Power, Participation and Perception: An Insider's Perspective on the Politics of the Wellington Waterfront Redevelopment

Over the past ten years the Wellington waterfront has been transformed from an asphalt wasteland-cum-carpark to a site of significant tourism infrastructure aimed at facilitating economic and social development for the region. The site has also become the most contested area of land in the city. This paper examines the politics surrounding the project and the exercise of power in the policy process. It argues that the study of power should be contextualised within particular environments and from particular perspectives, and acknowledges that there is no singular objective 'truth' in the analysis of politics, policies and power. The paper examines overt, covert and latent dimensions of power and introduces a further dimension, the subjectivities of the researcher and the research process. In particular the media, structures,values,and the articulation of identity are considered in a debate between the community and the public-private partnership of local government.