Our public places are important – we use them to socialise, play, and work. We want them to be lively, vibrant, and safe for everyone to use.
The Trading and Events in Public Places Policy was adopted by Council in November and will take effect from July next year. You can read the policy in the Key Documents section to the right of this page.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to submit, your input was appreciated and extremely valuable to the policy's development.
We reviewed our policies that set the framework for how we manage trading and event activities in our public places in Wellington.
Trading and events can make our city more vibrant, diverse, inviting, and inspiring. Exciting and vibrant public spaces can also increase public safety and inclusivity as more pedestrians engage and take part in trading and event activities. These activities make valuable contributions to local communities, culture, and our economy.
The Council needs to have rules and guidance to manage trade and event activities in public spaces. Sometimes there is competing use of our public places which can increase the risk of preventable accidents, obstructions, hazards, or misuse.
We have two policies that govern how we manage trading and event activities on our footpaths and public places: The Footpath Management Policy and Trading in Public Places Policy. These have both been integrated into the new Trading and Events in Public Places Policy (due to take effect from July next year). The new combined policy is much broader in scope and sets out the rules and guidance on how activities on all public spaces are managed.
