24 June 2015

Capital approves Long Term Plan for a decade of growth

Wellington City Council has adopted a bold new 10-year Long Term Plan designed to create future economic prosperity for Wellingtonians.

The invest-to-grow approach agreed by Councillors today will grow the rate-paying base and invest in projects with the potential to generate additional income and ease the burden on Wellington ratepayers.

Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says Council has kept its promise on rates with an average increase of 3.8 per cent over the full 10 years of the plan and a 4.5 per cent average increase for the first three years.

“We consulted with the community and received strong support for our plan to pursue robust economic growth for the people of the city,” she says.

“This plan will build a smart, resilient, and inclusive city through actions that will shape the future of our city, build economic success, and implement the recently agreed plans for Urban Growth and Biodiversity.

“We are investing in the ongoing growth of our communities and their wellbeing,” she says.

Mayor Wade-Brown says more money will go into the city’s core services and some $800 million is budgeted for investment in a wide range of new projects that will stimulate growth in the economy and increase the ratepayer base of the city.

Proposals include investing in an international film museum, an indoor music arena, the airport runway extension, a convention centre, and a tech hub.

The plan also aims to transform the inner city and key transport spines such as Adelaide Road into a vibrant, mixed use area with shops, offices, cafes and apartments.

“Our plan will attract more people to Wellington and make it easier for them to get here.

This means more customers and more skilled people joining the workforce for our businesses. Better connectivity will boost access to markets and ideas, and provide certainty for businesses to invest and grow here in the Capital.

“Our education providers can attract more foreign students, and Council’s support of the arts, events, and new attractions like a film museum, will grow our tourism market through longer stays and increased visitor numbers. In short, Wellington is set for growth across the board for the next decade and beyond.

“The new Long Term Plan builds on sound economic management to deliver jobs and sustained prosperity,” says Mayor Wade-Brown Deputy Mayor Justin Lester, Chair of the Governance, Finance and Planning Committee, strongly supported the investment in economic projects along with an enhanced focus on community projects and the arts.

“Projects like the convention centre and the film museum will help create new jobs in the Wellington economy.

“We are also helping to build the community and arts sectors by investing in the Johnsonville library and a new artificial turf in Karori as well as providing increased funding for the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Orchestra of Wellington. [corrected]

“It’s important we take a balanced approach that mixes investment with affordability of rates,” he says.

ENDS

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