24 October 2025
File Ref: IRC-9167
“Wellington City (Brooklyn) Rate Payer”
[FYI request #32412 email]
Tēnā koe Wellington City (Brooklyn) Rate Payer
Thank you for your email dated 7 September 2025, to Te Kaunihera o Pōneke | Wellington
City Council (the Council) relating to your previous request, IRC-8736. You had written, and
requested, the following information:
While we are still interested in other expenses made by Wellington Natural Heritage
Trust (WNHT), we'd like to focus only on the spraying aspect.
a) Evidence:
Would Wellington City Council (WCC) please search again for evidence of this single
billed event, in the form of:
- WNHT provided financial records (invoices, payments, banking transaction
evidence, etc.)
- WCC auditing records (ie, sightings, etc. of council officers who sighted such and
signed off on payments applied for)
- the flight plan *over Long Gully* for that event.
b) Explanation:
a plausible explanation as to why the flight plan previously provided was not over
Long Gully.
We also presume that if the above cannot be found, that WCC has since developed
new records of conversations, instructions within WCC, as to what this means, and
what to do about it. Specifically, we are interested in understanding what WCC plans
to do about it.
c) Outcome:
Please provide all material that fits within the constraints of LGOIMA that provides
insights into the event, or lack thereof, and WCC's investigation, conclusion, and
actions it has or plans to take regarding this.
Your request has been considered under the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA). Please find below the questions raised within your
correspondence above, followed by our response to each.
Evidence: Question 1 - Would Council please search again for evidence of this single billed
event, in the form of:
•
WNHT provided financial records (invoices, payments, banking transaction
evidence, etc.)
Please see Items 3 & 7.
•
WCC auditing records (ie, sightings, etc. of council officers who sighted
such and signed off on payments applied for)
The final accountability report has not been submitted by WNHT to the Council
due to the second day of aerial spraying not taking place. WNHT is planning on
undertaking this work soon, as it is weather dependent. Once this work is
completed and the final accountability report received, Council Officers will
assess the report before changing the Grant status to closed.
Please see Item 6 for the most recent reports from WNHT.
•
The flight plan *over Long Gully* for that event.
The funding was for aerial spraying along the Mākara Coastal escarpment, not
over “Long Gully”. Therefore, there is no flight plan over Long Gully. This part of
your request has been refused under section 17e of the LGOIMA as the
information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it
cannot be found.
Explanation:
Question 2 -
a plausible explanation as to why the flight plan previously provided was not
over Long Gully. Specifically, we are interested in understanding what WCC plans to do
about it.
As noted in the response to question 1 point 3, the funding was related to Mākara Coastal
Escarpment rather than Long Gully. The primary purpose is to control boneseed on coastal
escarpment including Mākara Covenants vested with Department of Conservation. This
project is over three years and had funding from Meridian West Wind Community Fund. The
Council provided additional funding to extend the area covered.
Outcome
Question 3 - Please provide all material that fits within the constraints of LGOIMA that
provides insights into the event, or lack thereof, and WCC's investigation, conclusion, and
actions it has or plans to take regarding this.
Please see items 1- 7.
Below are the documents that fall in scope of your request and my decision to release these.
Item
Document name/description
Decision
Some information
1
Boneseed work at Mākara - funding request
redacted under section
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA
Some information
2
Request for Boneseed Funding
redacted under section
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
Some information
Boneseed funding - answers to questions and
3
redacted under section
approval
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
Some information
4
WNHT and aerial boneseed LGOIMA
redacted under section
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
Wellington City Council | 2 of 3
Some information
Boneseed funding - Purchase order number
5
redacted under section
P1132104
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
Some information
6
Boneseed Funding – Reporting
redacted under section
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
Some information
7
WNHT Invoice Aerial Boneseed Control
redacted under section
7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.
In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 7(1) of
the Act and determined there are no public interests which outweigh the grounds for
withholding.
I trust this information is helpful. If you have any concerns about the response, please
contact [Wellington City Council request email]. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise
any concerns with the Office of the Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Asha Harry
Official Information & Privacy
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council | 3 of 3
