Wellington’s new Mayor Andrew Little says a supercity-style council for the region is “all but inevitable” and he wants to discuss the idea with the community. Little also hopes to put a proposal before councillors at their first meeting to review the Golden Mile upgrade.

He spoke to RNZ in an interview in the mayor’s office before being officially sworn into the role at a ceremony tonight.

The Golden Mile, council amalgamation, rates caps and his relationships with councillors and the government were discussed.

Golden Mile

This $139 million project would see cars banned from 7am to 7pm between Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place, along with widened footpaths and a cycle lane. It has been a controversial project for the city with some businesses opposing it.

Andrew Little said during the campaign he wanted the project reviewed and council officers have advised that could happen.

“Officers have told me that they think there is an opportunity for a bit of a review of where things are at, what the risks are. They are giving me some advice about that. Ultimately that will be a decision for the council to take.”

He said costings for the project were last done five years ago so it could be anticipated the costs for it would have grown “significantly greater”.

It was important the council looked at the future of the project with its eyes open, Little said. “We have to be realistic about the risk around additional cost, and also what might be practical and feasible, and the risks of disruption to businesses who are on the Golden Mile.”

He said given there have been difficulties in getting construction contracts signed it “tells us something.”

Little hopes to put a proposal for the review in front of the council at its first meeting on 20 November.

Council amalgamation

In the 2025 local elections, Lower Hutt and Porirua voters both supported a non-binding poll asking their councils to explore creating one council for the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington. It would combine relevant services and functions regionally, while keeping appropriate local services and decision-making local.

Andrew Little said he is in favour of amalgamation in principle and thought it was “all but inevitable”.

“I think increasingly people who live in the Wellington region, whether it’s Wellington City, Porirua, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, see themselves as a region. You know half of the Hutt Valley works in Wellington during the working week.”

Little said it is time to have the discussion – not just with leaders but the community.

Council and central government relationships

Throughout the last term of the council, infighting amongst councillors was notable, with the government appointing a crown observer due to what then Local Government Minister Simeon Brown described as “financial and behavioural challenges”.

Andrew Little told RNZ he has met with all councillors and they are a bunch of people who want to make “the city hum really well”.

“They have different ways of wanting to achieve that and that, to the extent that there is disagreement, is perfectly natural and healthy.”

His sense is that while he has identified issues councillors do not all agree on, his discussions have been constructive.

“I remain confident that we will be able to manage disagreements, in the way you would expect, we will achieve constructive outcomes. It is just about keeping a dialogue going and keeping people talking to each other.”

He has announced fellow Labour-backed candidate Ben McNulty will be deputy mayor for 18 months, with a new councillor taking the reins after that time. He said there will be several candidates for the role after that time and that at that point leaders of different committees will be reviewed too. “Some will flourish in their committee roles and some may struggle, so the performance element is important too.”

He said after his election win, he’d been in contact with several ministers and had meetings planned with the Local Government Minister Simon Watts and senior Wellington-based Cabinet ministers Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop.

Little said he wanted make the case that Wellington City is ready to engage with central government.

“My sense is the government actually wants to see Wellington succeed and they want to be part of Wellington’s success.”

He also wants to ask those ministers if there is any way for Wellington to get a regional deal for the city, given the region’s leaders missed a deadline for expressions of interest earlier this year. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called it “lame-o” at the time that they did not put forward a plan, whilst the region’s leaders said it was a choice.

Rates cap

Andrew Little said that at his meeting with Watts he would likely raise his concerns with the government’s plans to implement a rates cap. Watts has said the government is exploring a rates cap system and that a paper will be considered by Cabinet before Christmas.

Little said rates caps are not a good idea.

“Councils have got to be able to do what they consider they have to do that is a response to their constituencies and they will be accountable for those each election.

“I think anytime the central government sort of interferes with that, it distorts that relationship and actually makes councils unaccountable which is not healthy.”

In an interview with the Post, Little said he aims to identify cost savings by the end of his first 100 days and is setting up a financial review group to run a ruler over council project spending.