our buses to get people where they need to go faster.
Support the Golden Mile changes in principle, first ensuring it can be delivered within budget and that disruption to business caused by roadworks is minimised.
Advocate for walking and cycling options and bus priority in the second Mt Victoria Tunnel project.
Advocate for more rail funding to bring our network out of a state of decline.
Ensure Wellington has a clear transport strategy so that NZTA investments align with our city’s priorities rather than the other way around.
Regional Deal
Andrew Little will:
Work across the region and with Government to agree a Wellington Regional Deal to ensure the Government contributes to good Wellington infrastructure, coordinates on public transport plans and roading infrastructure, and provides support for affordably getting the city’s earthquake-prone buildings up to standard.
Earthquake-prone buildings
Andrew Little will:
Work closely with the Government on earthquake-prone building reform to ease the burden on Wellington and strike the right balance between safety and cost, noting the volume of earthquake-prone buildings is unsustainable for both Council and Wellingtonians.
Public ownership
Andrew Little will:
Protect the Council’s ownership stake in Wellington Airport and other strategic assets.
Urban Development
Andrew Little will:
Establish an Urban Development Office, similar to Eke Panuku in Auckland, to coordinate residential development alongside transport, public realm and community facility upgrades.