Blab Business
Wellington Council Pays $600,000 to Auckland Firm for Library Website, Mayor Launches Probe
When Wellington City Council announced a $595,801 contract with Auckland‑based Journey Digital to design and build a new website for the city’s central library, Te Matapihi, the price tag ignited immediate backlash and prompted Mayor Andrew Little to launch an independent investigation.
The new site will run alongside the existing library portal that lets members reserve books and check the catalogue. Council officials said the purpose of the separate website is to promote the library and drive footfall. The payment surfaced after an Official Information request filed by a member of the public.
Little expressed surprise at the figure. "I was blown away. I was literally incredulous, I couldn’t believe it," he said. "When I asked ‘is that right? Are you sure that’s right? Surely that must involve other things?’ but no, that was the website cost. Then when I went to have a look at the website itself and saw how frankly simple it was, it didn’t add up." He added that the investigation would examine the commissioning process, management and scope, and whether the council received value for money.
Local Wellington web designer Iona Elwood‑Smith, owner of Grow My Business, slammed the decision. "It adds insult to injury because the library is such an iconic part of the city and has taken years to be rebuilt," she said. "It’s been such a missing part of the heart of Wellington, and then to find out that the website was built from outside Wellington is just insulting. If we could have had that money stay in the Wellington economy, we would feel a whole lot better about $600,000." Elwood‑Smith pointed out that Wellington is home to many tech companies and questioned why the council chose an Auckland firm.
Journey Digital declined to comment on the cost. "As a matter of policy, we don’t discuss the details of our client engagements publicly, so I’d respectfully direct questions to the council’s media team," a spokesperson said.
The council’s response highlighted its procurement policy. "All staff have been made aware of the need to save money, particularly budget managers, and that a similar website would not be commissioned today," a spokesperson said. The chief operating officer is accountable for the spend, which was delegated under the council’s delegations policy. The executive leadership team can approve spend up to $750,000; the spend did not go through the chief financial officer because that was not required.
The council said the website was delivered through a staged procurement approach. "An initial phase was undertaken through a competitive process, with formal evaluation and due diligence," the spokesperson added. "While Wellington companies were among those invited to submit a proposal, the preferred supplier was Auckland‑based because they met the evaluation criteria more closely. Wellington‑based was a consideration, but Journey was selected as they most closely matched the experience needed and could deliver the website in the required timeframe."
The council also explained that the website was part of the broader Te Matapihi project, which includes visitor experience, specialist creative spaces, an integrated service model, cultural design and mana whenua partnership. "These were not discretionary additions, but part of delivering a civic facility that reflects Wellington’s identity and commitments," the spokesperson said. "As with all elements of the project, these components were scoped, procured and costed within the overall programme budget."
Little said the investigation would look for systemic problems within the council. "If there are systemic problems inside council I need to know that so I can work with the chief executive to get those things fixed," he said.
The council has not yet released a timetable for the investigation or any findings. The new library website remains live, and the council has reiterated that it will review its procurement practices to ensure future projects align with local economic interests.
The situation remains unresolved, with the mayor’s probe ongoing and no further statements from the council or Journey Digital beyond the initial response. The outcome will likely influence how Wellington City Council manages large‑scale digital projects and engages local suppliers in the future.
The new site will run alongside the existing library portal that lets members reserve books and check the catalogue. Council officials said the purpose of the separate website is to promote the library and drive footfall. The payment surfaced after an Official Information request filed by a member of the public.
Little expressed surprise at the figure. "I was blown away. I was literally incredulous, I couldn’t believe it," he said. "When I asked ‘is that right? Are you sure that’s right? Surely that must involve other things?’ but no, that was the website cost. Then when I went to have a look at the website itself and saw how frankly simple it was, it didn’t add up." He added that the investigation would examine the commissioning process, management and scope, and whether the council received value for money.
Local Wellington web designer Iona Elwood‑Smith, owner of Grow My Business, slammed the decision. "It adds insult to injury because the library is such an iconic part of the city and has taken years to be rebuilt," she said. "It’s been such a missing part of the heart of Wellington, and then to find out that the website was built from outside Wellington is just insulting. If we could have had that money stay in the Wellington economy, we would feel a whole lot better about $600,000." Elwood‑Smith pointed out that Wellington is home to many tech companies and questioned why the council chose an Auckland firm.
Journey Digital declined to comment on the cost. "As a matter of policy, we don’t discuss the details of our client engagements publicly, so I’d respectfully direct questions to the council’s media team," a spokesperson said.
The council’s response highlighted its procurement policy. "All staff have been made aware of the need to save money, particularly budget managers, and that a similar website would not be commissioned today," a spokesperson said. The chief operating officer is accountable for the spend, which was delegated under the council’s delegations policy. The executive leadership team can approve spend up to $750,000; the spend did not go through the chief financial officer because that was not required.
The council said the website was delivered through a staged procurement approach. "An initial phase was undertaken through a competitive process, with formal evaluation and due diligence," the spokesperson added. "While Wellington companies were among those invited to submit a proposal, the preferred supplier was Auckland‑based because they met the evaluation criteria more closely. Wellington‑based was a consideration, but Journey was selected as they most closely matched the experience needed and could deliver the website in the required timeframe."
The council also explained that the website was part of the broader Te Matapihi project, which includes visitor experience, specialist creative spaces, an integrated service model, cultural design and mana whenua partnership. "These were not discretionary additions, but part of delivering a civic facility that reflects Wellington’s identity and commitments," the spokesperson said. "As with all elements of the project, these components were scoped, procured and costed within the overall programme budget."
Little said the investigation would look for systemic problems within the council. "If there are systemic problems inside council I need to know that so I can work with the chief executive to get those things fixed," he said.
The council has not yet released a timetable for the investigation or any findings. The new library website remains live, and the council has reiterated that it will review its procurement practices to ensure future projects align with local economic interests.
The situation remains unresolved, with the mayor’s probe ongoing and no further statements from the council or Journey Digital beyond the initial response. The outcome will likely influence how Wellington City Council manages large‑scale digital projects and engages local suppliers in the future.
