Over the past 18 months, I’ve lost count of how many dinner conversations with friends will at some stage include a discussion about the state of Wellington city and all its current woes. While there is plenty of material to critique, interestingly most still talk about a city they love living in for the people, culture and diversity. Surely that means there is some hope! In the 1990s and 2000s Absolutely Positively Wellington was a slogan that was believable, especially when coupled with the ‘Coolest Little City’ tag. Where did it all go wrong?
You can feel it as much as you can read about it. Retail decline, rates climbing, property values soft, the public service carrying cuts and uncertainty. And don’t forget the pipes and new water rates. It’s a tired city and a bit unsure of itself, but I’m a firm believer there are actions that can be taken to turn the tide – albeit slowly.
First, we have to believe in cycles – and no, I don’t mean lanes, they should be dug up, but that’s a discussion for another day, but the traditional economic, social and urban rhythm every city and economy moves through. Wellington has done this before and will again. The government sector will settle, investment will return, rates will eventually ease. That part just takes time, and it wouldn’t hurt to remember this.
Secondly and my key point: we need a long term vision. Ask anyone what Wellington is trying to become in ten years, or twenty, or fifty and you get a shrug or a list of things to fix. That’s not a vision, it’s a maintenance schedule. For our Council right now and possibly for several terms to come the job is consolidation – fix the water, hold spending, keep the lights on. Fair enough, but concurrently it also could play a critical lead role in shaping a vision.
Council doesn’t have to build the future but rather act as a facilitator to set some long term direction unconstrained by Long Term Plans and short term political priorities. We know first-hand from working with many City and Regional Councils across New Zealand, that Councils can play a key role as a first mover and activator that when done well and with clarity. Tauranga City Council is an obvious example as its commitment to community and visitor facilities and waterfront are breathing life into the CBD. Napier is now on a similar path with its new Te Aka library and civic precinct, again providing needed facilities and drawing people back into the city. Christchurch is now New Zealand’s poster city. The circumstances were unusual as we all know, but a clear rebuild vision was always the commitment. These examples came from a council prepared to back a long-term view and stick with it through the funding and design pressure that follows.
We should be expecting our city leaders to set the long-horizon picture that is both optimistic while being grounded in reality. We should also call on the creatives and private sector Wellingtonians to lead the discussion. Architecture firm Warren & Mahoney launched its imaginative ‘Dear Wellington’ campaign in 2025, where it would be hard not to feel inspired by the images presented. But where did this initiative end up? This proactivity amounts to nothing if they are not supported by both the Council and private sectors and turned into a generally agreed course of direction. I accept it may not feel like a priority to Council right now, but perhaps it should be on the ‘to do list’ this term.
Fundamentally, we Wellingtonians need a vision and a plan to get through this rut. We look with envy at what Christchurch has achieved over time (and no one wants a natural disaster to make that happen obviously) but look at how success started with The Blueprint prepared in 2012 that set the direction. We’ve seen the same thing closer to home. Our advisory work with Tauranga, Napier, Palmerston North and Nelson City Council’s all involved activation and council led vision, that we believe is the cornerstone for kick starting re-invention.
