Before next year?s election, what does the top level of Council want to achieve?
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
With less than a year left in power high level council officers are assessing what personal goals they want to achieve before the next election date. The things that money can?t buy are at the forefront of Hutt City Mayor David Ogden?s mind. He says it?s a positive that The Ministry of Education has placed ethics and values into the basic school curriculum. ?I want to talk about values in the community. ?We can have budgets for doing up the pipelines and other things, but I?m really interested in the things that you can?t buy and see,? says Mr Ogden. On October 7 church groups in Lower Hutt will meet to discuss how to talk about values in the community. They will also be begin engaging in acts such as looking after recently released prisoners, says Mr Ogden. ?I?m not preaching or saying how people should live their lives. ?It?s a question of people looking after each other and helping each other out in the community,? he says. Mr Ogden wants to celebrate the good values in the community, and share them with everyone. Wellington City Council deputy mayor Ian McKinnon says his background in economics lends to him being passionate about creating a strong heart of the city. ?We don?t want to end up like Christchurch and Auckland, where they effectively had to redesign the whole city. ?It?s important that the CBD is looked after to ensure the viability of the area and its retail,? says Mr McKinnon. ?The CBD is one of the most defined and vibrant in the country, we wouldn?t want to lose that. ?One or two shopping complexes on the outer edges is fine. Development at places like Kilbirnie and Johnsonville need to be to the right scale,? says Mr McKinnon. Another key priority is roading and public transport routes into the city. The Council is currently drafting a Wellington 2040 Plan that looks at what city will need in 30 years. Mr McKinnon predicts by 2040 people will see ?a much more effective transport system and the routes into Wellington will be tidied up.? ?The minister of transport has made is very clear that a decision is due [on Transmission Gully] in December, full stop,? he says.
