It was a busy time in the council chamber today, with a number of decisions made for the city.
Te Puna Kōrero is the main committee that makes decisions about the city’s strategic direction and framework. It is made up of the Mayor, all councillors and the Council Kaumātua.
After confirming the minutes from their last meeting, the committee were presented with the first of five reports, on Cannons Creek Library. Councillors and Mayor Anita Baker gave the go ahead for an exciting new library project for Cannons Creek, bringing forward funds that were already allocated to get a new library up and running sooner. You can read more about it here.
Next up, the committee deliberated on the Annual Plan 2025/26, which sets the city’s budget for the coming year. After considering public feedback, the committee recommended changes to the budget. Of the options consulted on, the committee voted to discontinue the Chamber of Commerce grant and increase Council’s building consent hourly rate. They voted against increasing the paid parking hourly rate, putting up Cannons Creek Pool entry fees, and discontinuing the Event Investment Programme.
You can read more about this, and the impact on rates here.
The committee then considered the Rating Policy Review and agreed to create a new rating category for the business park small unit rating package.
The final report of the morning was on Local Water Done Well, with deliberations on a future water services delivery model. The committee endorsed the council taking a joint regional approach.
They voted unanimously to recommend that Council should jointly establish and co-own a new water organisation with Upper Hutt City Council, Hutt City Council, Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council, rather than go with a modified version of the status quo.
You can read about the next steps here.
There were no speakers in the public forum.
Following the meeting, a workshop was held where elected members were updated on the Welcoming Communities Programme, and received an update from Wellington Water on the Wastewater Treatment Plant solids handling project.
Missed today’s meeting and workshops? You can watch them in full and read all the associated papers on the meetings page of our website. You can also see what meetings and workshops are coming up, with agendas posted a few days before each one.
The public is welcome to attend most Council meetings and workshops. They are also livestreamed on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@poriruacity
5 Jun 2025
