Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and council officials on $50,000 Asia trip

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and four senior city council officials are on a trip to Asia at a cost of $50,000.

An official from WellingtonNZ, the region’s economic development agency, is also going at a cost of $12,000.

Whanau is currently overseas leading the 10-day business delegation to China, Japan, and South Korea.

The trip is being pitched as an opportunity for Wellington to make a major effort to formally reconnect with three of its major international trade partners.

The delegation includes representatives from the city’s film and education sectors and is the first business group, led by the mayor, to leave the capital in four years.

Whanau said it is an established fact that senior politicians, including mayors, carry prestige in these countries and are able to open doors for international business delegations.

“I’ll be doing my bit to help establish new relationships and strengthen those we already have. The aim is to make critical connections and strengthen relationships between Wellington and Asia.”

Wellington City Council issued a statement this afternoon after the Herald first made inquiries about the cost of the trip last week.

Travel and accommodation for the four staff and the mayor are expected to cost about $50,000.

It comes as Wellington City Council is facing a financial reality that could pour cold water on Whanau’s big campaign promises and see hundreds of millions of dollars in capital spending cut.

Last week councillor Diane Calvert sought legal advice to lift the lid on what she said was a “financial crisis”.

The staff travelling with Whanau are someone from her office, an economic adviser, an international relations adviser, and an executive leadership team member.

Council chief strategy and governance officer Stephen McArthur said the number of council staff travelling was similar to that of previous large business delegations over the past two decades.

“Staff help to make sure the delegation sticks to its itinerary and that delegation members get the assistance necessary to achieve their objectives,” he said.

“Having not sent a Wellington City delegation to Asia in four years, this trip represents a well-overdue opportunity to connect us once again with the world, driving opportunities to promote our city as a world-class place to visit, live and work, as well as helping to drive new business ventures that help our local film, sport and education sectors.”

In China, the delegation will visit Beijing, Tianjin and Wellington’s sister city Xiamen.

In Japan, the group will visit Sakai partly to arrange the upcoming 30th anniversary of Wellington’s sister-city relationship.

In South Korea, Whanau will seek to sign a sister-city memorandum of understanding with the mayor of Seoul.

WellingtonNZ is also sending Screen Wellington and Unesco City of Film manager Tanya Black as a member of the delegation.

Black was requested to join the trip because there was a focus on screen industry investment opportunities, a WellingtonNZ spokeswoman said.

“As a member of the delegation, Tanya will promote Wellington screen businesses and investment to our region’s studios, support connections, cooperation agreements, the attraction of international students being made around film education,” she said.

“She will also use the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the screen sector to Wellington and share learnings on the Unesco City of Film programme.”

Georgina Campbell is 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.