By Nick James of RNZ
Wellington City Councillors will hold an urgent meeting this afternoon, after the government threatened to intervene following the council's decision not to sell its airport shares.
On Tuesday, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown told media he was seeking advice from officials on the options available to him and thresholds to intervene in the city council.
It came after the council voted on Thursday last week to stop the sale of its 34% stake in Wellington Airport.
The sale was part of the council's Long-Term Plan (LTP), with money raised from it set to be used to establish an investment fund.
Yesterday afternoon, city councillor Diane Calvert emailed Wellington mayor Tory Whanau to ask for a meeting between councillors and mana whenua.
The meeting would discuss the LTP amendment process in wake of the council's decision not to sell the shares.
It would include also discussion on how staff calculated the resulting $400 million to $600 million deficit caused, reviewing projects, and considering seeking independent support for navigating the LTP amendment process.
Calvert said in the email she recommend a media release from the mayor "outlining a constructive way forward that involves all council members and conveys a unified message".
She said this was vital for restoring public and government confidence in the council.
The private meeting would be held at 2.30pm today.
