Tēnā koe Chris

Thank you for your email dated 14 February 2023 requesting information.

Our team will manage your request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 which requires us to provide a decision as soon as possible, but no later than 14 March 2023, being 20 working days of receipt.

The reference number for your request is IRC-4430

Please contact us if you have any further questions.

Kind regards

The Assurance Team
Email: [email address]
Wellington City Council | W Wellington.govt.nz | |

The information contained in this email is privileged and confidential and intended for the addressee only.
If you are not the intended recipient, you are asked to respect that confidentiality and not disclose, copy or make use of its contents.
If received in error you are asked to destroy this email and contact the sender immediately. Your assistance is appreciated.

Good afternoon Mr McCashin,

Thank you for your request made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (the Act), received on 14 February 2023 in respect of Council spending.

I had hoped to be able to provide you with the information requested by today's date though unfortunately some information is still being clarified.

The Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working days after the day we received your request. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are therefore writing to notify you of an extension, under Section 14 of the Act, of the time to make our decision, to 28 March 2023.

This extension is necessary because consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.

Right of review
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Further information is available on the Ombudsman website, www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

Thank you again for your request, if you have any question please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards,
Ian

Ian Hunter
Senior Advisor | Official Information Team | Wellington City Council
P 04 803 8315 | M 021 227 8315
E [email address] | W Wellington.govt.nz 

The information contained in this email is privileged and confidential and intended for the addressee only.
If you are not the intended recipient, you are asked to respect that confidentiality and not disclose, copy or make use of its contents.
If received in error you are asked to destroy this email and contact the sender immediately. Your assistance is appreciated.

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Dear Mr McCashin,

 

Further to my email dated 14 March 2023 in which I advised the Council had
extended the timeframe for your request I am now able to provide you with
a formal response.

 

Your patience whilst your request has been progressed is appreciated.

 

In your request, received on 14 February 2023 you asked a number of
questions in respect Council spending.

 

I will address each of these questions in the order of your email.

 

1) Please provide the spending review report that I understand was
completed by council December 2022 that concluded not a single item of
council spending could immediately be cut.

 

If I have understood your question correctly then you may be referring to
an article that appeared on the Stuff website on 19 December 2022 which
included the statement:

 

“…Wellington City Council staff were being asked to go through all of its
spending early in 2023 to see what savings could be made…”.

 

I can advise that as part of our annual plan process there was a
significant review of costs on a line by line basis but no "Spending
Review Report" was produced.

 

As such, this part of your request is refused under section 17(e) of the
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

If you disagree with the decision to refuse this part of your request, you
can apply in writing to the Ombudsman to have the decision investigated
and reviewed under section 27 (3) of the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

2) Total Sale proceeds received from the sale of the Arlington site that
council was previously developing

 

I can advise that there were no sale proceeds from the Arlington site as
the site was not sold.

 

The land has been leased to Kâinga Ora (formerly Housing New Zealand) for
125 years with a $1 per year rent and a $1M lease payment.

 

Further information in respect of this issue is available on the Council’s
website via the following link:

 

[1]Agenda of Extraordinary Council Meeting - 18 April 2019
(wellington.govt.nz)

 

3) Please also provide valuations, ELT reporting, memos formal and
informal regarding the acquisition of parks in Century City, including
funding.

 

Given the purchase of the car parks in the Century City building is not
yet complete, this information is withheld under sections 7(2)(h) and (i)
of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

Again, if you disagree with the decision to refuse this part of your
request, you can apply in writing to the Ombudsman to have the decision
investigated and reviewed under section 27 (3) of the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

However; some information relating to the purchase of the car parks is
available on the Council’s website and can be accessed via the following
link:

 

[2]https://wellington.govt.nz/news-and-even....

 

4) Can you also please provide for the years 2016 - 2022 the following

 

Total % of car parks managed by WCC in the CBD

 

I understand this was 14% in 2020.

 

900 off-street and 3,200 on street.  For the off-street can you please
provide all sites, buildings where these parks are located.  Please
provide the sales proceeds for any sites divested in that time period and
any sites acquired the purchase price.

 

This information was proactively released in 2022 and is available on the
Council’s website via the following link:

 

[3]IRC-3400 Parking figures and revenue (wellington.govt.nz)

 

If you have any further questions please contact me.

 

Kind regards,

Ian

 

 

Ian Hunter
Senior Advisor | Official Information Team | Wellington City Council
E [4][email address] | W [5]Wellington.govt.nz 
The information contained in this email is privileged and confidential and
intended for the addressee only.
If you are not the intended recipient, you are asked to respect that
confidentiality and not disclose, copy or make use of its contents.
If received in error you are asked to destroy this email and contact the
sender immediately. Your assistance is appreciated.
[6][IMG]

 

 

 

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