Podcast appearances and mentions of tory whanau

Wellington's potential next Mayor is making headlines for dishing out suggestions to the current mayor. Andrew Little called on Tory Whanau to not sign any more contracts in the Golden Mile redevelopment – calling it unethical to do so before a new Mayor is elected in October. In a statement to Newstalk ZB, Whanau said candidates “do not have the mandate to demand that our Council cease progress on any democratically agreed-upon projects” Wellington Mayoral candidate Andrew Little talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Little is being seen by many as the frontrunner to be Wellington's new mayor after Tory Whanau announced she was bowing out. But there are five others who've got their eyes on their mayoral chain. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James has been talking to them.

Bad news this morning for any productive, hard-working, and busy members of our society. The climate protesters who brought Wellington to a standstill - rush hour traffic to a stand still - will be back at it again soon. Mark my words. You'll see more idiots gluing themselves to motorways, abseiling down Mt Victoria, hanging signs from gantries, roads closed, police resources distracted from important stuff, and chaos to start your day. Why? The Crown has walked away from, abandoned, the prosecution of more than 20 defendants facing charges over protests in Wellington. These guys are off on their merry way. They're from the Restore Passenger Rail group. Some were awaiting re-trial after juries couldn't come to a verdict on whether they endangered transport. Anyway there's a lot of hands that should be in cuffs that will soon be covered in glue again. How do we know this? They told us. One of the nutters said he hopes the Crown decision sets a precedent and that protesters won't be prosecuted for future climate change activism. We had numpties sleeping in coal cart trying to shut down the Stockton mine on the West Coast over Easter. Dangerous stuff. Expensive stuff. I remember a woman stuck in traffic on SH1 missing her chemo appointment at hospital. Their point is emissions are bad for the climate, but tens of thousands of cars sitting idle stuck in traffic while some climate hero gets his five seconds of TikTok fame abseiling onto our state highways would surely, if anything, make those emissions worse. Also, did you know they hire gas-guzzling diesel vans to ferry them to and from their stunts? Hypocritical losers, even Tory Whanau said they were dumb. These people are not about climate solutions. They're about themselves. I'm all for constructive discussion on how our small country can play it's part. But every time I see an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam caused by unnecessary attention seekers, it makes me want to let the planet burn just to spite them. Sadly, the rest of us can all look forward to dealing with much more of this in the months and years ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has announced she will not stand again for the Wellington mayoralty. Her announcement came shortly after former Labour Party Leader Andrew Little confirmed he would be contesting. 

At the end of every week, the Afternoons team name their pick for New Zealander of the week. It's an honour that we grant on your behalf to someone who has had effect on our great and beautiful nation over the past week. This week's nominees are Tory Whanau, the RUNIT Championship League, and the kākāpō. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Tory Whanau: 9/10 She scored it herself and why wouldn't you, shouldn't you, when you are as brilliant as her? God, she deserves a holiday. Donald Trump: 7/10 For the sheer madness, calamity and unbelievable amount of bullshit he has spouted in 100 days. You will never see the likes again, unless of course he runs for a third and fourth term. Auckland FC: 8/10 You can't argue with that execution of success. Have a dream, get a team and win the competition. That's brilliant! Canada: 7/10 Election of the year so far and will almost certainly beat tomorrow's in Australia, unless Dutton does a Morrison. And I'm not running odds on that. Toyota: 7/10 The All Blacks deal is a nice fit. How good will Tamaiti Williams look in a Yaris? James Meager: 3/10 For saying random stuff like he's looking into helping Air New Zealand into the regions and getting fares down. He's also looking to get butter under $4 a block. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has bowed out of the Wellington mayoral race but won't rule out running for the capital's top job in 2028. Ms Whanau, who's had a turbulent time as mayor, said she will instead be running to be a councillor for the Maori ward. It comes after former Labour Party heavyweight Andrew Little threw his hat in the ring for the city's top job. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James reports.

In her seemingly never-ending ability to surprise, Tory Whanau fronts on the local Newstalk ZB morning show in her beleaguered capital yesterday and scores herself a 9/10. If she had come from comedy I could have seen the joke she was making. But she doesn't come from comedy, which is not to say her reign hasn't been comedic. She is the Meghan Markle of local body politics - so self-absorbed and she doesn't appear cognisant as to just how destructive and useless she is. I wasn't going to even comment on Whanau given it's a local issue, she has announced she's off, and the sooner the Whanau era of terror ends the better. But fly in the ointment: she is still standing for a seat and bringing potentially all her 9/10 madness with her. Now the guard rails on this part of her future are of course in the hands of the public of the capital. You don't have to have more of it. You can in fact vote for someone else. As such she is free to take her record, put it in front of you and test it. But it takes a special sort of narcissist to think of herself so highly, having just been bundled out of the big race because she knows she can't win. If she is a 9/10, she should be bolting home. But that's the problem with narcissists, isn't it? They continue to bluster even when they know the game is up. She is also a wider problem by remaining as part of the wider picture. She puts people off. Local body politics is crying out for decent, hardworking, competent contributors, but who in their right mind is interested in sitting round a table with buffoons? A bunch of do-gooding lifers, who as often as not, are not actually able to get work in the normal world. Not all of Wellington's many, many problems are on Tory. But she led the team that wrought the havoc and the stuff she inherited, she didn't help. Her advice to poor, old Nick Mills, who had to listen to this tripe, was every time you see a road cone, you see progress. It's that sort of fairytale, fanciful nonsense most of us realise isn't remotely true. Maybe that's her ultimate problem. Maybe she lives in her head In her head Wellington is a riviera and Tory is the queen of that riviera. The pipes didn't burst, the city boomed, and Tory oversaw a renaissance. Maybe that's how all narcissists delude themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) It's a Wonderful Place/Mark the MPs/Deliberately Mispronounciating/Return of the Inquiry/Not Livable Enough for MeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellingtonians have one less candidate to choose from as current Mayor Tory Whanau bows out of the race. She has instead endorsed Labour's Andrew Little for the position. Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung is running against Andrew Little, and he talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the race and whether Whanau will now be Andrew Little's deputy. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's plan to reduce the operating allowance from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion is the smallest amount of new spending in a decade. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has decided to make departments metabolise their own spending in order to get books back into surplus. New Zealand Herald Political Editor Thomas Coughlan talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the ‘big' decision, KiwiSaver subsidies and Tory Whanau dropping out of the Wellington race. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrea Vance joins Nights to discuss Tory Whanau's mayoralty and the challenges that face Wellington City in the upcoming local council elections.

Tory Whanau has bowed out of the Wellington Mayoralty race, saying she now wants to run for the Greens in the Māori ward as a councilor only. This is an attempt at saving face - I doubt many will fall for it. Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

Tory Whanau should be saluted for putting Wellington first and saving a no-doubt divisive and energy-sapping scrap for the mayoral race with Andrew Little, says TFN host Paddy Gower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OPINION Tory Whanau has said no. She's said no to standing for Wellington mayor for the three terms she always said she'd run for. She's out; she's thrown in the towel. We won't get the exciting election campaign of Tory Whanau v Andrew Little, which I must say I was looking forward to. And I'll be honest; I wanted her to run. I wanted to know if Wellington as a city really believes in the green idealisms she promotes. This election was going to tell me whether it was a flash in the pan or whether it was real. But Tory has pulled out. What I can't quite work out is why this was announced on the same day that she stood on Courtenay Place with her brand new Bunnings shovel, digging up the ground to celebrate the start of the Golden Mile redevelopment works. Clearly, the hole she dug was simply too big. She couldn't climb out of it. Tory says her decision not to run is a better outcome for everybody involved. She now wants to run for the Māori ward on council. She also told the Herald this morning she'd like to be a government Minister one day. You can make your own mind up on that one. Now there have been rumours around Tory pulling out for a while now. Firstly, the rumour was she was going to pull out to let Justin Lester have a crack. Then Andrew Little stepped out of the shadows, and the rest is history. So now all we can do is reflect on her legacy. And what a legacy it is. Tory will always talk about the Golden Mile and her ambition to get the work underway. She'll always mention the amount of work the council has done on our pipes. She'll mention her fight to upgrade the council's social housing, and of course she'll praise her work on building the cycleways that split the city in more ways than one. She told me she rates her mayoralty a nine out of ten. But that's her saying those things. Wellington as a city will reflect on some more colourful aspects of her leadership. The drinking; Whanau admitted to being a bit tipsy when she left The Old Quarter restaurant without paying her bill, and how can we forget the alleged 'do you know who I am' comment. Who will forget Whanau bringing her dog into the council office. That was a no no. And in November 2023 she publicly acknowledged having an alcohol problem following a drunken incident at a bar. Then there was that interview on Wellington Mornings that made national news. Whanau, who earns $180,000 a year, mentioned she was selling her car to help pay her bills. She later admitted that the car had been sold months earlier, and her comments were supposedly taken out of context. But that's her personal legacy. What's her political legacy? Well she pushed the terrible Reading Cinema deal that was going to cost Wellington City Council $32 million in a corporate welfare deal. That failed. She advocated for the sale of the Wellington City Council's 34% stake in the Wellington International Airport. That failed. She got her Bunnings shovel out yesterday to dig up the Golden Mile, but most contracts still haven't been signed and it may never fully go ahead. I think it's fair to say most people in this city feel Wellington has gone backwards in the last three years. That's her legacy. Personally, I have always had a good relationship with Tory. Yes, she cut her connections with our programme. She felt it wasn't talking to her people, and she probably thought I was too tough on her. But we got along. I respected her, and while I didn't like a lot of what she did as mayor, she was a character. I did like the fact we had a character as mayor. Unfortunately for us, it went too far. We started to be the butt of everybody's jokes. Her decision yesterday is a bad good thing for Wellington. I'm sad we won't have an exciting race or a strong contest of ideas. But it means the city is guaranteed a new direction - something a lot of us have wanted for a long time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, the Finance Minister has announced the government will slash new spending in the upcoming budget, Wellington will elect a new mayor later this year after Tory Whanau confirmed she won't run for a second term, the Canadian election cycle has been dominated by high cost of living and the country's relationship with the US, a huge unexplained power cut took out electricity in Spain, Portugal and parts of France, what lots of households pay for their power bills has increased this month, and the election campaign is heating up in Australia.

Wellington mayor, Tory Whanau, has quit the mayoralty race. Whanau announced on Monday night she won't be running for a second term as mayor and will instead run for the Māori Ward. Wellington Issues reporter Nick James spoke to Corin Dann.

Wellington will elect a new mayor later this year after Tory Whanau confirmed she won't run for a second term. Her decision came less than 12 hours after long-serving Labour politician Andrew Little won the backing of the Wellington Labour Party to run for the mayoralty. Little spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Right-leaning independent mayoral candidate and current Wellington councillor, Ray Chung, believes he still has a shot at the mayoralty. Chung spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 29th of April, Tory Whanau has decided to drop her bid for re-election – this must be the news Wellington wanted. Shane Jones is rejecting the co-governance plan for the Waitakere Ranges, and we look at the latest fruit market to go gangbusters – persimmons! Quest Means Business host on CNN, Richard Quest joins to talk Trump's first 100 days and the global effects of the tariff debacle. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau's shock U-turn not to run for the Wellington mayoralty again marks three consecutive one-term mayors for the capital. Whanau has this morning revealed she's dropping out of the race, saying she wants to give Andrew Little a clearer run to victory. It means Whanau, along with the two previous mayors Andy Foster and Justin Lester, only served one term in the job. Former Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast told Mike Hosking that's bad for the city, which needs stability. Tory Whanau will stand for the city's Māori ward. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau is bowing out of Wellington's mayoral race. The incumbent's confirmed she'll instead stand for the council's Māori ward seat to give former Labour Leader Andrew Little a clear run. She says Little will do a good job, and she hopes people see her withdrawal as a gracious move. Whanau told Nick Mills she had to consider what was going to deliver the best outcomes for Wellington, and that meant shifting to running for council. She says she'll still very much be there fighting for Wellington. Whanau says that while she does have a few regrets from her term as Mayor, she's mostly proud of what she's done. When asked to rate her performance, she gave herself a high score. “If I look back on what I campaigned on, what I said I would deliver to the city, you know, I'd give myself a 9/10. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses in the capital city are still feeling glum - Westpac's latest survey has found Wellington has the lowest business confidence of any region in the country. With interest rates dropping and spending increasing, when will confidence return? Also, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has officially turned the sod at the first tranche of Golden Mile works this morning. How will the plan affect businesses? To answer those questions, Working Style director Chris Dobbs and Tommy's Real Estate CEO Ben Castle joined Nick Mills for the Business Panel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses in the capital city are still feeling glum - Westpac's latest survey has found Wellington has the lowest business confidence of any region in the country. With interest rates dropping and spending increasing, when will confidence return? Also, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has officially turned the sod at the first tranche of Golden Mile works this morning. How will the plan affect businesses? To answer those questions, Working Style director Chris Dobbs and Tommy's Real Estate CEO Ben Castle joined Nick Mills for the Business Panel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau is bowing out of Wellington's mayoral race. The incumbent's confirmed she'll instead stand for the council's Māori ward seat to give former Labour Leader Andrew Little a clear run. She says Little will do a good job, and she hopes people see her withdrawal as a gracious move. Little's been critical of Whanau, calling rate increases under her leadership "simply not acceptable". He told Ryan Bridge Whanau advised him before announcing her decision. A key focus of both the residents and candidates is Wellington's high rates, and Little says he wants to slow the rise. He says a 35% increase over the next three years is simply not acceptable. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 29 April 2025, Tory Whanau has given up her bid to be re-elected Wellington's Mayor. Ryan Bridge got reaction from the apparent frontrunner in the race, Andrew Little. The construction industry is celebrating the government's to allow reputable builders, plumbers and drainlayers to self-certify their own work for certain builds. We get the latest from Australian as the election campaign draws to a close. Ryan gives a reality check for those complaining about Air New Zealand's prices. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm starting to wonder who isn't running for mayor in Wellington. Former Labour leader Andrew Little is the latest one joining the race to oust current mayor Tory Whanau. And, just in case you think so, I'm not endorsing Andrew Little in any way, shape, or form. But I do think having former MPs on local councils is a very good thing. Because whether we like it or not, local councils cannot operate in isolation and knowing how things in Wellington work is invaluable. Andrew Little isn't the first ex-MP wanting to get into local government. Former National MP Nick Smith is the mayor of Nelson. Phil Goff was mayor of Auckland. In Christchurch, former Labour politician Lianne Dalziel was elected mayor three times. Maurice Williamson —who was a National MP and minister— is on Auckland Council these days. John Banks. The list goes on. And they don't admit it at the time, but when these ex-MPs stand for their local councils, it's not just their political experience they're banking on. They also know full well that they're making the most of apathetic voters who look for a name they know and end up voting for them. When it comes to name recognition, I reckon an ex-MP has way more chance of being successful in the job than some of the other people you see milking their name recognition to get elected to their local council. People in my game do it. In fact, it seems to me that if media people don't go on to be marriage and funeral celebrants, they go on to be a local councillor. Not that you will ever catch me doing that. Last thing I'd want to do. Sportspeople milk their name recognition too. I'm not in Tauranga and don't know all the ins-and-outs, but I think it's pretty safe to say that the reason Mahe Drysdale is the mayor of Tauranga is because of his brilliant rowing career. He's got none of this so-called “business experience” that some people think is essential for someone to be good at running a town or a city. He's got no prior political experience. He's just a name. Voters obviously thought he was a good Kiwi bloke, he's done well in his sport, so they voted for him. Not that, from what I've seen, it's been all plain sailing for him so far. I've seen a few stories with him getting heat for stuff – and that is where people's lack of political experience shows. And why I think it's a very good thing to have people former MPs on our local councils. They're not perfect —Lianne Dalziel was far from perfect— but they know what they're getting themselves into. They generally don't set the world on fire, but I don't care about that. Because, whether we like it or not, local and central government are intertwined. Local government is way more dependent on central government than it would like to admit. Especially, when they're in the schtuck. When they need to get Wellington on their side. Which is why having people as mayors and councillors who know exactly how to get the government on side —because they've been there and done that— that's why it is so beneficial. And that's why I'll take an ex-politician over an ex-media personality or an ex-sporting hero any day, when it comes to who I want to see on my local council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour leader Andrew Little has today confirmed he will stand for the Wellington mayoralty in the upcoming local body elections. Little said he is standing for mayor because Wellington needs “urgent change” and “serious leadership”. “I'm confident I can win,” he said today. He had previously ruled out throwing his hat in the ring but has revealed this morning that he wants to “end the chaos at council” which he believed he had the experience to do. He wanted to return the council to “what it should be doing” and serving the people. Little says he's been approached by “quite a cross-section” of Wellingtonians asking him to run. “Obviously Labour people but also National Party, Green Party people, community leaders, business people.” He said the city was in a fragile state and believed some major projects could be reconsidered. “We need to make sure what we are doing isn't causing disruption at a particularly sensitive time.” The first phase of the Golden Mile project was scheduled to start this month, but Little suggested further work could be deferred. “For the remainder of the project, I'm not saying don't do it, what I am saying is let's have a think about when it might be best to do that.” The city needed to recover, he said. Little's main priorities have been listed as investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, prioritising cheaper transport and housing development, supporting small businesses, taking action on climate and honouring the Treaty. He said it was clear to him that Wellington “is in trouble”. He highlighted the city's cost of living crisis, public service cuts and the council being “out of touch” as three of the major issues facing Wellington residents. He said he wants to do away with “regressive” policies like asset sales, closure of community facilities and “millions of dollars in corporate welfare for an international cinema owner”. “My focus as mayor will be getting the best for Wellington. That means being able to work constructively with the Government in the city's interests and it means standing up to the Beehive when needed. It means being clear in my Labour values but always working across political lines to be a mayor for all of Wellington.” “This council [has] on the block a number of community facilities like the Khandallah pool, like Begonia House - those things should be our priorities, they're certainly my priorities. Those are the things that strengthen communities and make a city.“ He said the recent rates rises were “not acceptable” and making the city unaffordable, and thought the council needed a “much tighter grip on council finances”. While he believed cycleways were a good thing some routes had been poorly executed. He said his track record showed he was able to work with people from across the political spectrum. “We all love this city. We're creative, we're full of talent, we're diverse, and we're a place where people from all walks of life can feel included and make a home. “Wellington is the place I chose with my wife Leigh to raise our family and there's nowhere else we would rather be.” He has submitted his nomination seeking the Wellington Labour Party's support for his mayoral campaign and a formal campaign launch will follow in the coming weeks. Little entered Parliament in 2011 and was leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2017. Little was a senior minister under former prime ministers Dame Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. Candidates who have confirmed plans to run for the mayoralty are Tory Whanau, councillor Ray Chung, businessman Karl Tiefenbacher, conservationist Kelvin Hastie, Wellington Live owner Graham Bloxham and former city councillor Rob Goulden. The election will be held on October 11. Little joined Nick Mills to discuss his candidacy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business owner Karl Tiefenbacher has officially joined the Wellington mayoral race. Speaking exclusively to Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills, Tiefenbacher announced he plans to stand as an independent candidate for the mayoralty. He has yet to announce any policies but said his core priorities include changing the culture of Wellington City Council, keeping rates down, and stopping wasteful spending. Tiefenbacher, who calls himself “Wellington's ice cream guy” as the founder of Kaffee Eis, has previously run for council twice and lost. Last year he fell short by only 45 votes to the Green Party's Geordie Rogers in a byelection for the Pukehīnau Lambton Ward. His campaign website is now live, with the slogan “Wellington, It's Time!”. “Wellington has expensive challenges ahead. As a business owner I understand it's essential to invest wisely, with responsible and affordable decisions”, his campaign site states. This time around he also plans to run for a council seat in the Motukairangi Eastern Ward. His biography states Tiefenbacher was born and raised in Wellington and had “a successful career in the finance sector for 18 years” before starting cafe and gelato manufacturer Kaffee Eis. Tiefenbacher has previously been critical about the Golden Mile project and moves to pedestrianise Cuba St. He describes himself as a centrist. Earlier this month, the local branch for the Labour Party confirmed it had to extend nominations for a mayoral candidate, after no one put their hand up to run for the party. Confirmed candidates for the mayoralty include incumbent Tory Whanau, city councillor Ray Chung, predator-free champion Kelvin Hastie, Wellington Live owner Graham Bloxham, and former city councillor Rob Goulden. Of the confirmed candidates, all but Bloxham and Whanau have previously run for the mayoralty unsuccessfully. Diane Calvert, a third-term councillor and former mayoral candidate, is rumoured to be eyeing up running, telling the Herald this month she still hasn't decided. “As an independent, I'm not on a deadline set by a political party,” Calvert said. John Apanowicz, another current councillor, said he's still keen to run but is seeking the support of his family and will announce his plans at a later date. Luke Pierson, a businessman and founding member of lobby group Vision for Wellington, had been rumoured to be considering a run for the top job, but has confirmed he's not going for it. “I can rule it out. My focus is on Vision for Wellington - which is inherently apolitical,” Pierson said. The local election will be held on October 11. Candidate nominations open on Friday, July 4 and close on August 1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Tuesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) There Really Is No Hope. Move On/A Tale of Two Labours/Stop Ignoring Us. Sometimes/More Covid Triggers/Walton's WangerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau is sounding off on the Prime Minister after failing to reach a deadline made for all councils. Councils were encouraged to deliver a plan that the Government could help with, and Wellington didn't deliver one in time. Whanau then said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is 'not a very nice person.' Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper said the Mayor thought the comment would work in her favour. "She said it works for her because a lot of people in Wellington don't like Luxon," he said. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau claims her council is the "government's punching bag" and has labelled the Prime Minister "not a nice person". Is there some truth to the government constantly beating up Wellington City Council, and was it right for the Mayor to go personal? Also, the Coroner has released her report into the death of Sandy Calkin, who died after falling into Wellington Harbour after a night drinking in July 2021. The report found the council had consistently ignored the risks of people falling into the harbour, despite 7 deaths and 17 others falling but surviving. Is this proof we need to fence our waterfront? Green MP for Rongotai Julie Anne Genter and Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young joined Nick Mills for Friday Faceoff. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has opened up about how she seriously considered quitting the mayoralty, being "humiliated in front of the whole country" and fighting the patriarchy. The Wellington mayor has faced several challenges - both political and personal - during her time in the capital's mayor. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James spoke to Lisa Owen.

OPINION What is it with Prime Ministers from Auckland giving us a bad rap? First it was John Key telling us we were dying. He of course was right - he just got his decades wrong. Now we have Christopher Luxon calling us "lame-o". I haven't heard that phrase since the 90s, but that aside, he's dead right. Why? Well last year the government announced it would be offering councils the opportunity to sign up to what they called 'regional deals'. These would be a 10 year plans based on a 30 year visions which would provide a range of options for funding. Maybe toll roads, maybe a new train line, a new tunnel. Whatever it might be, the idea was to try to help the regions with the high cost of infrastructure and unlock a bit more productivity. It's a great idea. The government invited councils across the country to come up with ideas by the end of February from which it would select five regions to put forward for more in depth proposals and eventually a truckload of cash. Basically this was free cash for a big idea. It was a very good opportunity for Wellington. But guess what... we didn't even suggest anything. Eighteen proposals were submitted last month but none were from the Wellington region. Well Prime Minister Christopher Luxon didn't like that. That's where the lame-o comment came from. Luxon said every other region has been able to work together for the last six months while Wellington hasn't even shown up with a proposal.. Chris Hipkins even criticised our councils too. He said our councils need to get it together. What this really demonstrates to me is that our councils simply can't work together. How often have we said we need a super city? How often do we discuss the fact that our Mayors are not all on same page? Look at Wellington Water. They couldn't keep track of all these cost blowouts and they couldn't agree on whether to sack chair Nick Leggett. And now we find they can't agree on what is essentially free money for a big project. The rest is history, well not quite history. The name calling isn't stopping.. Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said the comments were “poor form” for a Prime Minister. "With due respect Prime Minister we will deliver a deal it'll just be on our time frame. We are determined to get this right," Whanau said. Why does she think its the council's job to dictate timeframes to a government wanting to dish out free cash? Apparently they were told by the Crown observer to concentrate on their water issues and not to put a submission together. Because its really clear our councils have been focused on water.... come on. Whoever you want to listen to, it's clear the relations between the government and Wellington councils have sunk to a new low. They keep trading jabs. What is it with the Wellington region? Why is it that they can't work together for something as simple as putting a proposal together to get some money from the government? And why do we have to keep talking about combining Porirua, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Wellington into one council? If ever we needed confirmation that this is required for us to grow it's this week. No unanimous decision on the future of Wellington Water and no discussion to submit something to the government's regional deals. These deals were quite literally money for nothing and we didn't even want it. Frankly we are lame-o for not grasping that with both hands. This just confirms to me how desperately we need one council. One council table to take the region forward, not four. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water's boss says local councils have every right to be angry at them. Tory Whanau yesterday described her council's relationship with the organisation as “tense” at a special meeting, following revelations last week it wasn't getting value for ratepayers' money. Wellington Water CEO Pat Dougherty told Mike Hosking he and his staff are doing everything they can to find the issues and fix them. He says there's been a culture of putting too much trust in their contractors, and he wants a more tense and accountable relationship. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OPINION We were warned a report was coming out on Wellington Water. Not even people in the media or on our councils thought the report was going to be this scathing. There is a lot of shock around Wellington right now. And we've always suspected it, but now we know just how bad Wellington Water has been managing our pipes and our money. The entire report can be summed up in two lines. The first; we are being fleeced. The second; the management of Wellington Water has sat back and allowed it to happen. The headline out of this report is that ratepayers in the region are paying nearly three times more for unplanned pipe maintenance compared to other cities like Hamilton and Christchurch. Three times more. And no one seemed to bat an eyelid. Contractors have been creaming it because the management of Wellington Water is clearly just spraying money around. All while our rates skyrocket, almost solely because of the huge sums we're told need to be invested in water. And the crazy thing is, we don't know how much this fleecing has cost us. Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett said yesterday it's in the millions - but we don't know any more than that. And it's not just about the cost. The report also highlights a lack of oversight and the possibility for staff to commit fraud. One alleged case of fraud has been found, with Police now investigating. At the centre of all this is Wellington Water's chairman, Nick Leggett, who has apologised and is now “pausing for thought” about whether he stays in his job. Leggett admits that Wellington Water has failed to deliver value for money and acknowledges that concerns raised by staff and council shareholders were not listened to sooner. But is an apology enough? I'm not going to call for Leggett to go. Let the water settle first. He's only been in the position for less than two years, but let's get to the bottom of what's happened first. Some are calling for him to go; Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy has been direct, saying "heads have got to go". But Porirua Mayor Anita Baker has pushed back, calling talk of resignations “absolutely stupid” and praising Leggett and new CEO Pat Dougherty for driving changes. And let's be honest, this is an issue that goes way beyond Nick Leggett or the current leadership. This has been happening for years. We have been fleeced for years. Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has also weighed in, demanding answers from the board and leadership about how this situation was allowed to develop over such a long period. And she's right. How can something like this happen? What other organisation pays bills three times more expensive than everyone else without noticing? Why was there no deep dive earlier? Wellington Water has been in the headlines constantly. remember the fluoridation debacle? Or the $51 million budget error that slipped through the cracks? It's completely dysfunctional. And the Prime Minister said as much yesterday. “A unique corruption" he called it. And let's not forget the bigger picture here. Wellingtonians are paying the price for these failures. People are leaving this city because they can't afford it. How are those people feeling today? This is a mammoth scandal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Andrew Bayly: 3/10 It's a sad business. Was it a sackable offence? No. Does it put people off entering politics? I would have thought so. But when you call someone a loser and grab an arm, can you survive? It was the re-offence that was sackable. Law and order: 8/10 The violent crime stats and new detainment powers are tangible evidence of progress in the right direction. Marsden and the rebuild: 2/10 That's what is wrong with coalitions. They indulge folly. Temu: 3/10 We are spending more there and less domestically. Never underestimate the power of cheap crap. Tory Whanau: 1/10 Cancelling her Newstalk ZB slot is the beginning of the end. Cancelling Newstalk ZB slots doesn't tend to go well for voting patterns – I speak from experience. The Warriors: 7/10 Unbeaten in the offseason and some fairly ordinary, blow-up bat-wielding Raiders to tackle first up. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Dimly Lit Groundhog Day/Which Region Is the Specialest?/It's Your Job to Turn Up/The Price of Cheap Stuff/Dusty Old Memory LaneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday has come so Tim Wilson and Kate Hawkesby joined Mike Hosking to Wrap the Week that was. It's been a scandal filled week, with Darleen Tana being ousted from Parliament, Andrew Bayly's offensive comments, and the new Crown Observer for Wellington City Council, so they decided to play a game of Rank the Scandal. They also stand on one leg as they discuss balance, and debate working from home versus teacher-only days. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been two years since Wayne Brown and Tory Whanau were elected to lead their respective cities. What are their chances of reelection in 2025?

Eyes are on Wellington City council, officially. The local government minister's appointing a crown observer to monitor and report back on what he has described as a shambles Things came to a head after a plan, that was supported by Mayor Tory Whanau, to sell council's stake in Wellington Airport was vetoed. fracturing the council further. The money was to fund development and an insurance gap the city would face if it had to rebuild after a disaster. Meaning it's back to the drawing board for a long term plan. Councillors held an urgent meeting following the announcement and have ten days to respond to Simeon Brown's move to appoint an observer. Tory Whanau told media afterwards that she wasn't surprised by the minister's decision. Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown spoke to Lisa Owen.

A former Wellington Mayor thinks Tory Whanau's made the right call to accept a Crown observer at her council. The city's Long Term Plan's being re-written after the city u-turned on its decision to sell its shares in Wellington Airport. There's also been a raft of issues around the council table. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown cited councillors walking out of meetings and refusing to participate in votes as rationale for intervention. Ex-Wellington Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast told Mike Hosking there'll be some relief from Wellingtonians this morning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says she'll stick to her priorities - even as central Government intervenes. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has appointed a Crown Observer to help council develop its Long Term Plan. Spending cuts are needed since the council's U-turn on selling its airport shares. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Tory has taken this well - but this intervention will come at a cost to Wellington ratepayers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister is determined to fix the 'dysfunction' and uncertain financial conditions impacting Wellington City Council. Simeon Brown today confirmed he will appoint a Crown observer to help the council develop a new Long-Term Plan. He says he informed mayor Tory Whanau of his reasons before confirming this decision. "It was a professional conversation, I informed her of the decision I'd arrived at based on a number of reasons." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's Mayor Tory Whanau is meeting with the Local Government Minister Simeon Brown on Thursday as her council faces the threat of government intervention. Krystal Gibbens reports.

Local government minister, Simeon Brown, is set to meet with Wellington mayor Tory Whanau on Thursday to discuss her council's performance. Wellington City councillor Iona Pannett spoke to Corin Dann.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Voting: 8/10 Democracy is a wonderful thing, and we have seen this week a new president for Sri Lanka and the first vote in America. Tory Whanau: 4/10 Four times she opened her mouth and four times the hole got bigger. Fonterra: 7/10 What they are doing for farmers and, by connection, the rest of the country at a time of real strife is not to be underestimated. Working from home: 6/10 From the amount of whinging I have heard, you would have thought we had been doing it since Victorian times and we've got no idea how to turn up at the office like, you know, each workday. David Seymour: 6/10 Most effective politician of the week. He got charter schools into law and cracked down on teacher only days. Liam Lawson: 9/10 In one of the biggest global sports going there is a top 20, and a Kiwi is once again right up there. #dreamscometrue LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a rare moment of unity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter are on the same page about congestion charges for Wellington city. Wellington Regional Council transport committee chair Thomas Nash spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, the prime minister Christopher Luxon is counting on a raft of new measures to smooth out the country's energy supply issues. Luxon spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss, Uber drivers are celebrating a legal win, after the multi-billion dollar rideshare company failed in its bid to overturn an Employment Court decision on their status, In a rare moment of unity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter are on the same page about congestion charges for Wellington city, in a rare moment of unity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter are on the same page about congestion charges for Wellington city, and in Australia, questions about the blurring of work and home have led to new "right to disconnect" laws, which took effect on Monday.