[Cross-posted] The Fairfax Press has been talking about how Wellingtonians are expected to bail out some loss-makers, such as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. And that the decision to do this has been made behind closed doors. The city’s debt is over $200 million—we were looking at very similar numbers at the time of the 2007 local body elections.
   I’m curious now that it is election year why most of my opponents have not talked about job creation. There has, instead, been some easy talk about pedestrianizing, which might give a short-term boost to contractors. That’s all well and good, but we need bigger change.
   It’s why I’ve talked about free wifi for some time. It’s not a whim. Open it up and creative and tech businesses will come here. There is plenty of evidence to show that if you can create industry clusters, you can find success. And what are Wellington’s most likely clusters that we can build quickly and create jobs with? Creative and tech.
   It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if we attract more new businesses here, we will collect more rates, which means the burden on ratepayers is spread more fairly.
   Clusters can be created easily if there’s a will—and Sir Peter Jackson and his work in the film industry have reminded us this much.
   As to funding our loss-makers, it incenses me that this was all done behind closed doors, in what the Fairfax Press calls secret meetings.
   No more. My term, if you elect me, will be about transparency. Decisions like this will be put, openly, on to a city blog—the prototype of which is Your Wellington. You can’t make a council meeting? No worries: you can comment online and have your say.
   By being transparent about everything, we’ll force the groups that want city aid to put up a heck of a business case, and convince us that they won’t repeat the same mistakes and come cap-in-hand to us again in a few years’ time.
   The 2010 mayoral election is not about the same old élites, but about understanding that Wellington is on the cusp of something great. The best person for the job is someone who represents us and realizes our potential—not someone who will land us in the same old funk again.

PS.: There are some more campaign graphics over at my personal blog which you can download.

creative sector · employment · finance · industry clusters · job creation · mayoralty · rates · technology · transparency · Wellington · Whanganui-a-Tara

When Lucire first broke news yesterday about Peter Jackson’s knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours’ List—before any New Zealand media did—I was particularly delighted.
   Peter Jackson deserves a knighthood not just because he makes marvellous films. Peter Jackson deserves a knighthood because he continues to believe in New Zealand even after certain bodies and their bureaucrats gave him grief.
   Before he was a big name internationally, there was reported tension between Jackson and the New Zealand Film Commission in the 1990s.
   Because Jackson believed in this country so much, he got over it. A lesser man would have thought, ‘If the establishment won’t accept me, I’ll leave.’
   Many of the big Kiwi names in movies are based in California, because when they left there was no centre for movie production in New Zealand. And they wanted somewhere that could understand their vision for making movies.
   Instead, Jackson fought to make his Lord of the Rings trilogy in New Zealand—setting up a world-class hub for film in Wellington.
   While some politicians would like to give credit to the Tourism New Zealand 100 Per Cent Pure campaign for lifting the national image, I’ve always argued it was the effort of one man—Jackson—for bringing the country to the world stage.
   Destination branding can be ignored, passed over as just another tourism ad in a travel magazine. Peter Jackson alone gave it that hook, and if any one man can take credit for the first decade’s economic boosts, it is him.
   Through Jackson not only did the films become nice earners for New Zealand, the tourist industry boomed because of the trilogy. And the Film Commission came right in the end.
   And in many respects, Peter Jackson kicked the tall poppy syndrome idea out of the country’s psyche where it could only be entertained by a few foreign companies who use it to keep Kiwis down. Peter Jackson changed our culture, and helped make Wellington great.
   This knighthood is long overdue, but I applaud this honour for Jackson. He is a patriot, a word that should not have politically incorrect shades. His level of pride is just what New Zealand needs. Sir Peter Jackson is an inspirational figure and one hopes many others will have faith in their own beliefs, in the way that he does.

arts · creative sector · creativity · culture · film · Peter Jackson · Wellington · Whanganui-a-Tara

It has totally surprised me, when chatting to former mayor James Belich, that Wellington is not sister cities with San Francisco. In fact, we lost this connection in the 1980s. The benefits are obvious: not only are the two cities similar in terms of culture, politics and topography (let’s count the fault lines going through the city!), but the technological and special effects’ sectors are strong in both San Francisco and Wellington.
   This means we can each benefit from the other: Wellingtonians from access to the market, San Franciscans from access to the independent, innovative thinking than goes on down here. I accept there is a population difference, but I cannot see down sides with connecting the two cities with more exchanges, and letting companies reap the rewards. San Franciscans and Wellingtonians think alike in many ways, too, which says to me that there is room for alliances, JVs and remote working. We grow the sectors in both cities, and we cement Wellington’s reputation as the leading creative city in the nation.
   To this end, late last month I wrote to Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco to see if he would put this matter before his council. Some of you who have followed my writings and work over the years know that I have known the Mayoress, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, for some time, and I think it is worth using our connection to reach her husband. It is worth re-establishing this connection with a city that most Kiwis regard as the “most Wellington” in North America; equally, more than a few Americans regard Wellington as “the San Francisco of the south”. At the very, very least, we should establish a dialogue with the City.
   I am also surprised this very logical step has not been taken over the years by our Council. I realize there have been other priorities in line with the thinking of an older generation, and there have been other sister-city relationships that Wellington has, rightly, pursued. However, San Francisco is such a no-brainer, and the potential connections and benefits so obvious, that it should be done.

alliances · Aotearoa · Business · business exchanges · California · Gavin Newsom · high-tech · Jack Yan · Jennifer Siebel · joint ventures · New Zealand · Politics · San Francisco · sister cities · special effects · tech sector · technology · USA · Wellington · Wellington City Council · Whanganui-a-Tara

In 1989, I signed up to Kosmos, the Wellington City Council’s email service. WCC, as far as I can remember, wanted to lead the way in becoming a wired capital, and offered free email to those who signed up. It was my first email account.
   It strikes me that we have lagged behind somewhat, although Wellingtonians, by nature, are very creative. In fact, that’s one thing that sets this city apart: our innovation and our spirit of independent, individualistic thinking. Sure we are the political capital, which implies only incremental thinking; perhaps as a counter to this, the rest of us seem to like thinking outside the square.
   We need a stronger IT strategy again, and that means we need to start looking at how we can get free wifi, with some data caps, in public spaces. That means Civic Square, the City Library, the Art Gallery and those areas should have free wifi for ratepayers. Our tourists should benefit, too, since they’re most likely going to blog or upload things favourable to Wellington.
   This is the creative capital, and programmes to support that should be at the forefront of our strategy.

Aotearoa · computing · creativity · independence · innovation · IT · New Zealand · public spaces · technology · Wellington · Whanganui-a-Tara · wifi

We understand that the Overseas’ Terminal building will become apartments on the upper level, which is fabulous to those who want a waterfront property in a building that was nearly obsolete by the time construction finished in 1964. But Wellington seems to be missing a mid-sized music venue, one around the size of the Terminal. Do we need one, and, if so, where could it be located? And could this help revitalize another part of our city? Your thoughts are welcome.

Aotearoa · arts · culture · entertainment · music · New Zealand · Overseas’ Terminal · Wellington · Whanganui-a-Tara

I have lived in Wellington for more of my years than any other place. I first arrived in 1976, and have been proud to call it my home. I did virtually all my schooling here, from primary to uni.
   When I started my business in 1987, I have watched companies here go through good and bad times. But in business you can only do so much. More recently, I became interested in seeing what we could do to make and sustain positive change for our city.
   Wellington is already a great city. We have a great cultural core, and a population that cares as much about the meaning in their lives as the quality. But there are a few problems, such as our population growth lagging behind Auckland and Christchurch. And what can we do to encourage and grow business here, without losing our essence?
   Can we grow while being sustainable? What safety issues are there for families living here, and can we make it more accommodating for them? How about our roading and traffic? What about our sporting and recreational venues?
   I set up this blog to find ways we can all explore that. I firmly believe if others around us benefit, we each will, too. I want to hear from you, either through my personal site’s feedback form, or here in the comments, on topics we need to address. We’ve kicked off with a few, and we’ll announce this site with a bit more hoop-la toward the end of 2009.

Aotearoa · arts · Business · commerce · culture · ethics · Family · growth · immigration · Jack Yan · New Zealand · opinion · Politics · prosperity · safety · Security · sports · Wellington · Whanganui-a-Tara