This article addresses the evolution of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington over the last three decades, both in terms of its growth into digital and cultural markets but also the way in which it has been driven by New Public Management sensibilities.

Editorial note: Local government in New Zealand exists within a fairly well-defined narrative. New Zealand is the most centralised nation within the OECD. Central government is by far the dominant partner in the central-local relationship and recent innovations in local government have tended towards further centralisation, such as the amalgamation into Auckland’s Super-City. While there...