Politics Wednesday: Nicola Willis and Ginny Andersen on Reading deal, three strikes

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says Wellington City Council's now-collapsed deal with Reading Cinemas was "shady" and could have found the council in hot water with the Auditor General.  She was joined by Labour's police spokesperson Ginny Andersen to talk the political issues of the week with Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where to now for the derelict Reading Cinemas complex, and what has the failed deal cost the council? Those questions are yet to be answered, NZ Herald Wellington Issues reporter Georgina Campbell says.  She joined Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills for her regular Capital Letter slot.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington institution Cranfields is set to shut down, while the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport is going from strength to strength as the training facility for the Hurricanes and the Phoenix.  The leaders of those respective businesses joined Nick Mills to talk through how things are... and the pair had quite different outlooks.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has returned from a week long tour of South East Asia, aimed at improving New Zealand's relationships with Singapore, Thailand and the Phillipines.  Newstalk ZB senior political reporter Sophie Trigger joined Nick Mills to talk about the trip, as well as the government's changes to lending regulations and the fast track consent bill.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday Faceoff this week Nick was joined by political commentator Josie Pagani and former broadcaster Mark Sainsbury.  On the agenda was Wellington's mega tunnel proposal, Tory Whanau rejoining the Greens, police pay and the Stuff/Newshub deal.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OPINION: Some disturbing news came across my desk yesterday. I got a lovely email from Nicola Cranfield with the sad news that Cranfield’s on Johnson St near Lambton Quay is closing.   Often shops close during a recession and unpredictable times.   Shops close because they go broke.   Businesses close when owners have just had enough.  But Cranfield’s has been operating in Wellington for 33 years and reading Nicola Cranfield’s email really affected me.   Nicola has fought endlessly against Let's Get Wellington Moving and the Golden Mile project. She's met with counsellors, she's met with businesses, she's gone to every meeting she possibly could have gone to, just to fight the cause to save Lambton Quay from both Let's Get Wellington Moving and the Golden Mile project.  She's had the acrimony of presenting to Wellington City Council with councillors not even looking her in the eye, looking down at their devices not caring what she has to say.,not caring what she and her mother had done for our city over 33 years. Absolutely no respect whatsoever.  But that didn't stop Nicola from fighting.  That didn't stop Nicola from being a proud Wellingtonian wanting her successful family business to carry on against all the distractions and inconvenience that was thrown at her by those two major projects and our council.  Things got so frustrating for her that she decided that she would not renew her long term lease and go month to month.  Unfortunately for us in Wellington it didn’t work for Nicola Cranfield and her shop is closing.   A Wellington institution gone, just like that.  It’s interesting Nicola is not blaming or even bringing into the equation the public sector job losses due to government cuts.  I've met Nicola a few times she's the most positive, bright, energetic and focused businesswoman you could ever expect to meet.  She’s someone you talk to and say to yourself ‘gosh aren't we lucky to have a person like that running a business in our city’.  Well no longer; she joins the long list of fabulous Wellingtonians who ran amazing businesses that got caught up in the downward spiral and are out…  An article in the Herald today from Thomas Coughlan, outlining the effects and breaking down the job losses by numbers is very interesting.   It shows it's more of a self-perpetuating downhill spiral than actual cash disappearing from the community.  People that haven't lost their job still have the disposable income to spend - they’re just adjusting and being extremely careful.  Even last night I met a couple who hadn’t lost their jobs, still had disposable income and they felt guilty for going out. It felt wrong to them, with everything going on.   Our city is in a bad place, and no, it's not just because of these public service cuts, which much of us would agree are needed to some extent.   No, its a wider issue. It’s an economy on the slump, it's a council that doesn’t seem to understand the big issues, its uncertainty over projects like the Golden Mile.   I love this city, I love it a lot - but Wellington doesn’t feel like it did five, ten or twenty years ago.  We’re in a slump, we’re in a spiral - and I think most of us know it.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Politics Thursday this week Nick was joined by Housing Minister and MP for Hutt South Chris Bishop, and Labour's Hutt South list MP and police spokesperson Ginny Andersen. On the agenda was the police's rejected pay offer, cuts to Oranga Tamariki, Wellington's mega tunnel proposal and new record immigration figures.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge says the idea of banning begging in the city wouldn't solve the problem. The issue of begging is back at the fore after a Rotorua and Christchurch city councillor called for a ban in their respective cities.  But Edridge says people only beg because they are in need and we need to fix the source of the problem.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau's switch from independent to Green party member breaches the trust of her voters, Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills says.  Newstalk ZB revealed yesterday that the Wellington Mayor had renewed her Green Party membership, after initially letting it lapse so she could form more constructive relationships with other councillors.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The zoo has hit Wellington, with Madagascar The Musical set to take over the St James Theatre this week. The main cast and show producer joined Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills for an in-studio performance.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.