New Zealand Listener – August 24, 2019

LISTENER AUGUST 24 2019

G
ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

A suggestion about where to insert the yet-to-

be-invented trackless tram that’s a feature of the

$6 billion-plus plan would have been useful cor-

respondence. Alas, the Prime Minister has said the

contents were not even that spicy.

The Ombudsman has been called in and may

well decide the letter can remain secret because

it falls under the definition of free and frank

discussion between ministers, which the Official

Information (OIA) Act allows to be exempt from

public disclosure.

“Free and frank discussion” is generally under-

stood by us laypeeps as having a ruddy great

dust-up. It’s clear the letter was writ-

ten as push came to shove between

the Government’s own parties and

Wellington City Council. Whatever

the famously pro-cycle Green min-

ister said in the letter would be used

to inflame already-indignant feelings

over what is a distinctly uninspiring

“jam tomorrow” transport plan. Let’s

Get Wellington Moving (LGWM)

is not so much a vision as a pained

squint into the middle distance.

NOT A GOOD LOOK

Aside from providing the Opposi-

tion with daily sport, the ministers’

refusal to release the letter is having a

consequence neither of them should

relish: it’s further damaging public

respect for, and tolerance of, coali-

tion politics, and needlessly so.

To make such a haughty stand on

what is almost certainly a footling

communication makes the conduct

of coalition politics look furtive and

guilt-infused, amplifying people’s

worst misconceptions about MMP

politics.

Government critics have even

used the term “interference”, as

though Genter had no right to

influence the decision. Participat-

ing in transport decision-making

is what we pay her to do. As the

Government’s picking up most of

the tab for LGWM, she has at least

as much right to a say as the local

councillors.

Let’s resignedly put aside the fact

that polling suggests the people of

the Wellington region were permit-

ted no say on LGWM. That’s not

what politicians ever mean when

they promise “consultation” and it’d

be a waste of time snivelling about

that here.

Some councillors even insist

their mayor, Labour’s Justin Lester,

warned them that the Greens could

bail from the Government if they

didn’t get their way over LGWM. He

denies this, and whoever said what to

whom, this would be a dumb bluff.

The Greens would hardly bet their

all on a single deal, let alone one

as paltry and vague as this. But the

public is left with the impression of

toys rocketing from cots and arms

being twisted, when tough talking is

what always happens in any govern-

ment among ministers, even of the

same party. It has to. You can’t have

consensus without compromise.

But it’s dismaying and puzzling

that these ministers are so reluctant

to disclose which eggs were broken to

make this particular omelette, and by

whom. Perhaps the most controver-

sial aspect was that the popular plan

for a second Mt Victoria tunnel was

put back in the pie-warmer, seem-

ingly in favour of more provision for

bus lanes and cycleways.

Given the debacle over the dys-

function of the Island Bay cycleway,

and the Godot-like nature of Wel-

lington’s new bus “service”, which is

W

e may die wondering what

was in the mystery letter

Associate Transport Minister

Julie Anne Genter wrote to

Transport Minister Phil Twy-

ford about Wellington’s transport future,

but it’s almost certainly more fun to guess,

anyway.

POLITICS

The Government feels heat from a stationery blunder and a harasser.

What Dolly did

JANE

CLIFTON

Such a haughty

stand makes the

conduct of coalition

politics look furtive

and guilt-infused.

“Interference”-

accused Julie

Anne Genter

fesses up to

using the wrong

letterhead.