19 December 2024

Vision for Wellington - what we want to achieve

Vision for Wellington is fighting the idea that Wellington's best days are behind it, says Peter Biggs.

Peter Biggs CNZM is a founding member of Vision For Wellington

OPINION: What inspired me and others to form the Vision for Wellington group is a shared sense that the city we love has somewhat lost its way, that affectionate nostalgia for the city's past is too often accompanied by exasperation at its present and a loss of hope in its future.

It is not to assign blame or seek temporary partisan advantage – but to rally new energy and ideas against the pervasive idea that Wellington's best days are behind us.

Just over 10 years or so ago Lonely Planet hailed our city as “the coolest little capital in the world”. We were before and around that time renowned for our vibrant arts scene. International films were made here and movie premieres happened here. Our food and nightlife scene were the envy of other cities. We prided ourselves on a sophisticated coffee culture.

We were an incubator of innovation – creators launched thriving businesses here and all the ad agencies, design companies and film production companies had large offices here. Visionary projects, such as Zealandia, took flight here. Our waterfront, Te Papa, our International Festival of the Arts and our new stadium ‒ which rocked to the sold-out international Sevens every year – along with big events like World of WearableArt, and our compact, walkable central city, surrounded by the beautiful town belts and walkways, underpinned our pride in being Absolutely Positively Wellington.

That pride is now diminished – as has our confidence. Our central city too often looks like a building site. Long-loved businesses, especially in the hospitality and retail sectors, are closing. The corporate head offices and creative industry agencies have fled to Auckland and beyond, leaving husks of businesses behind. The public service headcount has shrunk. Our infrastructure is fragile and our city’s financial situation is precarious.

As they wrestle with these challenges, the council can often seem prone to partisan bickering. Big ticket investments in priority projects, such as cycleways and the Golden Mile, seem for many Wellingtonians to be not focused on fixing the city’s fundamental challenges – sorting out infrastructure, attracting jobs and investment, and keeping rates affordable and council debt levels under control.

When they contend that this daunting to-do list has been decades in the making, defenders of the current mayor and council have a point. That's why Vision for Wellington isn't interested in adding to the partisan friction by pointing fingers or fielding candidates. To the contrary, we want to harness the best ideas wherever they come from, and encourage Wellingtonians from all walks of life, of all political persuasions, to rally behind the city's future.

That’s all that Vision For Wellington wants to do.

Despite some understandable scepticism that greeted news of the group's formation, we are a diverse group of people who live in and love Wellington and who want to give back and see our city thrive.

Our supporters comprise those who come from the right side of the aisle to those who sit on the left – as well as those in between. We range from business and civic leaders, entrepreneurs, community advocates, creative industries practitioners, local champions and concerned citizens, joined by a common desire to co-create, with all Wellingtonians, a vision which sets our city on the path to flourishing once again as a modern, ambitious and inclusive place which all its residents can enjoy, prosper in and be proud of.

That binds over a thousand supporters to date – from Infratil’s Rob Morrison to the Wellington Māori Business Network’s Jamie Williams; from hospitality industry guru Mike Egan to Te Āti Awa leader Liz Mellish, from former Labour MP, Regional Council chair and World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee Chris Laidlaw to business innovator and Trilogy founder Sarah Wickens.

Local democracy doesn't start and finish at the council table. Active civic engagement plays a vital part – and Vision for Wellington wants to provide a constructive, wide-ranging outlet for exactly that through our 2025 programme of conversations which will be open to all-comers.

The first of these conversations will take place on February 19 next year at which renowned film-maker who is proud to call Wellington home James Cameron, along with other experts, will share ideas about how cities flourish and what Wellington can learn from them. From there, monthly conversation events will explore priority areas for our city – as identified through regular surveys.

Our ambition is that Vision For Wellington is truly of the people, by the people and for the people – so, join us by going to visionforwellington.nz