If there’s one thing Wellington can count on, it’s that Mayor Tory Whanau’s leadership remains as clear as the city’s fog on a windy morning. With the government calling the council a “shambles,” it’s hard to disagree when the best financial strategy the council could come up with was… not selling its shares in Wellington Airport, leaving the city teetering on a budget cliff. Apparently, that “plan” was to magically find hundreds of millions somewhere between wishful thinking and fiscal fantasy.

Mayor Whanau: Steering the Ship Straight into the Rocks

In the midst of this crisis, Mayor Whanau has been about as proactive as a statue on Lambton Quay. Not only did she fail to push forward with the airport sale—an obvious cash injection for the city—but she’s also struggling to communicate effectively with her own councillors. Maybe someone should tell her that leadership doesn’t mean sitting back while your colleagues try to figure out how to keep the city afloat.

But let’s not be too harsh—after all, it must be exhausting to come up with a plan when your best idea so far is to not do something. If Whanau had a slogan, it might well be “why fix what’s broken when we can just hope it’ll repair itself?”

The Government’s Watching – But They’re Not Impressed

It’s no surprise that the government is threatening to step in, considering Wellington’s deficit could rival the hole in the ozone layer. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have been eyeing the council like you’d watch a toddler with a sharp object—ready to intervene at any moment. And honestly, who can blame them? Whanau’s handling of the budget is starting to look like she’s just waiting for a fairy godmother to show up with a magical financial solution.

A Crown Observer? More Like a Lifeguard for a Drowning Council

Now, whispers of a Crown observer stepping in are growing louder, with some councillors practically waving flares for help. At this rate, it seems like the only way to stop the council from sinking further is to throw them a lifebuoy in the form of government intervention. But hey, at least we’ll have front-row seats to see whether the city council can turn things around—or just continue its slow-motion car crash.