Wellington’s new Mayor-elect Andrew Little says he’s begun “very fruitful” discussions about the term ahead, after a landslide win on Saturday saw him romp into the mayoralty with a 25,000 vote majority.
On progress results, Little and the left bloc have a commanding majority around the council table 10 to six, with five Labour councillors, plus Little, four Green councillors and six independent councillors firmly on the centre right.
Speaking to the Herald on Monday, Little said he has spoken to each of the elected councillors over the phone, and is planning more in-depth meetings this week.
Little also said he had met with Wellington City Council chief executive Matt Prosser for an hour and a half.
“We went through sort of the big issues,” he said.
One of those big issues is the city’s controversial Golden Mile transport project, which became a key election issue when none of the front-runners backed it in its current form.
While supporting the project in principle, Little campaigned on reviewing it out of concerns for cost escalation and potential impact on nearby businesses.
Little today said the council has now launched a review into the project.
“We’ve got to think carefully about whether this is a commitment we can make, he [Prosser] raised the issue about anything we change puts the Government funding at risk,” he said.
“No one’s going to believe that the cost won’t have gone up.
“If we end up signing up to something that we just can’t afford because of current circumstances, that’s a bigger risk. So, it’s about weighing all those things up and getting that in front of council as soon as possible.”
The project, most recently forecast to cost $116 million, will be 50% funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Wellington City Council, but is being managed in-house by the council.
Works on a small portion of the works are currently under way, involving only the intersection at Kent Terrace and Cambridge and Courtenay Place.
That portion is to align the intersection with Courtenay Place, where the main revitalisation work is planned, but a contract on that phase remains uncertain with a contract for the work still unsigned.
Council officers said in August that the contract for that work would likely be finalised in November, despite attempts by former Mayor Tory Whanau to get it signed off before the end of her term.
Little said any work on contract negotiations would be paused while the council reviews the project.
“I want to be reassured about the funding and financing and the potential disruption to business,” he said.
“I think council’s got to be reassured about those things before taking any further steps.”
Wellington City Council would not comment on the project’s status when asked about the mayor-elect’s comments.
Little would not be pushed on who he may pick to be his deputy, saying that, along with designating committee chairs, was a priority for the coming weeks.
Asked whether he was likely to pick a Labour or Green ally, or reach across the aisle offering the role to an independent councillor, Little said he didn’t yet have “any predilections about the profile of the person”.
However, he would consider “obviously what’s good for me, but what’s good for council and the other councillors”.
He confirmed he has communicated with Whanau, who is now off council after losing her tilt at the Māori ward seat to Labour’s Matthew Rewiti.
“We had a text exchange, we’re going to catch up in the next few days,” he said.
He has also spoken to competitor Ray Chung, who lost out at the mayoralty after an at-times tense campaign against Little, having being elected back to council in the Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward.
“He was good, and he relayed some of the issues that he had talked to me a bit about before on the campaign trail.”
Little said he has not yet heard from former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern.
“I don’t know where in the world she is these days, but I imagine at some point.”
A spokesman for Little’s campaign earlier confirmed the pair had been in touch after he announced his campaign, when she wished him well.
The progress results represent approximately 85% of those cast, but exclude more than 10,000 last-minute votes made on Friday and Saturday morning.
The results could still change before the final official numbers are published, expected to be later this week.
Little and his council will be sworn in at a ceremony at council on October 30.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.