How the heritage trap became a money pit for Wellington Council

Some say heritage regulations are too strict; others say earthquake risk ratings need a rethink. Either way, something needs to change, say critics.

Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, October 27, by Catherine McGregor. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.

In today’s edition: Mortgagee sales staying low despite rate hikes; Council says sorry for poor response to Bromley stench; Auckland council says no, for now, to Māori wards. But first, what can we learn from the eye-wateringly expensive Wellington town hall saga?

Wellington Town Hall (Photo: WikiCommons)

A big, white and empty albatross around Wellington Council’s neck

A little over a decade ago, Civic Square was a very different place. The central library was thriving, as was children’s activity centre Capital E. Across the concourse, the town hall was home to classical music performances, council offices, and meeting rooms for the mayor and councillors. All three buildings now stand empty, and the square will remain a much less lively place until the planned reopening of the library and new Capital E premises in 2026. As for the town hall, it will reopen someday too, after the council this week agreed to fund a $147m cost overrun, bringing the total cost of earthquake strengthening for the building to as much as $330m – more, Joel MacManus notes this morning on The Spinoff, “than the construction of Spark Arena and the new Tākina Convention Centre combined”. MacManus looks at the troubled history of the largely unloved building, described in 1978 by leading architect William Toomath (yep, that name again) as “inexpressive and insignificant” and which only made sense to leave standing as “a sad joke”. 

The traps and tradeoffs of protecting heritage buildings from earthquake risk

As has been widely observed, the town hall is a victim of the so-called heritage trap – it’s considered too historically important to tear down, but bringing it up to seismic code is proving ruinously expensive. It’s the same issue that ultimately doomed the Toomath Building to an ashy grave and, as MacManus wrote earlier in the week, is the reason that a slew of buildings in prime central city locations are currently standing empty. It seems clear to many that something has to change. Economist Eric Crampton is among those who think the heritage regulatory framework needs a rethink. Others say earthquake ratings are too strict – or, at the very least, they should be accompanied by a grown-up conversation about risk tradeoffs. Veteran earthquake scientist Hugh Cowan told Stuff’s Nikki Macdonald last year that he thought the community should have a greater say on the use of at-risk buildings: “Accepting that you can't have everything overnight, what risks or impacts are tolerable?”

Auckland says no for now on Māori council seats

Staying with local government, this week saw a series of votes on the question of Māori seats around the council table. Greater Wellington Regional Council voted to establish a Māori constituency in time for the 2025 local elections, while Auckland Council voted down a similar proposal 11-9. That doesn’t mean the council has completely abandoned the idea – it’ll now be considered by a council governance working group that reports back in December 2024, meaning it’ll be 2028 at the earliest before Auckland Māori can vote in Māori council wards. There are currently 35 councils with Māori wards or constituencies; 32 of those were newly established ahead of the 2022 elections. Councillors received a barrage of emails leading up to the Auckland vote, part of a Hobson’s Pledge campaign against the seats. “Manurewa councillor Angela Dalton said she’d received 1247 of these emails over the past five days,” Newsroom’s Matthew Scott reports.

Dunedin pledges to open council doors following Ombudsman’s report

A Chief Ombudsman’s report criticising the widespread use of secret council workshops has prompted a swift response from Dunedin City Council, which has promised to open its workshops to the public from next month. While Dunedin wasn’t one of the eight councils investigated in the report, it said it would be stepping up its transparency efforts by immediately opening meetings to the public wherever possible. Meanwhile Crux’s Peter Newport reports that Queenstown Lakes District Council, also not one of the eight councils covered by the Ombudsman’s report, has held 86 secret workshops in the last two years “with council staff unsure whether any records were kept”. QLDC says it will consider the Ombudsman’s position but did not commit to changing its policy on behind-closed-doors meetings. 

The untapped potential of New Zealand's gaming industry

Despite decades of mega revenue, gaming remains massively undervalued. And despite international growth, New Zealand has been slow to the plate when it comes to investing in the gaming market. Read more about the future of the gaming market in Aotearoa, on The Spinoff now, in partnership with Stake. (sponsored)

Mortgagee sales staying low despite rate hikes

Mortgagee sales are near their lowest rate since 2005, despite interest rates that are twice as high as they were two years ago and a cost of living crisis that is causing widespread pain. It’s all down to the employment rate, CoreLogic economist Kelvin Davidson tells the Herald’s Julia Gabel (paywalled). The employment rate is currently at 69.8%, the highest level since Stats NZ records began in 1986. Banks are generally happy to work with people experiencing financial difficulty who still have an income rather than moving immediately to a forced sale, Davidson says. While mortgagee sales have increased in the last year, they remain lower than pre-pandemic levels In the first nine months of 2023, there were 86 mortgagee sales compared with 90 in 2022, 61 in 2021 and 112 in 2020, according to data from CoreLogic. The next government employment statistics are due on Monday.

Council says sorry for poor response to Bromley stench

Christchurch City Council has formally apologised to residents of the eastern suburb of Bromley over its response to the stench caused by a fire at a wastewater treatment plant. The smell sat over Bromley and surrounding suburbs for months after the November 2021 fire, with residents complaining of “nausea, vomiting, coughing, sore and watering eyes, headaches and migraines, and sleeplessness”, The Press’s Tina Law writes (paywalled). Following a highly critical report by Wellington consultants Tregaskis Brown earlier this month, the council yesterday released an improvement plan which included an acknowledgement that it failed to properly consider the impact the fire and its aftermath would have on residents’ wellbeing. The council has promised better communication with affected communities, but residents advocate Stephen McPaike is doubtful, calling the improvement plan a “PR effort to placate the east”.

A message from Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman

Thanks to the generous support of Spinoff Members, we were able to cover this election more expansively than ever before with writers reporting from Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, New Plymouth, Wairarapa, Gisborne, Auckland and Northland. With the results in, we will continue to interrogate and report on those who lead this country with rigour, range and humour. If you value The Spinoff’s political coverage, now is a great time to join the thousands of people who support The Spinoff by becoming a member or making a donation.

- Madeleine Chapman, Spinoff editor

How to defend yourself from tech-savvy scammers

In April and June of 2023, online scammers stole $4.2 million from New Zealanders. In this week’s When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey speaks to Kiwibank senior external fraud investigator Sareta Fraser about how bank customers and the bank are in an arms race against increasingly ingenious and awful scammers. She lays out the tricks and schemes used by the scammers and offers tips and techniques that customers can use to protect themselves.

Click and Collect

• A Newshub report on allegations against three former Catholic Church leaders had to be pulled at the last minute after those accused sought a last-minute injunction (paywalled).

• The coroner leading the inquest into the Christchurch mosque attack turned down a plea made in court for the terrorist not to be referred to by name.

• An intensive manhunt is still underway for the suspect in the shooting rampage at a Maine bowling alley and restaurant that left at least 18 dead.

• Headline of the day: Salmon ice cream at Epsom shop 'like cat food but in a good way'.

Right now on The Spinoff

Preyanka Gothanayagi ranks Wellington's roti canai combos from worst to best.  Lucy Zee remembers when Thin Lizzy promised a makeup miracle. Joel MacManus recaps how the Wellington Town Hall became a $330 millstone for the council. Toby Manhire ponders the case of Winston Peters and the demonstrably true tweet. Ataria Sharman talks to Gavin Bishop about the extraordinary circumstances that led to his latest book about the New Zealand Wars. And Duncan Greive takes to the monopod microphone to respond to news that Three is axing The Project.

Sporting snippets

• Brodie Retallick to start, plus the rest of the full starting lineup for the All Blacks’ RWC final against the Springboks (you can find their starting lineup here).

• World Rugby has dropped its investigation into racism allegations against Springboks hooker Mbongeni "Bongi" Mbonambi, citing “insufficient evidence”.

• The All Blacks will pocket $150,000 a head if they win on Sunday. How does that compare with other winning teams in the past?

Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.

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