The final spatial plan is not yet officially back in front of the City Council, but already, Wellington social media are back to firing war zones. The “debates” have again fallen into a battle of cliches, where everyone is accusing everyone else of being a selfish privileged boomer or a developer pawn.

Throughout all of 2020, a consultation was at the heart of passionate arguments. The Draft Spatial Plan was the second stage of a year-long program of work called “Planning for Growth”, a program designed to prepare Wellington to cater for a significant influx of new residents. Some said 30,000 were expected over the next decades, some said 80,000. The tensions were exacerbated by a soaring housing market with prices reaching absurd levels. Even people who would normally agree that “something has to be done about the housing crisis” would passionately argue over how to best address it, accusing each other of ulterior motives.