Hilda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by The New Zealand Herald. Wellington City will have a new mayor by the end of this year. After previously committing to run for a second term, Mayor Torri Farno has pulled out of the race. It comes after her term was dominated by personal incidents and infighting between counselors, but she made her decision only a day
after work finally started on the Golden Mile project. A number of men are running to take over the Merrill reins, with former Labor Minister Andrew Little just the latest to enter the competition. But whoever takes on the city's top job will need to deal with rising rents, declining house prices and the ongoing ferry issues. Today on the front Page ends ed Me Wellington reporter Ethan Minera joins us to discuss what Farno's departure means for our capital in crisis.
So Ethan, after what can only be described, I suppose as a tumultuous term, Tory Farnow is giving up her re election bid in the Capitol.
Did this come as a surprise.
Well, yes and no. I mean, going back to the start. Tory Fano always said she wanted three terms for the mealty and she was always very consistent with that idea up until sort of late last year when she was on news talks. He'd be with Wellington Morning's host Nick Mills, where she sort of seemed to waiver. The tone had changed. She said that she was going to take the summer
to talk to friends and family about it. So that is all sort of pricked up in the newsroom when she said that, and we were asking questions, but she came back from summer and she was very strong in saying that she was committed to the job. She did reveal that she had wavered, but she sort of came out swinging up until you know, a couple weeks ago. She had sought the Green Party endorsement. She got that
a couple weeks ago. And so when it was initially revealed and we learnt that she was going to be quitting the mile race, it was an initial surprise, but I think taking a step back and listening to some of the reasons why she isn't going to stand again, it's perhaps a little bit less surprising. I mean, she's given a huge range of reasons for why she's decided to drop out of the race and sort of throw
her support behind Andrew Little. She says with him running for mea she likes him as a candidate and she wants both of them to be on council. She also says, after turning the soil on the Golden Mile project, that's a huge achievement that she's been trying to get across the line, and now with that started, she can happily step back. I think, perhaps more realistically, there was some realization there that this was going to be a hard
campaign to win. We saw some recent polling that showed that Tory didn't have the same support that she had when she was first elected. We remember she was elected with a very strong majority last election in twenty twenty too, and it has been a tough mayoralty. There have been challenges, and I think she perhaps thought that it might not be as easy to win this time around, and so decided to throw in the towel.
What's going to be her legacy?
I think it will be split. I mean, she's come for herself and outlined a list of achievements that she wants to be her legacy. The key one, I would say, would be that Golden Mile project. It's been long mooted, it's been debated a number of times, it's gone to consultation a number of times. It will be key to see whether the main work on that can be signed off. I note that the contract for the majority of the Courtney Place work of this transport project still hasn't been signed.
She wants to get that signed before the election. The only part that has been signed, the only contract for work is for the intersection at the top of Courtney Place. So if she can get the rest of it signed off before the election, gets spades in the ground, that will be a huge legacy. I think lots of people want something done there, lots of businesses also oppose it, so whether it's positive or negative, that will be something that she'll be able to point to as a tangible
outcome for her majority getting that across the line. Other things that she's pointed to assycleways and other controversial topic in Wellington. Bono's celebrating adding twenty seven kilometers of new bike lanes under her term. Also water, I'd say, to her credit, she has been a big supporter of pouring more funding into Wellington Water for them to get ahead of links, and some recent data shows that they have
been getting on top of them. But I think a key feature of her tenure be some of those personal issues and some of the headlines that she's generated over the past few years. You know, she admitted to a drinking problem after a few instances of public intoxication. She'd also revealed term media she'd been diagnosed with ADHD and significant traits of autism. Late last year she said on newstooks he'd be again that she sold her car to
help her pay the bills. So those sort of things have been a real highlight of a mayority in something that she's admitted herself have become a distraction. Also, relationship issues have been a repeated issue. She hasn't been able to unify the council when she admits this, She hasn't been able to get people around the table, get those conservative counselors on board, and it's been a similar issue with central government as well. There's sort of a constant
battle between her and the Coalition, trading jabs often. Christopher Luxon recently said that the Wellington councils were lame over not putting in a regional deal. Tori Fano hit back, saying that Chris Luxen wasn't a very nice person and so that's sort of been something that's constantly bubbling away as her issues with central government, and something that I think voters want to see in another candidate is someone who can work with central government to get outcomes for Wellington.
If you are going to rape yourself out of ten your scorecard, ten being the best mayor ever and one being not that great, where would you put yourself.
I look back at what I campaigned on, what I said I would deliver to the city. I'd give myself a nine out of ten. Apart from light rail, everything I campaigned on is in train, and I'm really proud of that.
You know, this.
Council's delivered the most investment in water one point eight billion dollars. That's three times the previous council. We've enabled more homes, delivered, more psychle ways, more bus lanes, you know, really good stuff. Yes, we're a city in transition. There's a lot of construction happening, but you know people have to see that as progress.
Well, I've counted at least six men who have put up their hands officially to take her job.
So who are the main contenders?
Yeah, we do have sex and interesting to note they are all men now that are Tory funds pulled out of the race. So we have former Labor Party leader Andrew Little. We have current center right city councilor Ray Chung, as well as cafe owner Carl Tiefenbaker, former city councilor Rob Golden, conservationist Calvin Hasty and owner of the controversial local Facebook page Wellington Live Graham Bloxham.
Has this become Andrew Little's Maryalty to lose?
Yeah? Well, I mean of those candids, Little and Ray Hung as well, I'd say I definitely seem to be the front runners. You know, you've sort of got one on the left one on the right. But I would say we asked still just under six months out and things could still change. I mean, there's nothing stopping another candidate, another strong candidate, from stepping in and shaking the race up all again. Much of the commentary I've seen has been referring to a Little as basically as if it's
his to lose. And you know, I've heard one reference to him being the mere elect and I think we do need to remember that it's less than six months away, but it's not a done deal. There's still an election and it's up to us as voters, not other politicians to a point who leads the city.
One of the big issues with Wellington City Council is the fact that it does, like you said, seem to be quite divided. This bothered the government so much last year that it put a Crown observer in place after the airport shares deal fell apart. Do you think any of these candidates will be able to bring that kind of unity that it needs.
I mean, time will only tell. All of them will be campaigning on trying to bring that unity, as Torrifino did. I mean, if we remember back to her campaign, a huge selling point of her was that she had worked in central government. She was the Green Party's chief of staff and sort of sold herself on leading those negotiations between the Green's New Zealand First and Labor. That obviously, as she admits, wasn't able to help her get unity
around the council table. And I think Wellington City Council is a very political place and it will be a struggle for anyone to get everyone to agree, and we shouldn't expect that everyone around Wellington City Council should agree on everything. I mean, there will always be disagreements, but it's how those disagreements are handled and how they play
out and making sure things don't get ugly. I think Andrew Little is definitely selling himself as you know, the sensible here of hands, someone who can get everyone together
and take the politics out of it. So it'll be interesting to see, I think, as the merrial debates start to kick off later this year, how people act when they're up on the debate stage and whether things do get a bit feisty and but ugly, or if people are able to sort of put the politics to one side and debate the issues rather than each other.
I've seen a lot of the candidates have said that they want to cut rates. Wellington has one of the highest increases in the country and that was last year with a sixteen point nine percent increase, I believe. So how easy would it be for a new mayor to come in and lower those rates? I mean, what sort of projects would need to be on the chopping block?
Well, that's the funny thing really, I mean everyone says that they want to reduce rates, whether they will keep them at the same level and not have high future increases, or whether it is actually reducing the rates as a different story. But then no one's too keen to say what projects they would actually like to cut to reduce
the rates. There are a huge number of things that have been brought up though as pit projects that are quite expensive, one being the town Hall redevelopment that's already underway. There will be no cutting that now, I think lots of the money's already spent. The Golden Miles also another really expensive project. It is half funded by New Zealand Transport Agency. It's about one hundred million dollars and it's being paid fifty to fifty between the Council and NZTA.
But there's lots of other things. I mean, the Council has this term really been trying to cut a lot of things to try reduce that rate's burden. There have been things like the Go in your House that's been looking to be demolished, as well as things like the City to See Bridge because in both those cases, strengthening and refurbishment work has been seen as too expensive by
the council as well as the Candala pool. That's another issue in the same basket where redoing it has been seen to be too expensive, and so those things, I think those community facilities that vote is really really care about in an important to the local communities will be bought up. I know Andrew Little has already brought up those sort of instances for things that he would want to save, but as for what would be cut is a bit more of a tricky question to answer.
Now you mentioned Golden Mile.
The Golden Mile project broke ground this week with the redevelopment of Courtney Place officially starting on May fourth. Now to say the project is controversial would be an understatement, right, what's given it that moniker?
I think it's just something that's been debated for so long, and because it will be so disruptive to businesses, it's really polarized people. I mean I was doing some research recently and looking back at the history of it and watching videos of Andy Foster, who was Meya a few years back, doing pitching it and asking for consultation, and it's just such a throwback and it was previously under
let's get Wellington moving. I think really the business aspect and support for businesses is a really contentious issue there. When you've got these vocal business owners saying that, look, we would have to close if this happened because they don't think they'll be able to sustain it. That's what's become polarizing and that's something that we're done to see. Were some of the candidates coming out saying that they'd like to support businesses.
The city is in pretty serious trouble, it looks like to me, I think the heart of those problems is a lack of leadership. I think there are a lot of problems being ignored. I think there's a lot of issues been given priority that, in my view aren't really
the priorities for Wellington. Wellington's changed a lot in the last couple of years because of the public service cuts and the pressure on business, and we need a counsel that actually is respectful of that, and it prepared to change course to accommodate that.
I saw that.
While Andrew Little said he wouldn't come in and rip up whatever's been done, he said it'd be unwise to enter any new agreements before October's council elections.
Now that gives a tinge of uncertainty.
Hey, do you think the trials and tribulations of the Golden Mile project are actually really over?
It'll fully depend on whether the current council and Torri Fino can get that key contract for the Courtney Place work signed before the election. They say that they're actively working on it, they're trying to get it signed. And I note after those comments were made by Andrew Little Toy came out quite strongly and said, look Little is not an elected member. He can't make those calls and he will have to wait until he is mere if he is elected to be able to say those things.
She will be doing everything she can to try get them signed before the election because essentially her legacy is on the line there. That's something that she campaigned on very strongly. She was voted in with a mandate to do the Golden Mile and so she'll be wanting to see it through so that after she's gone she can point to it and say, look, that is something that I've achieved for Wellington.
Now.
In other Wellington related news, Minister for ral Winston Peters has announced the retirement of the Ardite Ferry from the Cook Straight Now. It'll mean the inter islander fleet will go from three to two. What's the reaction been to.
This, Well, initially concerns raised to sort of surround what's going to happen in the interim. So as we know, our rail enabled theories aren't due to arrive until twenty twenty nine. There are poor upgrades underway ahead of their arrival, and the arditary can't use the other wharf and Pickton because it requires specific loading and unloading of the structure. That's that one hundred and twenty million dollars that Winston
Peters is talking about saving. So Rail Action Collective founder Neil Robson says it's the only rail enabled ship, the d Tiri that they have and it takes up to eighty percent of rail freight across the strait. He says interround, that is two remaining theories will have to shoulder the load. But Kibi Rail chief executive Peter Reddy has said, well, it's due to leave Wellington late next month. He said they're working to give everyone certainty as soon as possible. Now.
Although Aditiri is currently interund that is only rail enabled fury Kibirail can and already does carry rail freight on Kaituki and Kayarahi using a road bridging process really says they'll be super charging this operation in the meantime.
Yeah, I don't suppose the opposition parties are too pleased with it as well.
No Salabour's transport spokesperson Tungi Utakiri has said that the two remaining what he describes as old and aging theories are going to have to work double time because of what he described as Nikola Willis's botched original Fury deal. He's, of course referring to the acting of the Rix Fury contract eighteen months ago after it became there was a three billion dollar cost blowout.
Now we've spoken on this podcast earlier this year about how landlords were struggling to find renters and we've heard about businesses closing down every other week. It feels like some cafe or restaurant has closed. What's the mood like in Wellington at the moment.
Well I think that Yeah, there has been a lot of talk about whether this perennial debate around whether Wellington is dying. I think a little bit of that has subsided. There was definitely a flurry towards the end of last year of business closures. The issue of rents was also an interesting one. We saw rateable values for properties decrease by around twenty five percent, so that was a huge
change in the property market with house prices decreasing. So I think there are a lot of issues for Wellington. The city's sort of at a crossroads with lots of debate around how things need to be fixed. But it'll be that October elegation that will really be a key moment for the way forward and how Wellington responds to these issues that it seems to be facing.
Wellington has had three one term mayors in a row. Are Wellingonian's hoping for a bit more stability maybe?
Yeah. The one term meor issue has been something that's debated a little bit after obviously, after Torri final announced that she wouldn't be seeking re election that will make her the third consecutive one term mayor. Immediately following that, Dame Carey Prendergast to form a three term meor came out and told Mike Costing that that was bad for the city. It's been something that I've been sort of
trying to dig into. Why has Wellington had three one term mayors and why is it different from the rest of the country in that sense. This morning I interviewed at local government experts doctor Andy Asquith. He was sort of saying that it's a symptom of the dysfunction at Wellington City Council and those political sort of power struggles.
He thinks that the most recent two meors haven't been able to really bring the council together and that's why Wellingtonians are, in his words, sort of sick of them and throwing them out in favor of looking for more certainty. But I think an interesting aspect of this election is that Wellingtonians now have the option to vote in the incumbent.
We are going to have to see a fresh face and new pair of hands, and so it'll be whether the person who gets voted anixt is able to commit to and serve multiple terms in the role.
Thanks for joining us, Ethan, great thanks for having me. That's it for this episode of The Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzadherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also our sound engineer.
I'm Chelsea Daniels.
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