Today’s vote by Wellington City Councillors to stop the airport sale is a win for democracy and public ownership in Wellington, say Labour-elected Councillors Nureddin Abdurahman, Ben McNulty and Teri O’Neill.

The parts of the notice of motion from Cr Abdurahman that halted the sale were passed with nine votes out of sixteen.

Cr Abdurahman says: “Wellingtonians oppose the airport sale by a margin of three to one, with a majority opposed in every ward in the city. To have failed to listen to a message this clear would have further damaged the public’s trust in the council. I’m pleased that today the public’s voice has finally been heard.”

Cr O’Neill says: “Today's vote is a win for public ownership in Wellington. The airport is a vital public asset that delivers strong economic returns. We know the lesson of privatisation is that once the asset is sold it is gone forever and the proceeds get frittered away. We won’t let that happen.”

Cr McNulty says: “It is only the Council that can sell strategic assets such as the airport. The Council is opposed to the sale of the airport shares and therefore, the process must cease. This needs to be a start of a new conversation about how to tackle the big challenges facing our city. I encourage the Mayor to work with all Councillors as well as our mana whenua representatives to start this important work.”

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