Wellingtonians - Have Your Say Now

Wellingtonians have until the end of this week to have their say on what the Council should focus on over the next 10 years.

Consultation on Wellington City Council's draft Long-Term Plan closes at 5.00pm this Friday 18 May.
The draft Long-Term Plan sets out what the Council plans to do over the next 10 years, proposed budgets, and future rate and debt limits for the city.

Over 560 submissions have already been received from residents and organisations on the draft plan, and a further 1,350 submissions on a separate consultation process on options for a future governance structure for Zealandia and other city attractions.  This consultation also closes at 5.00pm on 18 May.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says that there has been a high level of interest in the draft plan and the Council is looking forward to receiving and analysing further submissions.

"The Long-Term Plan is an important opportunity Wellingtonians have to be part of deciding what the Council should do in the future.  I encourage people to visit our website or pick up a copy of the plan or summary document from a library and make a submission."

A final Long-Term Plan hotline session is planned from 7.00pm -9.00pm this Thursday 17 May.  The sessions are an opportunity for people to ring in and ask questions about the draft plan and share their views with elected representatives. The hotline phone number is (04) 801 4205.

Submission hearings on the draft plan are open to the public and begin on Monday 21 May.  The Council is trialling a new submission hearing format where people can present their views as part of an informal group discussion. People can choose to present their submissions in this format or to Councillors through the traditional hearing process.

Councillor Paul Eagle, Portfolio Leader for community engagement says that the submission process can be daunting for some people. "We wanted to take a more inclusive approach to involving people in hearings. We will be interested to hear from submitters how they find the new process."

For more information about hearings and the Long-Term Plan consultation, visit:

Public Input - Draft Long Term Plan 2012-22

Councillors will deliberate on whether any changes are required to the draft plan at Strategy and Policy Committee meetings in June.  The final version of the draft Long-Term Plan is expected to be adopted on 27 June.