Nicola Young Photo: Sharon Brettkelly
Wellington councillor Nicola Young agrees with the government description of her council as a shambles.
The coalition has floated the possibility of intervening at Wellington City Council after councillors last week halted the sale of airport shares.
The decision leaves the council's Long Term Plan with a major budget shortfall.
Prime Minister Christopher Christopher Luxon said he was concerned while Finance Minister Nicola Willis - who's Wellington-based - separately described the state of the council as a shambles.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said he was seeking advice on the options available to him but will not give a timeline for potential developments.
Young told Checkpoint on Tuesday her concerns included council paying tens of millions a year in interest payments, liveability of the city and the leadership at council.
She also took issue with mayor Tory Whanau, saying they had never had a "functional chat".
"I find this really distressing because I want Wellington to be a flourishing city."
A Crown observer would be a step in the right direction, she said.
Young said she was not in favour of installing a commissioner to run the council, but she did think the government should intervene and a Crown observor would be a step in the right direction.
"I think they would perhaps [a Crown observer] run it on a more business-like basis and ensure there was communication and also perhaps make councillors realise the financial and social implications of some of the decisions they make."
Councillor Diane Calvert said she agreed with the need for outside intervention.
Diane Calvert Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
"To quite a few of us, and the public included, intervention has been needed for some time," she said.
A number of councillors wanted council spending to be reduced, a plea which had been "completely ignored by the mayor and others".
"From my perspective, it's quite clear that you can't undertake a new Long Term Plan under the same process that created the problems in the first place," she said.
She said there were several options for intervention, from a review team to a commissioner.
"Most people believe that a midway point, an observer tasked with a role such as a facilitator, is the best outcome."
She said a facilitator would ideally make sure advice to the councillors was accurate, current and neutral, and support council relationships with the government and other councils.
Whanau earlier on Tuesday did not directly address the statements made by the government but said work was underway with councillors on the council's Long Term Plan.
Whanau declined to be interviewed on Checkpoint.
More to come...
