Wellington City Council spent $29,000 of ratepayer money on Climate Festival Pōneke, featuring food workshops, bike rides, and community events, the Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance can reveal through an official information request.

This is the latest example of questionable council climate spending. For instance, the Climate Sustainability Fund has previously funded:

• $90,000 for a Māori lunar calendar
• $21,000 for low-carbon cooking videos
• $69,000 for LGBTQ+ bike workshops
• $20,000 for plant-based cooking events.

Responding to the cost of the festival, Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“People don’t pay rates so councils can sponsor bike rides, composting lessons, and Easter egg hunts. They pay them for roads, pipes, and playgrounds.”

“Every dollar council spent on this festival came from Wellington ratepayers, yet the Council can’t even tell us the cost of the staff time devoted to organising it.”

“Wellington City Council spending tens of thousands of dollars on festivals isn’t going to save the planet and won’t reduce New Zealand’s emissions by even a gram, as New Zealand has an Emissions Trading Scheme.”

“Council should focus on flood protection, stormwater upgrades, and infrastructure resilience where it can actually make a difference, instead of wasting money on feel-good workshops.”