LIVE WELLington is an advocacy group for density done well.

On Monday June 10th, LIVE WELLington lodged judicial review proceedings in the HighCourt. These ask the Court to review the District Plan decision on character areas made by the Wellington City Council and the Minister for RMA Reform.
The group (comprising more than 150 members) has been involved in the District Plan
process from the beginning.
LIVE WELLington believes that with smart urban design, Wellington’s iconic character areas
can be retained at the same time as new, denser housing is introduced to the inner city and
central city areas.
A statement from LIVE WELLington follows:
“The evidence presented during the recent District Plan process was clear –
Wellington has sufficient land to meet housing needs and protect character areas.
The idea these are in conflict is false.
“Unfortunately, some councillors involved in decision-making have held a fixed and
narrow view that character housing stands in the way of ‘affordable’ housing. As a
result, they have refused to engage with the evidence and arguments put forward
that paint a different picture.
“Sadly we now need to go to Court to support evidence-based decision-making by
our Council.
“Wellington City Council rejected recommendations put forward by the Independent
Hearings Panel on this issue. The Panel spent months listening to evidence and
preparing careful and detailed recommendations in accordance with the law.
“Among the evidence presented was that future growth needs can easily be
accommodated without zoning for six storey heights across three quarters of
Wellington’s inner-city suburbs.
“The Independent Hearings Panel recommended that 206 hectares of the current
307 hectares (two thirds) of character areas in Wellington be retained. This would
still be compliant with the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and
would accommodate 30 years of Wellington growth.
“The paltry reasons provided by the Council for their rejections of these
recommendations indicate the move was based more on political performance than
evidence or reasoning.
“The Council essentially refused to change the character areas from those set out in
the proposed District Plan when first notified. These largely mirrored those set out in
the draft Spatial Plan, some years earlier.
“The Council has repeatedly ignored both the evidence and its own officers’
recommendations on this issue.
“RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop likewise provided very few details regarding his
reasoning and the matters he took into account, when accepting the Council’s
recommendations.
“LIVE WELLington is dissatisfied with the approach decision-makers have taken
throughout this process. They have refused to even listen to points of view different
to their own, or accept the evidence-based recommendations of the experts they
appointed.
“A judicial review is a request to have the District Plan decisions regarding the
character areas reviewed by the High Court.
“This is not a decision we have entered into lightly however we believe the approach
taken by the Council and the Minister need to be tested against the law.
“LIVE WELLington is taking this action to ensure decisions reflect the evidence. This
shows that iconic character areas can be retained at the same time as new, denser
housing is introduced to the inner city and central city areas.”