However, Bennett said the general election result, which turned Rongotai and Wellington Central green, showed Wellington was out of step with the rest of the country.
As the Greens come to power in the capital, money has dried up for transformational projects like light rail, about 44 per cent of the region’s drinking water is being lost through leaky pipes, and earthquake strengthening and refurbishing the city’s town hall could cost as much as $329 million.
Bennett said this meant Mayor Tory Whanau couldn’t do much.
“I think perhaps she was naive running on a transformation ticket... but I think it’s really unfair to lay this current situation at her feet.”
Bennett said Whanau’s predecessor Andy Foster, who is now a New Zealand First list MP, should face scrutiny too.
“He was on Wellington City Council for 27 years and then he was our mayor and maybe it was him who didn’t make us quite aware of just how serious the situation was and the fact that we didn’t get the ball rolling earlier on water meters.”
Foster launched a mayoral task force into Three Waters although many of its recommendations remained unaddressed.
Playwright and Wellingtonian Dave Armstrong also characterised Whanau as naive when she said she would be deeply concerned if Simeon Brown became the Transport Minister when he was still in Opposition.
Armstrong said it was becoming increasingly apparent a change of Government was likely when Whanau made those comments.
“You always keep channels open with people. If you’re a politician and you don’t agree with the other side, it doesn’t mean that you have a shouting match.”
Whanau has since apologised for “that crack”.
Armstrong said Whanau has also since swallowed her pride and become a little more circumspect, which he thought was good when it came to working with the new government.
Listen to the full episode to hear more from Katrina Bennett and Dave Armstrong about where to from here for Wellington.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Georgina Campbell, a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
