Welcome to Greater Wellington's Summary of the Annual Report 2023/24

He karere nā te Heamana me Te Tumu Whakarae | Message from the Chair and Chief Executive

In the face of significant changes and challenges, Greater Wellington is navigating change with partnership, collaboration, and an enduring commitment to our communities and Te Taiao. This year we made significant improvements in public transport and environmental restoration works, while navigating Central government requirements and cost pressures.

How we are responding to change

With a new coalition Government in place, policies and funding options changed significantly. Some changes were immediate, including a stop-work order on the Affordable Water Reforms programme and the dissolution of the Let’s Get Wellington Moving project. Subsequent changes included cuts to public service jobs, reductions in public transport funding, and amendments to key public transport and environmental policies. 

These Central government changes are occurring alongside overall challenges to affordability, as the cost of business is increasing while key funding streams are decreasing. Cost pressures were front and centre in the development of the 2024-34 Long Term Plan, as we sought to manage costs while still planning to deliver on what matters to our communities. 

Responding to change also requires collaboration and partnership. Part of our response was to amplify other voices in our submissions to central Government, such as submissions on the Fast Track Approvals Bill and the Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport – two legislative changes with the potential for significant impacts on our Region. We also worked with mana whenua partners to represent their perspectives in submissions and in planning. 

Delivering on our core services 

Amidst a challenging period, we continue to deliver on our commitments to communities and to the environment, with many milestone achievements throughout the year. 

Bus services improved significantly, with a record high of 26.1 million passenger trips over the year, and a monthly record in May of 2.56 million passenger trips. Implementing these improvements took a lot of mahi, including better driver wages and conditions, more accessible buses and stations, and new routes like the Airport Express and the Route 4 bus. 

Ongoing restoration work in the Wairarapa Moana, Miramar Peninsula, and other works across the region are restoring vitality to key native species and habitats. Counts of the Australasian bittern / Matuku-hūrepo is growing in the Wairarapa Moana, now representing the largest population in the country of these critically endangered birds. Counts of birdlife in the predator eliminated areas of the Miramar Peninsula have recovered even faster than expected, showing the benefits of consistent and sustained approaches. 

We’re also deploying technology to cover more area with less resources. Drones, smart sampling, and citizen science apps help access hard to reach habitats and gather greater insights on the health of Te Taiao, while still effectively managing costs and resources.

Looking ahead 

We continue to strengthen our commitment to a prosperous region and a healthy environment. Working within central Government’s changes, Greater Wellington will need to balance key services in the short term with long-term responsibilities. The 2024-34 Long Term Plan has been developed with these challenges in mind, but Greater Wellington and other councils continue to navigate heightened uncertainty and a higher cost of doing business. We expect that central Government changes will continue to impact local government’s ability to deliver services without significant rates increases. 

Navigating change is the work of many, and we’re proud to be working alongside our mana whenua partners, the diverse communities across the rohe, and all our staff and volunteers who are putting in the mahi to deliver our services. 

At Te Pane Matua Taiao we know that by bringing people together we can succeed. By utilising all the resources, people, shared values and dreams of a great region to live, work and play we – te ao pakeha (tangata tiriti) and te ao Māori (tangata whenua) – together can build something better than alone. 

He Waka Eke Noa – All in this together.