How city councillors voted over the past term

In the past three years Dunedin city councillors have voted more than 100 times on issues, stretching from the naming of a new street to signing off an $850million budget. City council reporter Tim Miller takes a look at some of the more significant and controversial votes since 2016.

Voting is one the most powerful tool elected councillors have at their disposal.

Even when it is cast on the losing side of a debate it allows the public to know which side a particular councillor was on.

The majority of motions and proposals - such as an increase in infrastructure spending - which were put in front of Dunedin city councillors during the past three years were not controversial, and mostly passed without much opposition.

But some issues, such as climate change policy, cycle lanes, street beautification and Easter shopping hours usually led to some disagreement around the council table.

One of the closest votes in the past three years was on the proposal to ban non-self contained freedom campers from the city limits.

After months of work putting together a response to the flood of freedom campers filling sites at Warrington and Ocean View and a sometimes angry backlash against them, councillors voted 8-5 against the ban.

Crs Christine Garey, Mike Lord, Chris Staynes, Conrad Stedman, Whiley and Mayor Dave Cull all voted for the bylaw.

While Crs David Benson-Pope, Rachel Elder, Aaron Hawkins, Marie Laufiso, Damian Newell, Jim O'Malley, Lee Vandervis and Kate Wilson voted against.

Easter Sunday trading - both for the Ed Sheeran concert in 2018 and the following year - was another issue where councillors were split.

Despite opposition from unions who warned workers would be exploited, the council voted 10-5 to adopt a trial which allowed shops to open on Easter Sunday so the city could make the most of the 60,000 visitors expected for Sheeran's three concerts.

Crs Elder, Garey, Hall, Lord, Newell, Staynes, Stedman,Vandervis, Whiley and Cull voted to adopt the policy.

While Crs Benson-Pope, Hawkins, Laufiso, O'Malley and Wilson voted against it.

The following year the votes were almost the same, but this time fell in favour of returning to banning trading on Easter Sunday.

Those who voted against the policy in 2018 were joined by Crs Elder, Garey, Newell, Staynes and the mayor.

It was rare for any vote on a major policy or project to be passed unanimously; votes on issues such as climate change, cycle lanes and streetscape upgrades usually attracted a no vote from at least one councillor.

Cr Vandervis was the most frequent no-vote this triennium. During the annual plan deliberations this year he voted against 12 motions, and in all but one he was in the minority.

Three other councillors that found themselves voting against the majority on more than one occasion were Crs Whiley, Hall and Lord.

All three joined Cr Vandervis in voting against a declaring a climate change emergency and adopting the council's 2050 carbon neutral goal.

Crs Vandervis, Lord and Whiley also voted against a trial of an inner-city bus loop and using council revenue to offset bus fares.

But there were a handful of motions which passed without any opposition, including stopping any asset sales as part of the 10-year plan and the policy to pay all council staff a living wage - Cr Vandervis voted against the council extending a living wage to its contractors earlier this year.

The most significant vote which passed unanimously was to approve the $20million budget ($4.5 million of which would be paid by the New Zealand Transport Agency) for an architecturally designed bridge connecting the city centre and harbour basin.