Statement from Dan Milward, Lambton Ward Candidate:

Today, Wellingtonians were told that the Wellington City Council’s Golden Mile Courtenay Place contract is expected to be signed after the election. Yes, you should be alarmed. What’s the point of an election or public consultation if council officers just steamroll ahead and do whatever they please?

The Golden Mile is a $139 million project being forced upon us with no meaningful public consultation on the final design. Businesses and residents have been sidelined. Again.

We saw it in Thorndon Quay and Newtown. Courtenay Place business owners are next on the chopping block.

We live in the creative capital - some of the best creative minds in the world are in my contact list - so why are we getting dull, tone-deaf designs? Who’s actually designing this? Who’s signing it off? Wellingtonians deserve to know which consultants are being paid and which council officers are making these calls.

No Shelter from Wind or Rain

The proposed $1.2 million “bus shelters” don’t even provide shelter. They look worse than the current ones, which at least have enclosed ends to shield people from Wellington’s infamous wind and sideways rain.

Hospitality Owners Left Out

Local hospitality businesses are already under pressure. These new designs offer no outdoor space for hanging out, dining, or footpath trade, vital for creating a vibrant and welcoming city centre. Operators have been vocal about these concerns and have clearly been ignored. Once again, decisions are being made without listening to the people who actually live, work, and invest in the area.

Designed by who?

It’s clear these designs come from outside the city. No Wellingtonian would build a wind tunnel bus stop. Once again, Wellingtoniants are paying a fortune for designs that don’t take into consideration our streets or the people that use them.

Ignored Community Voices

Brad Singh, the council’s Transport and Infrastructure Manager, claims the council “has learnt” from past projects, but residents and businesses in Thorndon and Newtown would strongly disagree. Their concerns were bulldozed in the name of progress. Why should Courtenay Place be any different? All signs point to more of the same.

A Better Way: Deliberative Democracy

Richard Murcott, President of the (let down) Thorndon Residents Association, recently shared with me a better process known as deliberative democracy. In Seattle, citizens, experts, and facilitators collaborated to plan housing and transport projects. Consensus was built. Progress was made. It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t top-down.

It worked. This is the kind of approach Wellingtonians want and genuinely need going forward.

After the $50M Sludge Plant Blowout - Where’s the Money Coming From?

We don’t just have a sludge plant - we’ve got a gold-plated, $500 million-plus sludge plant. Wellington didn’t need all the bells and whistles. We don’t want a facility that turns poop into fancy pallets. What we want is a financial break so we can go into town, grab a coffee, and enjoy the city’s café culture.

Wellington just doesn’t have the cash. We’re still reeling from this weeks $50 million blowout on the sludge plant. The only way this Golden Mile project gets paid for? You guessed it - ratepayers. Again.

If I’m elected, I will put forward a motion to suspend all non-essential projects and lock contractors into fixed-price contracts with penalties for missing deadlines. This is standard business practice and how things operate overseas.

Wellington deserves infrastructure that works for the city, not against it. Business owners, residents, commuters — your voice matters.

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