The council has voted to stop its annual fireworks display. Photo: RNZ / Shannon Gillies
Wellington city councillors have agreed to cut funding for the Khandallah Pool, reduce the budget for graffiti management and stop the annual firework display - but save their New Years' event.
The decisions are part of the council's long-term plan proposal, which will go to public consultation in April before it is officially implemented.
At Thursday's mammoth meeting, councillors discussed how to free up funds for other important projects, including the broken water network.
After a six-and-a-half hour meeting Wellington City Council finished voting on amendments to their Long Term Plan.
It kicked off with community feedback asking councillors to reconsider proposed changes to cut library and pool hours.
Pirates Swim team head coach Steve Francis shared his opposition to that move.
"The original policy but forward would have been the extinction of our swim club."
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau made an amendment to the proposal to take the changes to library and pool hours off the table.
"We've heard the community over the last few days loud and clear."
Councillor Ben McNulty apologised to the swim clubs of Wellington that they brought the possibility of the changes to swim pool hours.
"For us to get hundreds of emails, for people to be up overnight, for people to be worried about their jobs when the political will to do so was never there was a failure of all of us collectively around this table."
Councillors agreed to put in a proposal in the plan to shut Khandallah Pool - an idea public submitter Maree Newson also raised concern about.
Newson asked where young people who did not have access to a car would go for a swim.
Councillors have also agreed to keep in the plan a $1.8 billion investment to water infrastructure, including $1.1b in funding for Capex funding and $700 million for Opex funding.
Councillor Nikau Wi Neera said the double digit percent rates increase ratepayers were facing in the plan related to the government's axing of Three Waters.
"I would just like to issue a challenge to those down the road if they manage to get out of select committee in time to watch this fascinating hui to consider in their new approach to Three Waters the crushing financial position into which they are putting our ratepayers [in]."
Whanau acknowledged some councillors may not have got what they want.
"We debate, we vote, we consult, that is democracy."
Other options which will be considered as part of the long-term plan include the selling of Airport shares and changes to waste collection services.
Councillors also asked officers to investigate the possibility of the introduction of a congestion charge as part of the long-term plan.
