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.[3]
The council represents a population of 216,200 as of June 2023[4] 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).[n 1][5] 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.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8]
Committees and subcommittees of the Wellington City Council to Feb 2023
Committee
Chair
Deputy Chair
Membership
Te Kaunihera o Pōneke
Mayor Tory Whanau
Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon
Mayor and all councillors
Unaunahi Māhirahira Audit and Risk Subcommittee
Independent appointment
Cr Tony Randle
Mayor Tory Whanau, Cr John Apanowicz, Cr Ray Chung, Cr Iona Pannett, Pouiwi Liz Kelly (Tākai Here representative)
Kōrau Tūāpapa Environment and Infrastructure Committee
Cr Tim Brown
Mayor and all councillors and two Tākai Here representatives
Kōrau Mātinitini Social, Cultural and Economic Committee
Cr Teri O'Neill
Cr Nureddin Abdurahman
Mayor and all councillors and two Tākai Here representatives
Kāwai Whakatipu Grants Subcommittee
Cr Nicola Young
Cr Nīkau Wi Neera
Mayor and deputy mayor, Cr Brown, Cr Matthews, Cr O'Neill
Kōrau Tōtōpū Annual Plan/Long-term Plan, Finance and Performance Committee
Cr Rebecca Matthews
Councillor John Apanowicz
Mayor and all councillors and two Tākai Here representatives
Koata Hātepe Regulatory Processes Committee
Cr Sarah Free
Cr Ben McNulty
Mayor Whanau, Cr Abdurahman, Cr Calvert, Cr Paul, Pouiwi Holden Hohaia and Pouiwi Liz Kelly (Tākai Here representatives)
Ngutu Taki CEO Performance Review Committee
Mayor Tory Whanau
Deputy Mayor Laurie Soon
Cr Matthews, Cr O'Neill, Cr Paul
Wellington's local electoral wards were given Māori names in 2018, after consultation with mana whenua.[9]
Ex-officio member of all committees and subcommittees
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward
Te Whanganui a Tara is a Māori ward created by Wellington City Council in 2021.[10] The 2022 election returned Nīkau Wi-Neera as its first-ever councillor.[11]
Member, Kōrau Tōtōpū | Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee
Member, Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee
Member, Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee
Member, Unaunahi Māhirahira | Audit and Risk Committee[23]
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:
Tawa Community Board,[28] having six elected members and two appointed members, representing the northern suburbs of Tawa, Grenada North and Takapū Valley;[29] and
Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board,[30] having six elected members, representing the rural suburbs of Ohariu, Mākara and Mākara Beach.[29]
Civic symbols
Coat of arms
The Wellington City Council first adopted a coat of arms in 1878.[31] This coat of arms had the description:
MANTLE, AZURE and GULES. Supporters. Dexter. The British Lion. Sinister a Moa but PROPER. Motto "Suprema a Situ" (Supreme by position). Under the motto "1840" (date of the foundation of the City and Colony).[32]
The Wellington City Corporation was granted an official coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1951,[31] the blazon for which is:[33][34]
Coat of arms of Wellington City Council
Crest
On a Mural Crown Argent a Dolphin Naiant Azure, Mantled Gules.
Escutcheon
Quarterly Gules and Azure, a Cross Or between; In the first quarter a Fleece Or; in the second quarter on Water barry wavy proper in base a Lymphad sail furled pennon and flags flying Argent; in the third quarter a Garb Or; in the fourth quarter five Plates in Saltire Argent.
Supporters
On the dexter side a Lion gorged with a Collar and Chain reflexed over the back Or, and on the sinister side a Moa proper.
Motto
Suprema a Situ (Supreme by position)
Symbolism
The shield is divided vertically and horizontally, quarter of which the first and fourth are red and the remaining pair are blue. A golden cross is placed over the entire shield centrally between these quarters. The top left quarter contains a golden fleece (usually depicted as a whole sheep with a band around its middle). The second quarter is depicted as a silver sailing ship (lymphad) with its sails furled as it would be in port but with its flags flying, placed on waves in their natural colour. The third quarter contains a golden wheat sheaf, and the fourth has five silver discs arranged in a saltire.
The mural crown (a crown depicted as if made of stonewalling) is common as a crest in city coats of arms. It is coloured silver, and from its top comes a swimming dolphin. Around the crest is mantling in red. The supporters on either side of the shield are a golden heraldic lion with a chained collar around its neck to the left, and a moa in its natural colouring on the right (the terms "sinister" and "dexter" relate to the shield from the holder's point of view, not the viewer's, thus dexter is the viewer's left and sinister is the viewer's right). The base on which the supporters stand is normally not emblazoned but is left to the artist to decide. The Motto may be translated as "Supreme by position".
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.[37]
Individual wards
Name
Population
Households
Median age
Median income
Takapū Northern Ward
47,796
16,467
35.9 years
$41,500
Wharangi Onslow-Western Ward
43,176
15,750
38.6 years
$51,800
Pukehīnau Lambton Ward
46,140
18,204
28.4 years
$37,500
Motukairangi Eastern Ward
37,965
14,199
37 years
$41,100
Paekawakawa Southern Ward
27,654
10,221
34 years
$38,700
New Zealand
37.4 years
$31,800
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:
Official suburbs of Wellington: the darker tone indicate built-up areas, the lighter parkland, green belt or rural areas.
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:
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.[38]
The seven council-controlled organisations (CCOs) are[39]
Tawa (a Town district from 1951, then the Tawa Flat Borough Council from 1953) in 1989[50]
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.[51] Holders of the office since 1842 are:[52]
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.
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.
Porirua, a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both reaches". It almost completely surrounds Porirua Harbour at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast. As of 2023, Porirua has a population of 62,400 people, and is a diverse city with 26.5% of the population identifying as Pasifika and 23.0% of the population identifying as Māori.
The Porirua City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Porirua, New Zealand.
Wellington Harbour, officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of the western and southern sides of the harbour, and the suburban area of Lower Hutt is to the north and east.
Tawa is the northernmost suburb within the Wellington city boundary, located roughly 15 km north of Wellington's CBD between Churton Park and Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It takes its name from the broadleaf tree, which was once prolific throughout the area, although its most famous tree is the Bucket Tree, a large macrocarpa with the topiary of an upside-down bucket. Tawa is also known for its large number of churches, representing a wide range of Christian denominations.
The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the City of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representation. The current mayor is Tory Whanau, elected in October 2022 for a three-year-term.
Sir Francis Joseph Kitts was a New Zealand politician. Originally from the South Island, he served in the military and later was a civil servant before entering politics with the Labour Party. He was the Member of Parliament for Wellington Central between 1954 and 1960. He was also the longest-serving Mayor of Wellington, holding the post from 1956 to 1974. He was also a member at various times of several other local bodies and was still an elected official at his death.
Wellington City Libraries is the public library service for Wellington, New Zealand.
Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for public transport under the brand Metlink, environmental and flood protection, and the region's water supply. As of 2023, it is the majority owner of CentrePort Wellington with a 77% shareholding.
Mākara is a locality located at the western edge of Wellington, New Zealand, close to the shore of the Tasman Sea. The suburb is named after the Mākara Stream.
Redwood is a part of Tawa, the northernmost suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. Redwood lies at the southern end of Tawa, to the west of the Tawa Main Road and the North Island Main Trunk Railway.
Hutt County was one of the former counties of New Zealand. It occupied the south-western corner of the North Island, extending south from the Waikanae River and lying to the west of the summits of the Rimutaka Ranges. The county's name arose from the fact that a large amount of its land area lay in the Hutt River catchment.
Ohariu is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It is a rural area, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Khandallah.
The 1941 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1941, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington and fifteen city councillors plus seats on the Wellington Hospital Board and Wellington Harbour Board. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Takapu Valley, one of the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand, is a rural area. The only road, Takapu Road, which runs by the Takapu Stream, goes down past Grenada North to the intersection with the Johnsonville-Porirua Motorway, and to Tawa where most facilities are. There is a supermarket and the Takapu Road Railway Station near the motorway intersection, but neither are in the valley itself.
The 1989 Wellington local elections were part of the 1989 New Zealand local elections, to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. The Wellington elections covered the regional council, city council, area health board, and various community boards and licensing trusts. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Mākara Beach, previously spelled Makara Beach, is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand consisting of a small seaside village and its surrounding countryside. The Wellington City Council regards it as a separate suburb to Mākara.
Tamatha-Kaye Erin Paul is a New Zealand activist and politician who is a Member of Parliament for Wellington Central. In 2018 she was the first Māori woman to be elected President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association. Running as an independent Paul was elected to the Wellington City Council in 2019. She joined the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ahead of the 2022 local elections.
The 2022 Wellington Region local elections were held on 8 October 2022 as part of the wider 2022 New Zealand local elections to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. These elections covered one regional council, eight territorial authorities, and various community boards and licensing trusts.
References
Betts, George (1970). Betts on Wellington: a city and its politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN0 589 00469 7.
A Complete Guide To Heraldry by A.C. Fox-Davies 1909.
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