Wellington City Council Te Kaunihera o Pōneke | |
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Type | |
Type | City council of Wellington |
Leadership | |
Mayor | Tory Whanau, Green |
Deputy Mayor | Laurie Foon, Green |
CEO | Barbara McKerrow |
Structure | |
Seats | 16 |
Political groups |
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Elections | |
Voting system | STV |
Last election | 8 October 2022 |
Next election | 11 October 2025 |
Meeting place | |
Ngake, Level 16, 113 The Terrace, Wellington | |
Website | |
wellington.govt.nz/ | |
Footnotes | |
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Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Mākara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
Wellington attained city status in 1886. The settlement had become the colonial capital and seat of government by 1865, replacing Auckland. Parliament officially sat in Wellington for the first time on 26 July 1865. During the last half of the nineteenth century, Wellington grew rapidly from 7,460 residents in 1867 to 49,344 by the end of the century.
The council represents a population of 215,300 as of June 2024 and consists of a mayor and fifteen councillors elected from six wards (Northern, Onslow-Western, Lambton, Eastern, Southern general wards and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward). It administers public works, sanitation, land use and building consents, among other local services. The council has used the marketing slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington" in an official capacity since the early 1990s.
On 22 October 2024 the New Zealand government appointed Lindsay McKenzie as a Crown Observer to the council after the Council was forced to revise its 2023–2024 Long Term Plan in response to a failed attempt to sell its airport shares. MP and former Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul has accused the government's decision to appoint the Crown Observer as politically motivated.
Council and committees
The mayor and all councillors are members of council. Following a review in 2021 by former Local Government New Zealand chief executive Peter Winder, the council adopted a new committee structure. All committees apart from Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Council and Unaunahi Ngaio Chief Executive Performance Review Committee include two mana whenua representatives (pouiwi), who are paid and have voting rights.
Committee | Chair | Deputy Chair | Membership |
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Te Kaunihera o Pōneke | Mayor Tory Whanau | Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon | Mayor and all councillors |
Kōrau Tūāpapa Environment and Infrastructure Committee | Cr Tim Brown | Cr Rebecca Matthews | Mayor, all councillors, and both pouiwi |
Environment and Infrastructure Hearings Panel | Cr Tim Brown | Cr Free, Cr Randle, Cr Abdurahman, Cr Matthews, Cr Wi Neera | |
Kōrau Tōtōpū Annual Plan/Long-term Plan, Finance and Performance Committee | Cr Rebecca Matthews | Councillor John Apanowicz | Mayor, all councillors, and both pouiwi |
Kōrau Mātinitini Social, Cultural and Economic Committee | Cr Teri O'Neill | Cr Nureddin Abdurahman | Mayor, all councillors, and both pouiwi |
Social, Cultural, and Economic Hearings Panel | Cr Nureddin Abdurahman | Cr O'Neill, Cr Apanowicz, Cr Chung, Cr Pannett, Cr Free, Cr Wi Neera | |
Kāwai Whakatipu Grants Subcommittee | Cr Nīkau Wi Neera | Cr Nicola Young | Mayor and deputy mayor, Cr Brown, Cr O'Neill, Pouiwi Holden Hohaia |
Koata Hātepe Regulatory Processes Committee | Cr Sarah Free | Cr Ben McNulty | Mayor, Cr Abdurahman, Cr Calvert, Cr Chung, Cr Rogers, Pouiwi Liz Kelly |
Unaunahi Māhirahira Audit and Risk Subcommittee | Bruce Robertson (external appointee) | Cr Tony Randle | Mayor, Cr Apanowicz, Cr Chung, Cr Matthews, Cr Pannett, Pouiwi Liz Kelly, Wendy Venter (external appointee) |
Unaunahi Ngaio Chief Executive Performance Review Committee | Mayor Tory Whanau | Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon | Cr Matthews, Cr O'Neill, Cr Brown |
Wellington's local electoral wards were given Māori names in 2018, after consultation with mana whenua.
Mayor
Main article: Mayor of Wellington See also: 2019 Wellington City mayoral election and 2022 Wellington City mayoral electionOne mayor is elected at large from the entire Wellington City district.
Photo | Name | Affiliation (if any) | First elected | Responsibilities | |
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Tory Whanau | Independent | 2022 |
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Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward
Te Whanganui a Tara is a Māori ward created by Wellington City Council in 2021. The 2022 election returned Nīkau Wi-Neera as its first-ever councillor.
Photo | Name | Affiliation (if any) | First elected | Responsibilities | |
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Nīkau Wi-Neera | Greens | 2022 |
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Motukairangi/Eastern Ward
Motukairangi/Eastern Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
Photo | Name | Affiliation (if any) | First elected | Responsibilities | |
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Sarah Free | Independent | 2013 |
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Teri O'Neill | Labour | 2019 |
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Tim Brown | Independent | 2022 |
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Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward
Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2024 the councillors are:
Photo | Name | Affiliation (if any) | First elected | Responsibilities | |
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Iona Pannett | Independent | 2007 |
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Nicola Young | Independent | 2013 |
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Geordie Rogers | Greens | 2024 |
Takapū/Northern Ward
Takapū/Northern Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward
Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
Paekawakawa/Southern Ward
Paekawakawa/Southern Ward is the only ward that returns two councillors to the Wellington City Council (all others returning one or three). Since 2022 the councillors are:
Pouiwi
Two pouiwi (tribal representatives) were appointed in 2023 by the Council's Tākai Here partners, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. They have voting rights on Council committees, including committees of the whole, but not on the full Council. Since 2023 the pouiwi are:
Name | Appointed by | Responsibilities |
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Holden Hohaia | Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika |
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Liz Kelly | Ngāti Toa Rangatira |
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Community boards
The council has created two local community boards under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, with members elected using a single transferable vote (STV) system or appointed by the council.
These are:
- Tawa Community Board, having six elected members and two appointed members, representing the northern suburbs of Tawa, Grenada North and Takapū Valley; and
- Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board, having six elected members, representing the rural suburbs of Ohariu, Mākara and Mākara Beach.
Civic symbols
Coat of arms
The Wellington City Council first adopted a coat of arms in 1878. This coat of arms had the description:
Quarterly 1st Azure out of a ducal Crown OR a demi-lion rampant Gules holding in the paws a forked pennon flowing to the sinister, charged with the cross of St. George the ends Gules (crest of the Duke of Wellington).
2nd ARGENT. A galley with sails furled and oars and pennons SABLE (the commerce of the City).
3rd GULES. A garb (a wheat or wheat sheaf) PROPER (the Agricultural interests).
4th AZURE. A golden fleece PROPER cinctured GULES (the Pastoral interests).
Crest Mural Crown or surmounted by a dolphin embowed AZURE (supremacy by naval position).
MANTLE, AZURE and GULES. Supporters. Dexter. The British Lion. Sinister a Moa but PROPER. Motto "Suprema a Situ" (Supreme by position). Under the motto "1840" (date of the foundation of the City and Colony).
The Wellington City Corporation was granted an official coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1951, the blazon for which is:
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Badge and Flag
Main article: Flag of WellingtonWellington City Council was also granted a badge by the College of Arms in 1963, with the heraldic description:
A Roundel Azure thereon a Lymphad Or the sail argent charged with a Dolphin naiant Azure pennon and flags flying Argent each charged with a Cross Gules.
The flag of Wellington, adopted on 12 December 1962, incorporates the city's badge over a black cross on a gold field.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 179,466 | — |
2013 | 190,956 | +0.89% |
2018 | 202,737 | +1.20% |
Source: |
Wellington City had a population of 202,737 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 11,781 people (6.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 23,271 people (13.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 74,841 households. There were 98,823 males and 103,911 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 34.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 32,856 people (16.2%) aged under 15 years, 54,999 (27.1%) aged 15 to 29, 93,669 (46.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 21,213 (10.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 74.1% European/Pākehā, 8.6% Māori, 5.1% Pacific peoples, 18.3% Asian, and 4.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 33.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.2% had no religion, 31.4% were Christian, 3.7% were Hindu, 1.6% were Muslim, 1.7% were Buddhist and 3.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 74,922 (44.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 12,690 (7.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 96,453 (56.8%) people were employed full-time, 24,738 (14.6%) were part-time, and 7,719 (4.5%) were unemployed.
Name | Population | Households | Median age | Median income |
---|---|---|---|---|
Takapū Northern Ward | 47,796 | 16,467 | 35.9 years | $41,500 |
Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward | 43,176 | 15,750 | 38.6 years | $51,800 |
Pukehīnau Lambton Ward | 46,140 | 18,204 | 28.4 years | $37,500 |
Motukairangi Eastern Ward | 37,965 | 14,199 | 37 years | $41,100 |
Paekawakawa Southern Ward | 27,654 | 10,221 | 34 years | $38,700 |
New Zealand | 37.4 years | $31,800 |
Suburbs
Wellington city has 57 officially defined suburbs; one can group them by the wards used to elect the city council. Some areas, while officially forming part of a larger suburb (or several suburbs), are considered by some to be separate communities. The officially defined suburbs include:
Takapū Northern Ward
- official: Churton Park; Glenside; Grenada North; Grenada Village; Horokiwi; Johnsonville; Newlands; Ohariu; Paparangi; Takapu Valley; Tawa; Woodridge
- informal: Greenacres; Linden; Redwood
Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward
- official: Broadmeadows; Crofton Downs; Kaiwharawhara; Karori; Khandallah; Mākara; Mākara Beach; Ngaio; Ngauranga; Northland; Wadestown; Wilton.
- informal: Cashmere; Chartwell; Highland Park; Rangoon Heights; Te Kainga
Pukehīnau Lambton Ward
- official: Aro Valley; Highbury; Kelburn; Mount Cook; Mount Victoria; Oriental Bay; Pipitea; Te Aro; Thorndon; Wellington
Within Lambton Ward, the council's tourism agency has designated three inner-city "quarters", as marketing subdivisions to promote international and domestic tourism. They are:
- Courtenay Quarter, centred around Courtenay Place
- Cuba Quarter, centred around Cuba Street
- Lambton Quarter, centred around Lambton Quay
- The Waterfront Quarter, centred around the waterfront
Paekawakawa Southern Ward
- official: Berhampore; Brooklyn; Island Bay; Kingston; Mornington; Newtown; Ōwhiro Bay; Southgate; Vogeltown
- informal: Kowhai Park
Motukairangi Eastern Ward
- official: Breaker Bay; Hataitai; Houghton Bay; Karaka Bays; Kilbirnie; Lyall Bay; Maupuia; Melrose; Miramar; Moa Point; Rongotai; Roseneath; Seatoun; Strathmore Park
- informal: Crawford; Seatoun Bays; Seatoun Heights; Miramar Heights; Strathmore Heights.
Council-owned companies and enterprises
The Wellington City Council owns or directly operates several companies.
The council is a part-owner of Wellington Airport, and has two representatives on the airport's board. Mayor Andy Foster has been a member of the board since 2016, but has been criticised for poor attendance at board meetings.
The seven council-controlled organisations (CCOs) are
- Basin Reserve Trust
- Karori Sanctuary Trust (Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne)
- Wellington Cable Car Ltd
- Wellington Museums Trust (ExperienceWellington), which operates City Gallery Wellington and the Museum of Wellington City & Sea
- Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency Ltd (WREDA)
- Wellington Water manages all three water services for Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils, and South Wairarapa District councils.
- Wellington Zoo Trust
The council has a similar interest in the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust.
Sister-city relationships
- Sister cities
- Sydney, Australia
- Canberra, Australia
- Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Xiamen, Fujian, People's Republic of China
- Sakai, Osaka, Japan
- Historical sister cities
- Friendly cities
- Tianjin, People's Republic of China
Proposed/air marked future sister cities
History
Amalgamations
The City of Wellington has subsumed many neighbouring boroughs including:
- Melrose (established 1888) in 1903
- Onslow (Khandallah/Ngaio) (established 1890) in 1919 (Wadestown had joined the city in 1906)
- Karori (established 1891) in 1920
- Miramar (established 1904) in 1921
- Johnsonville (a Town Board from 1908), in 1953
- Tawa (a Town district from 1951, then the Tawa Flat Borough Council from 1953) in 1989
List of town clerks/chief executives
The city council was legally headed by a town clerk, who was in charge of the council administration and operations, later renamed as chief executive officer in 1991. Holders of the office since 1842 are:
Name | Years |
---|---|
George White | 1842–1843 |
Robert Suckling Cheesman | 1843 |
William Bannister | 1863–1865 |
J. B. Wallace | 1865–1867 |
John Rigg | 1867–1871 |
William Hester | 1872–1877 |
Charles C. Graham | 1877–1883 |
Thomas F. Martin | 1883–1889 |
Joseph Page | 1889-1902 |
John R. Palmer | 1902–1925 |
Robert Tait Jr. (acting) | 1925–1926 |
Edwin Philip Norman | 1926–1952 |
Basil Peterson | 1952–1956 |
Mervyn Sinclair Duckworth | 1956–1964 |
Francis W. Pringle | 1964–1972 |
Ian McCutcheon | 1972–1984 |
David Niven | 1984–1991 |
Doug Matheson (acting) | 1991 |
Angela C. Griffin | 1991–1997 |
Garry Poole | 1998–2013 |
Kevin Lavery | 2013–2019 |
Barbara McKerrow | 2019–present |
Buildings
The Wellington City Council owns and until May 2019 operated from a complex on Wakefield Street, with various extensions each representing a distinctive architectural period. The complex incorporates the Wellington Town Hall which opened in 1904, with the most recent extension completed in 1991 alongside the Wellington Central Library.
The Wakefield Street complex has been cleared of back office functions, and since 28 May 2019 will be closed completely for repairs and earthquake strengthening. In the interim, most of the council's central office staff are located in commercial premises at 113 The Terrace, and the council's public service centre is at 12 Manners Street. Due to repairs also being needed to the Wellington Central Library, and Capital E, all of the civic buildings on Civic Square are closed, except for the City Gallery.
See also
Notes
- Footnotes
- Multiple councillors are elected to general wards using the single transferable vote (STV) system
- Citations
- "Our Executive Leadership team". wellington.govt.nz. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- Wellington City Council (22 April 2021). "Speaking at meetings". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- "Wellington region. Page 8 – From town to city: 1865–1899". TeAra.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- "Overview – Elections 2010 – Wellington City Council". Retrieved 10 August 2010.
- Maclean, Chris (14 November 2012). "Branding Wellington". TeAra.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- Smith, Sam (11 November 2024). "Crown Observer appointed to Wellington Council". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- "Wellington City Council's Crown observer named as Lindsay McKenzie". RNZ. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- Hunt, Tom (18 November 2024). "Case for Crown intervention 'finely balanced' despite Wellington City Council issues". The Post. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- Wellington City Council. "Council's new committee structure agreed". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Wellington City Council (29 April 2021). "Council votes to include mana whenua at the meeting table". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Wellington City Council (13 June 2018). "Bilingual naming of Wellington City Council wards". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Campbell, Georgina (14 March 2022). "Labour announces Wellington local body election candidates". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- "Wellington City Council – 2022 Triennial Elections" (PDF). Wellington City Council. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- "Councillor Nīkau Wi Neera". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Sarah Free". Wellington City Council. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Teri O'Neill". Wellington City Council. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Tim Brown". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Iona Pannett". Wellington City Council. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Nicola Young". Wellington City Council. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Ben McNulty". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Tony Randle". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor John Apanowicz". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Diane Calvert". Wellington City Council. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Rebecca Matthews". Wellington City Council. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Ray Chung". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon". Wellington City Council. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman". Wellington City Council. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- "Meet our mana whenua representatives". Wellington City Council. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "Pouiwi Holden Hohaia". Wellington City Council. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "Pouiwi Liz Kelly". Wellington City Council. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "Local Government Act 2002 No 84 (as at 01 July 2017)". www.legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- "Electoral Systems". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- "Tawa Community Board". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Ward maps and boundaries". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- "Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Timeline - We Built This City". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- "Wellington City Council coat of arms (general file)". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. p. 81. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- "Coats of Arms – Local". Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "Letters patent granting armorial ensigns [Grant for WCC Coat of Arms]". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- "Letters patent granting use of roundel". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- "City of Wellington: city flag". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Wellington City (047). 2018 Census place summary: Wellington City
- Campbell, Georgina. "Report reveals Wellington Mayor Andy Foster's poor airport board meeting attendance". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Wellington City Council. "Te Pūrongo ā-Tau Annual Report 2019–2020" (PDF). Wellington City Council. p. 105. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- "Harrogate, England". wellington.govt.nz. Wellington City Council. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- "Sister Cities – Overview". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- "Canberra and Wellington Strengthen Ties". ACT Government. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- "Historical Sister Cities". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "Friendly cities". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- Betts 1970, p. 39.
- ^ Yska 2006, p. 113.
- Yska 2006, pp. 91–2.
- Betts 1970, p. 86.
- Yska 2006, p. 234.
- Yska 2006, p. 243.
- Betts 1970, p. 262.
References
- Betts, George (1970). Betts on Wellington: a city and its politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 0 589 00469 7.
- A Complete Guide To Heraldry by A.C. Fox-Davies 1909.
- Yska, Redmer (2006). Wellington: Biography of a city. Auckland: Reed. ISBN 0-7900-1117-4.
External links
Local government in New Zealand | |
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