Ben McNulty
@ponekeben
Deputy Mayor and Wellington City Councillor for the Takapū/Northern Ward. linktr.ee/ponekeben
If the government are sticking with regulatory relief (dumb when trying to put together regulatory reform that has to last decades) then they need to make explicit that there will be the ability for councils to walk back protections that incur the relief in the first place.
Acting Mayoral Update this week. 🏙 The latest on council amalgamation 🐦 Bird flu has made its way to New Zealand but Zealandia/Zoo have been preparing for three years 🖼 The future of the Wellington Museum given massive strengthening costs
I'm picking up the wrap from @andrewlittlenz.bsky.social this week. Whatever your interests, this weekend Wellington has you covered! There's Zealandia, late nights at Space Place, basketball, Lego Star Wars or find a place to watch the All Blacks beat Ireland 🏉
This is the model. The five community councils would be Wairarapa, Kapiti, Hutt Valley, North Wellington/Porirua and Central Wellington.
Amalgamation Update 📢🏙 Elected members are currently considering a model which would have a regional mayor and unitary council with five community councils sitting underneath.
Man it's cool* how basically every piece of infrastructure in the country is essentially rooted. *not actually cool
Another stunning year of Matariki Ahi Kā in the capital. I'm proud that Te Whanaganui-a-Tara is playing home to the nation's best Matariki celebration. As I see my kids embrace Matariki through their education, it gives me assurance that the future of Aotearoa belongs in good hands.
Bunch of cows looking like they're about to drop the hardest album of the year.
Update 31 👇 Matariki Ahi Kā on until Sunday night, the latest on council amalgamation, week one of Tiaki Wai and Tawa's Bucket Tree is NZ's tree of the year 👏🌳
The Newlands Community House team who administer the Newlands Foodbank are in urgent need of pantry staples: rice, pasta, sauces, cereals, instant noodles, cooking oil, biscuits and the like. Donations can be dropped off at the Newlands Community Centre or New World Newlands.
Bluesky will never be good because no-one here would ever seriously post that their great great uncle didn't log off at Gallipoli.
I reckon the entire way Huffer has handled this saga has caused much more brand damage than the initial allegations. How to torch your brand credibility 101. www.thepost.co.nz/business/361...
We want to hear from you on: ❓️ Do we put in a proposal or have government design it for us? ❓️ Which other councils should we consider merging with? ❓️ What benefits do you think we'll get out of an amalgamated council? ❓️ What are you most concerned about in an amalgamation?
The Local Government Minister is worried about 'gold-plated' climate maps that show areas that flooded in April as being at risk. What in the actual f? www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610...
Earlier in the week I had the privilege of opening the Brickman Lego Star Wars exhibition at Tākina and I was legitimately stunned. The creativity and range of exhibits is out of this world. There's a Lego Death Star recreating almost every scene from A New Hope, it's phenomenal.
This week we: Set the rates for next year, signed off the budget, approved ground leases, recieved a petition with its signatures entirely redacted, agreed to consult on changes to the rating system, drafted the financial parameters of next year's 10 year budget the Long-term Plan and even more.
Shout out to the other 54 madlads/lasses that decided today was somehow a decent day to commute via bike or scooter. You truly can't beat Wellington on a good day. May your gloves be warm and crispy for the return journey home.
The Bucket Tree has leapt from near last to first place in the contest for Tree of the Year. Vote Bucket Tree today 👇 form.jotform.com/261546408918...
Boom. Council votes overwhelmingly to go out to consultation on Land Value Rates - should be noted many crs not necessarily supportive of a change but to at least hear what Wellingtonians think:
The government's move-on orders are stupid. If they were serious about homelessness they'd be coupled with funding for support services but instead they're making it harder for councils to fund the gaps. Deeply unserious stuff.
Selling conservation land is a topic that is clearly going well for the government:
What a night for Wellington. Every pub from the stadium to Bond St and beyond has a line. Inspiring and amazing effort from the Hurricanes. I don't think anyone predicted a 55 point game. Victory celebration tomorrow, details 👇
Orange wind warning in place for the Wellington Region with it heavy up here in the Northern Suburbs. Report damage into council via FixIt or 04 499 4444.
Long week: 🏙 In August we scope urban regeneration for Courtenay Place as part of our aggressive timeframe 🛴 We've upped micromobility devices from 1300 to 2000 across Wellington 🌀 Go the Canes. Fan zone open at Tākina from 6pm tonight.
Absolutely made my day meeting the team and artists at Vincent Art Workshop today.
Wellington is doing amazing stuff in the Fintech space. I caught up with Feijoa to talk about what they do and why Wellington is the city for them 👇
