Simon Arcus: Wellington CoC CEO as Wellington businesses call for amalgamation in pre-election report

Wellington businesses have packed a punch in a pre-election report that calls for amalgamation and the capital's own version of Auckland Transport, while also questioning the role of the city's economic development agency. The Herald can exclusively reveal the details of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce's pre-election report ahead of this year's local body elections. Businesses painted a grim picture of the current state of affairs and said the city's leadership has been inward-looking and complacent for too long. "Wellington businesses feel overshadowed by Central Government and that the city is now synonymous with bureaucracy and politics, rather than business and innovation, forgetting the very essence of the heart of the city." The issue of amalgamation has recently started bubbling away in Wellington after the idea was axed in 2015. The report recommended Wellington, Porirua, and Hutt Councils should transition to become one over time, which it said was a conversation already happening "behind the scenes". Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus told the Herald the Auckland Council experiment was now seen as largely successful. He said businesses considered amalgamation as a solution to some of the more wicked problems like transport, housing, and sustainability. "The boundaries of Wellington City alone seem very artificial to try and solve those problems. You've got to have a bigger, regional solution to some of the big issues that the city is facing." For that reason, the report also said the regional and city councils should relinquish their transport responsibilities to create a new entity like Auckland Transport. Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus. Photo / Supplied It recommended this entity should focus on reliability so people know they will get to work on time if they catch the bus. "Let's Get Wellington Moving, a source of enduring concern for business, is only one part of a tangled dysfunctional strategy that will benefit from the accountability of a single body," the report said. Accountability was a key theme throughout the report. Businesses said they often didn't know what their rates were spent on and how they directly benefited. They called for quarterly reporting from the council on this issue, as well as an annual independent "State of Business" report, and a dedicated go-between role funded directly out of commercial rates. Arcus said there was a lack of trust between the council and business. "We definitely don't want to dwell on the past which has been complicated by the make-up of council, we really want to try to work constructively to re-engage." The report took a swipe at Wellington NZ, the regional economic development agency, and said the council should clarify the organisation's "complex and cumbersome" mandate. It said the council should introduce KPIs based on economic growth and business success for WellingtonNZ. The report had three recommendations for the council's first 100 days. It said key infrastructure investment should be prioritised and restraint shown towards new projects until existing challenges were dealt with. The council should also work with businesses in this initial period to create a precinctplan for the city linking the stadium, Lambton Quay, waterfront, and Courtenay Place, it said. Finally, the report said a plan should be drawn up to prioritise and incentivise rapid CBD densification. Other recommendations included urgently addressing homelessness and antisocial behaviour, providing incentives to develop derelict sites, and positioning Wellington asthe national home of Māori and Pasifika business success and cultural celebration. Arcus said central Wellington needed to be safe, densified, and attractive for the capital to be a "magnet for talent" and seen as a destination. - Georgina Campbell, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.