- Source: Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Mākara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
Wellington attained city status in 1886. The settlement had become the colonial capital and seat of government by 1865, replacing Auckland. Parliament officially sat in Wellington for the first time on 26 July 1865. During the last half of the nineteenth century, Wellington grew rapidly from 7,460 residents in 1867 to 49,344 by the end of the century.
The council represents a population of 215,300 as of June 2024 and consists of a mayor and fifteen councillors elected from six wards (Northern, Onslow-Western, Lambton, Eastern, Southern general wards and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward). It administers public works, sanitation, land use and building consents, among other local services. The council has used the marketing slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington" in an official capacity since the early 1990s.
On 22 October 2024 the New Zealand government appointed Lindsay McKenzie as a Crown Observer to the council after the Council was forced to revise its 2023–2024 Long Term Plan in response to a failed attempt to sell its airport shares. MP and former Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul has accused the government's decision to appoint the Crown Observer as politically motivated.
Council and committees
The mayor and all councillors are members of council. Following a review in 2021 by former Local Government New Zealand chief executive Peter Winder, the council adopted a new committee structure. All committees apart from Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Council and Ngutu Taki CEO Performance Review Committee include two mana whenua representatives, who are paid and have voting rights.
Wellington's local electoral wards were given Māori names in 2018, after consultation with mana whenua.
= Mayor
=One mayor is elected at large from the entire Wellington City district.
= Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward
=Te Whanganui a Tara is a Māori ward created by Wellington City Council in 2021. The 2022 election returned Nīkau Wi-Neera as its first-ever councillor.
= Motukairangi/Eastern Ward
=Motukairangi/Eastern Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
= Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward
=Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2024 the councillors are:
= Takapū/Northern Ward
=Takapū/Northern Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
= Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward
=Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2022 the councillors are:
= Paekawakawa/Southern Ward
=Paekawakawa/Southern Ward is the only ward that returns two councillors to the Wellington City Council (all others returning one or three). Since 2022 the councillors are:
= Community boards
=The council has created two local community boards under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, with members elected using a single transferable vote (STV) system or appointed by the council.
These are:
Tawa Community Board, having six elected members and two appointed members, representing the northern suburbs of Tawa, Grenada North and Takapū Valley; and
Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board, having six elected members, representing the rural suburbs of Ohariu, Mākara and Mākara Beach.
Civic symbols
= Coat of arms
=The Wellington City Council first adopted a coat of arms in 1878. This coat of arms had the description:
The Wellington City Corporation was granted an official coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1951, the blazon for which is:
= Badge and Flag
=Wellington City Council was also granted a badge by the College of Arms in 1963, with the heraldic description:
A Roundel Azure thereon a Lymphad Or the sail argent charged with a Dolphin naiant Azure pennon and flags flying Argent each charged with a Cross Gules.
The flag of Wellington, adopted on 12 December 1962, incorporates the city's badge over a black cross on a gold field.
Demographics
Wellington City had a population of 202,737 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 11,781 people (6.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 23,271 people (13.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 74,841 households. There were 98,823 males and 103,911 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 34.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 32,856 people (16.2%) aged under 15 years, 54,999 (27.1%) aged 15 to 29, 93,669 (46.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 21,213 (10.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 74.1% European/Pākehā, 8.6% Māori, 5.1% Pacific peoples, 18.3% Asian, and 4.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 33.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.2% had no religion, 31.4% were Christian, 3.7% were Hindu, 1.6% were Muslim, 1.7% were Buddhist and 3.3% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 74,922 (44.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 12,690 (7.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $41,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 96,453 (56.8%) people were employed full-time, 24,738 (14.6%) were part-time, and 7,719 (4.5%) were unemployed.
Suburbs
Wellington city has 57 officially defined suburbs; one can group them by the wards used to elect the city council. Some areas, while officially forming part of a larger suburb (or several suburbs), are considered by some to be separate communities. The officially defined suburbs include:
= Takapū Northern Ward
=official: Churton Park; Glenside; Grenada North; Grenada Village; Horokiwi; Johnsonville; Newlands; Ohariu; Paparangi; Takapu Valley; Tawa; Woodridge
informal: Greenacres; Linden; Redwood
= Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward
=official: Broadmeadows; Crofton Downs; Kaiwharawhara; Karori; Khandallah; Mākara; Mākara Beach; Ngaio; Ngauranga; Northland; Wadestown; Wilton.
informal: Cashmere; Chartwell; Highland Park; Rangoon Heights; Te Kainga
= Pukehīnau Lambton Ward
=official: Aro Valley; Highbury; Kelburn; Mount Cook; Mount Victoria; Oriental Bay; Pipitea; Te Aro; Thorndon; Wellington
Within Lambton Ward, the council's tourism agency has designated three inner-city "quarters", as marketing subdivisions to promote international and domestic tourism. They are:
Courtenay Quarter, centred around Courtenay Place
Cuba Quarter, centred around Cuba Street
Lambton Quarter, centred around Lambton Quay
The Waterfront Quarter, centred around the waterfront
= Paekawakawa Southern Ward
=official: Berhampore; Brooklyn; Island Bay; Kingston; Mornington; Newtown; Ōwhiro Bay; Southgate; Vogeltown
informal: Kowhai Park
= Motukairangi Eastern Ward
=official: Breaker Bay; Hataitai; Houghton Bay; Karaka Bays; Kilbirnie; Lyall Bay; Maupuia; Melrose; Miramar; Moa Point; Rongotai; Roseneath; Seatoun; Strathmore Park
informal: Crawford; Seatoun Bays; Seatoun Heights; Miramar Heights; Strathmore Heights.
Council-owned companies and enterprises
The Wellington City Council owns or directly operates several companies.
The council is a part-owner of Wellington Airport, and has two representatives on the airport's board. Mayor Andy Foster has been a member of the board since 2016, but has been criticised for poor attendance at board meetings.
The seven council-controlled organisations (CCOs) are
Basin Reserve Trust
Karori Sanctuary Trust (Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne)
Wellington Cable Car Ltd
Wellington Museums Trust (ExperienceWellington), which operates City Gallery Wellington and the Museum of Wellington City & Sea
Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency Ltd (WREDA)
Wellington Water manages all three water services for Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils, and South Wairarapa District councils.
Wellington Zoo Trust
The council has a similar interest in the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust.
Sister-city relationships
Sister cities
Sydney, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Beijing, People's Republic of China
Xiamen, Fujian, People's Republic of China
Sakai, Osaka, Japan
Historical sister cities
Harrogate, England, United Kingdom
Hania, Crete, Greece
Çanakkale, Turkey
Friendly cities
Tianjin, People's Republic of China
Proposed/air marked future sister cities
Ramallah, Palestine (region)
History
= Amalgamations
=The City of Wellington has subsumed many neighbouring boroughs including:
Melrose (established 1888) in 1903
Onslow (Khandallah/Ngaio) (established 1890) in 1919 (Wadestown had joined the city in 1906)
Karori (established 1891) in 1920
Miramar (established 1904) in 1921
Johnsonville (a Town Board from 1908), in 1953
Tawa (a Town district from 1951, then the Tawa Flat Borough Council from 1953) in 1989
= List of town clerks/chief executives
=The city council was legally headed by a town clerk, who was in charge of the council administration and operations, later renamed as chief executive officer in 1991. Holders of the office since 1842 are:
Buildings
The Wellington City Council owns and until May 2019 operated from a complex on Wakefield Street, with various extensions each representing a distinctive architectural period. The complex incorporates the Wellington Town Hall which opened in 1904, with the most recent extension completed in 1991 alongside the Wellington Central Library.
The Wakefield Street complex has been cleared of back office functions, and since 28 May 2019 will be closed completely for repairs and earthquake strengthening. In the interim, most of the council's central office staff are located in commercial premises at 113 The Terrace, and the council's public service centre is at 12 Manners Street. Due to repairs also being needed to the Wellington Central Library, and Capital E, all of the civic buildings on Civic Square are closed, except for the City Gallery.
See also
Wellington Region
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
References
Betts, George (1970). Betts on Wellington: a city and its politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 0 589 00469 7.
A Complete Guide To Heraldry by A.C. Fox-Davies 1909.
Yska, Redmer (2006). Wellington: Biography of a city. Auckland: Reed. ISBN 0-7900-1117-4.
External links
WellingtonNZ.com
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council maps
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