An independent review into the Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui website has found weaknesses in procurement, governance and value-for-money oversight, and concluded a cheaper website could have done the job.

The review was carried out by Colin MacDonald QSO after the cost became public in May. Councillors had previously been unaware of the price, with some describing the spending as “atrocious” and raising concerns about transparency.

MacDonald found the Council had set no specific outcomes, performance targets or success criteria for the website before it launched.

The site recorded 18,191 page views in July, but without any target to compare that figure against, the review found it was difficult to determine whether the website was meeting expectations.

The website was developed primarily as a marketing tool to attract visitors to Te Matapihi, Capital E and the City Archives, and to help bring people back into Wellington’s civic precinct.

The review found problems with the procurement process began early.

The Council did not go to market until May 2025 despite wanting the website delivered by September.

Six vendors were invited to submit proposals, but only two bid. MacDonald spoke to two of the vendors that declined, with both identifying the short timeframe as a concern.

The Council then used a rapid “procurement-in-a-day” process to select a supplier.

That process was approved on the basis of the $75,000 cost of the first phase rather than the likely total cost of the website.

Once the first phase was completed, the successful supplier was retained for the remaining work without the Council returning to the market.

An independent value-for-money appraisal commissioned during the project estimated the website would cost between $330,000 and $500,000.

It warned the price was at the upper end of the market and described the proposed work as falling within a “premium interactive website price bracket”.

MacDonald said that should have been an opportunity for the Council to reconsider what it was buying.

“This was an opportunity to pause and reconsider the scope and specification,” he wrote.

The website was part of the wider $614 million Te Ngākau Civic Precinct programme, but it was never discussed by the programme board overseeing the redevelopment.

Because the website represented only around 0.1 percent of the overall programme budget and the spending remained within staff delegations, it did not receive board-level scrutiny.

MacDonald also found the project’s ambition to help regenerate Civic Square may have contributed to the cost.

The project team considered one of its biggest risks to be that not enough people would visit the reopened facilities, which the review found may have encouraged a focus on premium options without enough challenge from elsewhere in the Council.

Some Council subject matter experts reported feeling sidelined and increasingly unable to influence decisions.

The Council was also unable to locate the original specification document for the website.

MacDonald ultimately concluded the Council could have spent less while still achieving what was required.

“Taking all of this into account, I have formed the view that a more moderated approach by the project could have delivered a less expensive site that was still fit-for-purpose,” he wrote.

The review recommends the Council urgently develop a web strategy, introduce a formal value-for-money framework and base future procurement decisions on expected whole-of-life costs.

It also recommends giving major web projects enough time for proper market competition and appointing independent external chairs to governance boards overseeing Council programmes worth more than $100 million.

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The free two-day event brought artists, schools, community organisations and local venues together across Ōwhiro Bay, Houghton Bay, Island Bay and Berhampore on Saturday and Sunday.

Rather than concentrating the event in a gallery, the trail took visitors through the neighbourhoods where many of the artists live and work.

Homes, studios, churches, schools, cafés and community spaces became exhibition venues, allowing people to create their own route through the South Coast.

Artists working in painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography and printmaking took part.

Among the participating artists were Island Bay painter Nicola Jackson, ceramicist Zoë Isaacs, photographer Andy Spain, marine artist Nicole Miller and long-established Wellington landscape painter Michael McCormack.

Community venues included Island Bay Kindergarten, St Francis de Sales School, Our Lady’s Home of Compassion, Empire Cinema, Wellington South Baptist Church and St Hilda’s Anglican Church.

Local schools and early learning centres also displayed work alongside established artists, giving younger Wellingtonians an opportunity to participate in the neighbourhood arts event.

Artist and community liaison Jeannette Troon, who exhibited at St Hilda’s in Island Bay, has described making art as being “like learning another language”.

At Island Bay Presbyterian Church, Explore Your Coast founder Nicole Miller exhibited seaweed and ocean-inspired artwork, with proceeds supporting the organisation’s work connecting Wellingtonians with the marine environment.

Explore Your Coast is documenting about 70 kilometres of Wellington coastline as part of a long-term project examining local kelp forests and other underwater ecosystems.

The South Coast Arts Trail is organised by volunteers who live and work in the area through the not-for-profit South Coast Business and Promotions Association.

The event remains free with support from sponsors, donors and local organisations.

Organisers estimated about 4,000 people explored the trail in 2025.

Earlier this year, the South Coast Arts Trail was named a Wellington City finalist in the 2026 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards, recognising the volunteers, artists, venues and organisations involved.

The trail has now been held for five years, combining exhibitions with an opportunity for visitors to explore local cafés, shops, public art and community spaces across Wellington’s South Coast.

This year’s South Coast Arts Trail ran from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September.

Tawa-born White Ferns star Amelia Kerr was named Sportsperson of the Year. Kerr attended Tawa College and has represented the Wellington Blaze during a career that has established her among the leading players in international cricket.

Wellington College athlete Joe Martin was named Rangatahi Sportsperson of the Year. A member of Wellington Scottish Athletics Club, Martin has emerged as one of New Zealand’s leading young middle-distance runners.

The Wellington Phoenix Women’s Team won the performance Team of the Year award, while Wellington Samoa Kirikiti Association was one of four recipients recognised for Community Impact.

Long-serving Wellington cycling coach Gary Gibson received the community Coach of the Year award. Gibson has been closely involved with junior cycling through PNP Cycling Club and Wellington’s velodrome for many years.

Wellington open-water swimmer Gráinne Moss received the Lifetime Contribution award, recognising her achievements in marathon swimming as well as her fundraising, mentoring and support for others.

Four major sporting figures were also inducted into the Sports Legends of Wellington: Trish Hina, the late Jerry Collins, Rodney So’oialo and Irene van Dyk.

The awards were held at Wellington College on 20 August and recognise sporting achievement alongside the volunteers, coaches and community leaders supporting sport and recreation across the Wellington region.

Demolition is underway at the Ngatiapa Street site, where the existing homes have reached the end of their useful life as social housing.

The proposed development will include a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, including larger houses to meet demand from families.

Demolition is expected to take about six weeks.

Kāinga Ora will then continue detailed design work, with a resource consent application expected in 2027.

If approvals are granted, a construction contractor will be appointed and building could begin in early 2028.

Kāinga Ora Greater Wellington regional director Sarah Willson said the redevelopment would make better use of the site while providing homes suited to the needs of tenants.

The project forms part of Kāinga Ora’s wider programme to renew ageing state housing.

Kāinga Ora has about 78,000 homes nationwide and plans to extensively renovate or replace more than half of them over the next 30 years.

Around 2,000 older homes are expected to be replaced or substantially upgraded each year over the next few years.

The Ngatiapa Street site will be secured and maintained after demolition until construction begins.

The new members include long-established Wellington operators alongside specialists working across the wider region.

Here are the nine new members:

Absolute Design Group Ltd

Absolute Design Group Ltd has been helping Wellington homeowners create bespoke kitchens since 2010.

Founder Ann Beales brings more than 30 years of kitchen design experience, working with clients to create spaces tailored to their homes and lifestyles.

Projects can include custom cabinetry, benchtops, storage solutions, sculleries, laundries and complete kitchen layouts.

Rather than starting with a standard template, each kitchen is designed around the available space and the way the homeowner wants to use it.

Absolute Design Group designs, supplies and installs kitchens throughout the Wellington region.

Commonsense Kilbirnie

Commonsense Kilbirnie is part of the family-owned Commonsense operation built around organic food, environmental sustainability and fair trade.

The Commonsense story began with organic growing in Te Horo before the first Wellington shop opened in 1991.

Today, the Kilbirnie store at 37 Rongotai Road carries certified organic produce, pantry staples, household products and a range of ethically sourced goods.

Product choices are guided by Commonsense’s buying principles, including organic production, sustainability and fair trade.

Customers can shop in store, order home delivery or use click-and-collect.

DC Security Ltd

DC Security Ltd provides electronic and physical security systems for homes, businesses and commercial properties across Wellington.

Services include CCTV, alarms and monitoring, access control, video intercoms, door hardware, locksmithing and integrated security systems.

Solutions are designed around the requirements of each property, whether the job involves a new installation or an upgrade to an existing system.

DC Security also provides ongoing maintenance and support for residential and commercial clients across Wellington and surrounding areas.

GSW Martial Arts

GSW Martial Arts has been teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Wellington for more than 25 years.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Geoff Grant has trained in martial arts since 1985 and received his BJJ black belt in 2007.

Classes cater for beginners through to experienced students, with people training for self-defence, fitness, confidence, technical development or competition.

GSW moved to Level 3, 144 Tory Street, Te Aro, in 2026, continuing its long association with martial arts in Wellington.

Guy’s Gardens

Guy’s Gardens provides gardening and arboriculture services across Wellington’s central suburbs and Lower Hutt.

Arborist and gardener Harvey Mudford founded Guy’s Gardens, offering everything from garden tidies and hedge trimming to pruning, planting, tree work, weeding, organic gardening and consulting.

Jobs range from regular maintenance to larger improvements to established outdoor spaces.

Wellington’s local growing conditions are taken into account when planning planting, pruning and ongoing garden care.

Guy’s Gardens works with homeowners on both one-off projects and regular maintenance.

Motorworx 2012 Ltd

Motorworx 2012 Ltd is a Thorndon automotive workshop specialising in European and Japanese vehicles.

The team has more than 20 years of experience servicing, maintaining and repairing everything from newer models to older cars.

Oil and filter changes, brakes, tune-ups, diagnostics, replacement parts and more involved mechanical repairs are all handled from the Grant Road workshop.

Basic, premium and diesel servicing are available, along with general maintenance and repairs.

Motorworx is based at 143 Grant Road, Thorndon.

Pizza Pomodoro

Pizza Pomodoro has been serving wood-fired pizza in Wellington since September 2000.

Tucked inside the Hannah’s Warehouse precinct at 13 Leeds Street, the family-run pizzeria specialises in Neapolitan-style pizza made with fresh ingredients and homemade dough.

Pizzas are cooked quickly in a high-temperature wood-fired oven, creating the soft centre and raised crust associated with traditional Neapolitan pizza.

Pizza Pomodoro is certified by Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana and serves both classic Italian combinations and original creations.

More than two decades after opening, it remains an independent fixture in central Wellington.

Prana Tree

Prana Tree provides qualified arborist services across Wellington City, Porirua, the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti Coast and surrounding areas.

NZQA-qualified arborists carry out tree removal, pruning, hedge trimming, stump grinding, planting, tree health care and commercial maintenance.

On-site assessments and itemised quotes are provided before work begins.

Clients include homeowners, property managers, schools, body corporates and commercial organisations.

Prana Tree says customers will also be told when a tree does not need to be removed, with preservation considered where appropriate.

Zeus Tiling

Zeus Tiling provides floor and wall tiling across Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Kāpiti Coast.

Projects include bathrooms, kitchens, splashbacks, entranceways and other residential spaces.

Work ranges from smaller repairs and tiling jobs to larger renovation projects requiring new wall or floor finishes.

Zeus Tiling has completed dozens of jobs through Builderscrack, where customer feedback has highlighted communication, reliability, attention to detail and tidy finishes.

The team works with homeowners carrying out renovations, repairs and improvements throughout the Wellington region.

These nine businesses are among the latest local operators to join the Wellington News Business Directory. To support local businesses and discover more Wellington trades, services, shops and specialists, visit the Wellington News Business Directory:

The 2026 Quality of Life Survey found 80 percent of Wellington respondents rated their personal quality of life positively.

That was the second-highest result among the seven participating cities, behind Dunedin at 83 percent, and above the seven-city average of 76 percent.

However, Wellington recorded the lowest satisfaction with the look and feel of the city, with just 39 percent of respondents rating it positively.

The survey also found perceptions that Wellington had become a worse place to live remained high, while cost of living pressures were the main reason given by people who said their quality of life had declined.

Despite those concerns, Wellington performed strongly in several areas.

Residents reported comparatively positive experiences of the city’s walkability, public transport, access to green spaces, culture and inclusion.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said the results reflected the economic challenges facing the city, continuing cost of living pressures and declining trust and confidence in institutions.

“It is clear that there is much the council and civic leaders must change to lift residents’ perceptions and restore trust and confidence,” Little said.

He said Wellington nevertheless retained significant strengths, including its compact nature, natural environment, culture, hospitality, education sector, skilled workforce and growing technology sector.

The latest results also continue a decline seen in previous Quality of Life surveys, both in Wellingtonians’ overall quality of life and in perceptions of the city as a place to live.

The Quality of Life Survey is conducted every two years and is a partnership between Wellington, Porirua, Hutt City, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Dunedin councils.

The 2026 survey questioned 5,725 people aged 18 and over across the seven cities.

Fieldwork was carried out by Ipsos New Zealand between 2 March and 22 May 2026.

The Future Fit Pōneke report, released on 25 November 2025, concluded the council had about 330 more full-time-equivalent staff than comparable organisations.

Deloitte estimated reducing staffing by that amount could save an average of $33.9 million.

But subsequent council analysis has identified significant problems with how that figure was calculated.

The council found occupied positions had been counted alongside vacant roles, while some staffing comparisons relied on employment data from the Taxpayers’ Union that was current as at June 2022.

Wellington City Council had supplied Deloitte with staffing and cost information through to 30 June 2025.

Council papers also found employees had been costed at their full-time salary regardless of the hours they actually worked.

That overstated staffing expenditure by $21.5 million.

Another assumption treated positions containing the word “project” as duplicated roles.

Council officials were blunt about what those problems meant for Deloitte’s central staffing recommendation.

“The incorrect data usage means that the assumptions used to construct the recommendation to reduce the organisation by 330 FTE were inherently flawed,” council papers said.

Recalculating the figure produced an estimate of 284 FTE, but council papers cautioned that this did not account for other assumptions in the Deloitte analysis which could also be incorrect.

The distinction matters because the report was not merely an academic exercise.

When it was released, the 330 figure became one of its most prominent findings and formed part of a wider argument that Wellington City Council could substantially reduce staffing costs.

The report was commissioned by council chief executive Matt Prosser as an independent review aimed at improving council performance and rates affordability.

At the time, Prosser cautioned that its recommendations would need to be critically assessed.

Mayor Andrew Little has since intensified criticism of Deloitte’s work.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Little said the council had provided Deloitte with up-to-date staffing information, but the firm had used the older Taxpayers’ Union data for part of its analysis.

“They’ve never explained why they did that,” Little said.

Little also alleged that artificial intelligence had been extensively used in producing the report.

“The other thing that we’ve since discovered, because you can do this now, is that large chunks of it were written by AI.”

Little did not identify which sections he believed had been written using AI or explain publicly how that conclusion had been reached.

Deloitte has not accepted Little’s characterisation that “large chunks” of the report were written by AI.

The company has said it uses a range of technologies across its work, including AI-enabled tools where appropriate, and that analysis, findings and conclusions require human sign-off.

Deloitte has also stood by the report.

“We are satisfied that the report’s conclusions reflect the work performed and the professional judgement applied throughout the engagement,” a spokesperson said.

Little acknowledged that the report was not without value, pointing particularly to its examination of the council’s contract-management systems.

But his assessment of other sections was stark.

“Other parts of the report were frankly just a waste of time,” he said.

Little said the report had already informed some actions inside the council, including work on vacancy management and contract management.

He said council staffing numbers were also being reduced independently through restructuring and efficiency work.

Asked whether the council had approached Deloitte seeking a refund, Little said he personally had not and noted that the report had been commissioned by the chief executive rather than the mayor.

He said the matter was ultimately for Prosser and council officers.

Asked whether he would raise it with Prosser, Little said: “I’ll talk to him about it.”

But while the review explains how the system failed, it does not identify any individual who has been held responsible for the failure of one of Wellington’s most critical public assets.

The Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant flooded on 4 February 2026 after years of accumulated risk left the facility operating with little room for error.

The Crown Review found the disaster was not caused by one mistake, but by a combination of ageing infrastructure, reduced treatment capacity, weak risk management and unclear accountability across the organisations responsible for the plant.

The review describes the incident as one of the most significant infrastructure failures Wellington has experienced in recent decades, affecting environmental outcomes, public confidence, essential service delivery and the operation of a critical public asset.

But the review leaves Wellington residents with a difficult question:

When warnings accumulated, risks were identified and a critical wastewater system failed, who was responsible for ensuring action was taken?

A system failure without a single person blamed

The Crown Review was not a personal blame investigation.

Its purpose was not to determine legal liability or conduct a technical fault investigation, but to identify systemic lessons that should inform the future management of wastewater infrastructure.

The result is a detailed explanation of how the system failed.

But it stops short of naming any individual executive, elected official or manager as personally responsible.

Instead, the review identifies failures across the organisations responsible for owning, managing and operating the plant.

The organisations responsible

At the time of the failure, responsibility for Moa Point was divided between several organisations.

Wellington City Council owned the plant and retained responsibility for stewardship, compliance and long-term performance.

Wellington Water managed the asset and was responsible for asset management advice, operational delivery and capital works programmes within council-approved budgets.

Veolia operated the treatment plant.

The Crown Review found this structure created a major accountability challenge.

It said the governance model separated the roles of asset owner, asset manager and operator, but did not align responsibility with decision-making authority.

In other words, responsibility was spread across the system.

But when responsibility is shared across multiple organisations, accountability can become difficult to trace.

Wellington Water leadership

Wellington Water was led by Chief Executive Pat Dougherty when the Moa Point plant failed on 4 February 2026.

The Crown Review examined Wellington Water’s role in managing the plant, but did not make findings against individual executives.

Instead, it focused on the organisation’s systems, processes and accountability arrangements.

The review found Wellington Water had identified risks, but those risks were not always rigorously attributed, quantified or linked to clear accountability mechanisms.

It also found Wellington Water had moved into a complicated role, operating as part asset manager, part coordinator and sometimes a “shadow operator”.

The review said this blurred accountability.

Council oversight criticised

The review was also critical of Wellington City Council’s role as asset owner.

It found council retained responsibility for stewardship, compliance and long-term performance of the plant.

However, it found council relied heavily on information provided by Wellington Water rather than independently testing whether risks were acceptable.

The review said there was little evidence council sought quantified risk exposure, residual risk statements or forward-looking assessments of potential consent breaches.

It classified council’s governance approach as:

“certifying, with elements of passive”.

The review’s criticism was not that council interfered too much.

It was that council did not challenge enough.

Known risks accumulated

The accountability question becomes more difficult because the review found warning signs existed before the disaster.

Moa Point was already operating under significant constraints.

One of the plant’s two ultraviolet disinfection units was offline for replacement, reducing treatment capacity and increasing reliance on bypass systems during high rainfall.

Treatment capacity was effectively reduced from about 3,000 litres per second to around 1,500 litres per second during the UV renewal project.

The review found earlier events had shown similar warning indicators, including abnormal UV system signals, but the vulnerability was not fully understood or resolved.

Concerns were also raised during planning for the renewal project about bypass capacity and operational risks.

The review found those concerns were not clearly resolved through structured processes for ownership, escalation and decision-making.

The unanswered question

The Crown Review explains how Moa Point failed.

It identifies the infrastructure problems, the governance weaknesses and the risk management failures.

It recommends changes to prevent the same problems happening again.

But the question remains:

When a critical public asset fails after years of accumulated risk, what does accountability look like?

The review found responsibility was spread across organisations.

But organisations are led by people.

Decisions about funding, risk, monitoring and escalation are made by boards, executives, managers and elected leaders.

The public question is not whether one person caused the Moa Point disaster.

The review does not say that.

The question is whether the people responsible for overseeing one of Wellington’s most important public assets were held accountable when the risks became too great.

The Crown Review has explained the system failure.

The remaining question for Wellington is whether system reform alone is enough.

Police were alerted to the incident about 10.40pm on Tuesday, September 1, after the man jumped from Queen’s Wharf.

Responding officers grabbed life rings and found the man struggling to stay afloat.

Wellington Area Commander Inspector Dean Silvester said three officers immediately stripped down and swam to the man, placing a life preserver around him.

“The officers involved didn’t hesitate to act when they saw someone in immediate need of help,” Inspector Silvester said.

“The individual was in distress and unable to be lifted from the water, but the staff used their training to keep calm and bring him close to shore while the Police Maritime Unit responded.

“Due to the cold, other officers and fire crews jumped into the water to relieve their colleagues, and the man was safely removed from the water by 11.20pm and is now receiving care.”

Five police staff who had been in the water were assessed by an ambulance crew and taken back to Wellington Central Police Station.

“This was a fantastic example of all three emergency services coming together and working collaboratively to rescue a person in real peril,” Inspector Silvester said.

“I’m extremely proud of their efforts, and also want to thank the members of the public who alerted us to this incident.”

Festivals take over September

Great Sounds Great will kick things off on September 5, with 40 New Zealand artists performing across 10 Te Aro venues in one night.

The TAHI NZ Festival of Solo Performance follows from September 9 to 19, featuring more than 25 local and international performers.

Later in the month, the Verb Readers & Writers Festival returns from September 23 to 27, bringing writers from New Zealand and overseas together for five days of talks, workshops and discussions.

The Wellington Jazz Festival will celebrate its 30th year from October 14 to 18, with more than 100 gigs planned across the capital.

Major exhibitions open

City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi will reopen on October 10 after being closed for three years for strengthening and renovation work.

The reopening exhibition will feature British visual artist Cornelia Parker and run until March 7 next year.

Te Papa has also opened He Toi Whakairo: The Art of Māori Carving, bringing together more than 140 taonga spanning seven centuries of whakairo.

Many of the works are being displayed publicly for the first time, and the exhibition will remain at Te Papa for five years.

Concert calendar stretches into 2027

High Tide returns to Waitangi Park on November 7, while the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will conclude its 2026 season at the Michael Fowler Centre later that month.

Two major concerts are already confirmed for next year.

System Of A Down and Faith No More will perform at Hnry Stadium on February 7, followed by Drax Project, Bret McKenzie and The State Highway Wonders at the reopening of Wellington Town Hall on February 20 after its 13-year closure.

New places around the city

Wellington has also gained a string of new cafes, restaurants and bars across the central city, Mount Cook and Berhampore.

The Welly Night Market has moved to 151 Victoria Street, while Willis Street has gained two new bookshops, XO Book Co and Aurelia Books. Unity Books has also expanded its existing store.