In a distinctly forward-thinking move, Wellington City Council offices unveiled their latest initiative today—announcing a major policy shift based on absolutely no briefing material whatsoever. The announcement, made at dawn under the dripping awning of the Conference Centre, promises that from now on, bureaucracy will respond to unspecified challenges with unprecedented agility, thanks to the absence of any actual plans. Council Officer Iris Farr claimed, “If you don’t have a brief, you can’t be accused of not meeting it.

This will greatly ease pressure on our cross-committee consultation strategy.” Members of the Civic Innovation Sub-Committee—now renamed the “Panel for Spontaneity”—nodded gravely while drafting proposed recommendations for things they may or may not consider next quarter. Residents expressed confusion, with some hopeful the new system might help fix the broken drains on Ghuznee Street, while others wondered if it would mean fewer paper surveys about paper surveys. Meanwhile, rates are forecast to remain low, largely because there is nothing to fund if nothing has been officially proposed. Is Wellington finally about to experience true innovation, or will we simply have to imagine what it might look like?