Gilmore’s policies for Wellington

Aaron Gilmore has sent me his proposed polices for Wellington. I like many of them, so am sharing them here:

My Key Policies for Wellington:

– Stop wasting your money. Stop spending that is uneconomic, subject all spending over $5 million to the same benefit cost rigor that Treasury uses for Central Government. Require a ‘regulatory impact statement’ for any project of significance

– Generally refocus WCC to be a regulator of the provision of local services not a property developer (Private Sector role) and social agency (Central Govt role)

– Cap rates to 3% per annum, provide greater certainty and less volatility (ie 3% fixed over ten years of each Long Term Plan not changing rates every year all over the place)

– Switch infrastructure spending to match asset life. So borrow long term (30+ years) not short, stop using annual rates to fund 100 year assets

– Defer all new cycleways (saving $200 million) until the benefits can be proven and until all pipes etc are fixed (poo and water are more important than cycleways)

– Don’t build light rail, it does not stack up, do designate transport corridors and implement the Spatial Plan and bus mass transit (saving over $1 billion) work to progress new infrastructure where its needed. Work to redevelop more high rises where it works (e.g. Te Aro and Kent/Cambridge Tce) and less suburban heritage destruction

– Don’t make Mt Victoria tunnel walking and biking only, it won’t work and would destroy access to Hataitai

– Do build another tunnel for all transport users

– Stop hating cars, one of the long term options for Wellington is more focus on zero emission transport of all types, start process of making the Capital the world’s first drive-less zero emission vehicle and public transport capital

–  Make Council meetings, papers more transparent and open, with less waffle more work

– Greater work to identify and improve resilience of natural hazard risks and management with 3rd parties including EQC and others (flooding, earthquakes and sea level changes)

– Build the Miramar Regional Park, not turn the peninsula into a housing estate

– Sell the convention centre for the $200 million spent, to a professional operator

– Sell the WCC encroachment land back to users ~$100 million 

– Evaluate the re-development and exit of Wellington’s marinas to a better long term owner and instead focus on regulatory powers

– Work with Central Government and 3rd parties better on Social Housing (WCC is the 2nd largest landlord in NZ and still loses money)

– Repeal the Wellington Milk Supply Act with support of a local MP

– Work with the local 5,000 strong local Greek community into the summer festival programme like we do with other large ethnic groups.

– Have a transition to better match Commercial vs Residential rate loadings to other main Centres

-Reform Wellington Water (it took me 13 letters and calls to confirm who owned a pipe on my own land – nuts!), but I oppose the Government 3 Waters Plans as a misguided solution to the problem.