Our plan for the New City?

Wellington City Council has been undertaking work to rewrite the city’s planning blueprint for seven years. The importance of this plan to our city cannot be understated. It will direct how we build housing in this city for the coming decades, massively changing the shape and livability of our city.??

The weight of this is not lost on me. This is one of the biggest opportunities to put us on the right track to create a city where we can make sure everyone has a warm, safe, and dry place to call home, and create a liveable city with vibrant and flourishing local communities.??

So, what does this look like in reality? It looks like more homes in areas close to the inner city where people already live, work, and where their children already go to school. Cheaper and more affordable houses for first homeowners to purchase. Shorter commutes to school and work helping drive down our transport emissions. Vibrant communities built around local businesses and restaurants. A happier, and healthier Wellington.????

Aotearoa has a housing problem. Inadequate housing has a well-documented negative knock-on effect for all of us.

Many are currently locked out of owning their own homes, pay through the nose for sky high rents, live in such bad conditions that it makes them and their whanau sick, or at it’s very worst, have no home at all. This simply isn’t acceptable.??

Wellington’s housing development as it stands is also currently untenable. We are way, way behind other cities in terms of how many new houses we consent. This is not how we create a city that is welcoming and affordable.?

Housing is only one part of this puzzle, and alongside housing we need to make sure we continue to create essential public transport infrastructure and put money towards our pipes.? We are doing exactly that.??

But to me as Mayor, the District Plan has represented a crossroads regarding the future of our city. Everything we do as elected members is about choices. Both the hard and the easy ones.??

The two choices presented to us through this District Plan process have been clear.?

Choice one. We could have chosen to restrain the places where people can build in the city making housing unaffordable, pushing people to live outside the city, making commutes longer, congestion worse and putting more pollution into the atmosphere.???

Choice two. Decide to build a modern, 21st century city by scaling up housing density close to the central city where people and communities already exist. This is how we build an affordable, vibrant, resilient city, reduce our emissions, and grow our economy.?

To me the second choice was the only option. We need to accept that we can no longer try to protect the Wellington of the past. We cannot continue to look back at our city’s past with rose tinted glasses. Now is the time to look forward.???

I do not agree with the view put forward by some that zoning for more housing will not enable more houses to be built and therefore reduce the costs of housing. It simply goes against all logic and the bulk of evidence.?

I understand that some people value character and heritage buildings. But I believe it is the people that give Poneke it’s character, and that’s why ultimately, it’s more important to me to make sure Wellington is a place where everyone can afford to live.?

We need to build for the Wellington of the future. I want to make sure that we are planning and building for the next generation.??

A generation who will bring their talent and ideas to add to our city’s rich history, culture, and economy.? To do that we need to make sure there are plenty of affordable place for them to live. ??

On Thursday, the majority of our Council supported amendments to greatly expand the potential for more housing in Wellington. To me, it has been clear from our local representatives, residents, businesses, developers, and students, that this city wants and needs more housing.??

The decisions we made last week will deliver that.??

More details here.