| Government Name: | Greater Wellington Regional Council |
| Nativename: | Maori: Te Pane Matua Taiao[1] |
| Government Form: | Regional council |
| Date: | 1980/1989 |
| Division Type: | Region |
| Division: | Greater Wellington |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Website: | gw.govt.nz |
| Branch3: | Leadership |
| Leader Type: | Chair |
| Leader Title: | Daran Ponter[2] |
| Leader Type2: | Deputy Chair |
| Leader Title2: | Adrienne Staples |
| Leader Type3: | Chief Executive |
| Leader Title3: | Nigel Corry[3] |
| Headquarters: | 100 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 1056 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt 34 Chapel Street, Masterton[4] |
Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island.[5] It is responsible for public transport under the brand Metlink, environmental and flood protection, and the region's water supply.[6] As of 2023, it is the majority owner of CentrePort Wellington with a 77% shareholding.[7]
The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the functions of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority with those of the Wellington Regional Water Board,[8] before taking its current form with the local government reforms of 1989.[9]
A proposal made in 2013 that nine territorial authorities amalgamate to form a single supercity met substantial local opposition and was abandoned in June 2015.[10]
The governing body of the regional council is made up of 13 councillors, representing six constituencies:[11]
In October 2023, the council voted to also establish a Māori constituency for the 2025 local elections.[12]
As of the 2022 local elections the regional councillors are:[13]
| Name | Portrait | Position | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daran Ponter | Chairperson | Pōneke/Wellington | |||
| Adrienne Staples | Deputy Chairperson | Wairarapa | |||
| Simon Woolf | Councillor | Pōneke/Wellington | |||
| Yadana Saw | Councillor | Pōneke/Wellington | |||
| Thomas Nash | Councillor | Pōneke/Wellington | |||
| David Lee | Councillor | Pōneke/Wellington | |||
| David Bassett | Councillor | Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt | |||
| Ken Laban | Councillor | Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt | |||
| Quentin Duthie | Councillor | Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt | |||
| Ros Connelly | Councillor | Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt | |||
| Chris Kirk-Burnnand | Councillor | Porirua-Tawa | |||
| Hikitia Ropata | Councillor | Porirua-Tawa | |||
| Penny Gaylor | Councillor | Kāpiti Coast | |||
| Name | Portrait | Term | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mervyn Kemp[14] | 1980 | 1986 | Tawa | |
| 2 | Stuart Macaskill[15] | 1986 | 2001 | Upper Hutt | |
| 3 | Margaret Shields[16] | 2001 | 2004 | Porirua | |
| 4 | Ian Buchanan[17] [18] | 2004 | 2007 | Wairarapa | |
| 5 | Fran Wilde[19] | 2007 | 2015 | Wellington City | |
| 6 | Chris Laidlaw[20] | 2015 | 2019 | Wellington City | |
| 7 | Daran Ponter[21] | 2019 | present | Wellington City | |
The council administers several regional parks.[22]