Wellington buildings to be backdrops for statements on the city's future

Wellington City buildings, backdrops and landscapes will act as giant canvasses in the next month to spark conversations about the future of the city.

Public consultation on Wellington City Council's 10-year plan starts today and to raise awareness and encourage engagement, the council will be projecting statements and sentiments it hopes with resonate with Wellingtonians on to a range of city backdrops.

The 10-year plan will determine the level of investment in all aspects of the city for the next decade, including in the critical areas of housing, transport, arts and culture, economic growth, resilience and the environment.

"This is our chance to shape how Wellington will evolve over the next decade and to invest in what Wellingtonians tell us is important," Mayor Justin Lester said.

"We have big decisions to make, including about how we make sure we have enough housing, how we prepare our city for natural disasters and how we protect and nurture our environment for future generations."

The first projection will be on the Town Hall this evening between 6.30pm and 8.30pm. It will read: "I want a city that can withstand anything nature throws at it."

All projections will take place in the early evening and involve many different locations around the city, depending on the topic.

"The projected statements, by intent, will be direct and provocative," Lester said.

"We know that it's increasingly challenging to get people's attention, but we think the projections will encourage Wellingtonians to stop, think on what the plan means for them and then tell us about it.

"Wellington has big decisions to make as part of this 10-year plan, so it's important we hear from as wide a group as possible," said councillor Diane Calvert, the council's community planning and engagement portfolio leader.

"The decisions we make now will have implications for all Wellingtonians. We want to ensure the decisions we make reflect the broad views of our residents."

People can read the plan and have their say on the website or through social media via #WgtnPlan.

"We've done everything we can to not only raise awareness, but to make it easy for people to have their say. Ten minutes on 10yearplan.wellington.govt.nz is all it takes," Lester said.