The council has increased funding to the arts to build on the success of events like the LUX festival of light .

OPINION: For Wellington City, July 1 heralds the beginning of our decade of growth and economic transformation, for our strong, diverse and prosperous communities.

On Wednesday Wellington City Council begins our agreed Long Term Plan 2015-2025, the blueprint for the capital's future. This plan invests in our communities' ongoing prosperity and wellbeing. It invests actively in our Smart Capital and builds on our 2012 Long Term Plan – Connected, People-centred, Eco-City, Dynamic Central City; Towards 2040.

Our new Long-Term Plan builds on the considerable achievements of our council since 2010. We've held the line against the global financial crisis, a corresponding downturn in public sector spending and a pressing need to strengthen our buildings to deliver a more resilient, smarter, progressive and more inclusive city. The city's GDP, jobs and population continued to grow throughout, albeit modestly.

We've strengthened and re-opened public buildings including Thistle Hall, Brooklyn Library, Berkeley Dallard, Central Park and Marshall Court flats. Swimming pools including schools, Tawa and Keith Spry have been hugely improved. Events have captivated the imagination, including Cricket World Cup, CubaDupa, LUX, JazzFestival, Anzac Street Parade and commemorations, and Ciclovia.

We're evolving the way we move in and around our city, including the Johnsonville triangle, Westchester Drive, Victoria St, Tawa and Kilbirnie shared pathways and hundreds of cycle stop-boxes, cycle stands and cycle-friendly grates. New reserves, playgrounds and walkways have been implemented. Our city promotion resulted in many accolades from Lonely Planet, Vogue, The New York Times, ChinaTV and the BBC, increasing visitors from many countries. Our residents still say they have the best quality of life in New Zealand.

Our plan builds on these achievements and our strengths as a city: our stunning natural environment and quirky built heritage, our welcoming attitudes, our creativity and business savvy, and support for our most vulnerable citizens.

READ MORE:

* Wellington rates up 3.8 per cent as 10-year long term plan approved

Physical resilience is critical to our future. We've brought stormwater infrastructure spending forward and will implement better climate change and water flow modelling.

We're bringing the world closer by supporting the airport runway extension, once the business plan, airlines and resource consent stack up. Dozens of inward sister city delegations every year and civic delegations abroad provide welcome boosts in education and innovation sectors. A sister city relationship with San Francisco is in our sights.

We've increased funding to the Arts, so 2015 - 2025 will truly be a decade of culture. The revitalised Town Hall and Civic Precinct focussed on musical performance and education, a strengthened St James, and increased funding for Circa, the NZBallet, Orchestra Wellington, NZ Festival and the contestable grants complement our ongoing commitment to Toi Poneke and public art. The Great War exhibition must become a permanent attraction.

Accelerating our economic success and attracting talent and good business remains our key thrust. We support our many educational institutes for teaching, commercialising research and attracting more foreign students. We're proposing the Tech Hub to connect tertiaries, start-ups and investment, alongside a convention centre (with no casino), film museum and a new indoor arena.

We're investing in our communities, our people and our environment. Increases for Te Mahana will reduce homelessness and we've committed to implementing a living wage for Council workers, including a case-by-case approach to contracts. Our kids are winning with the commitment of funding towards school pools, a capital BMX track, a Karori artificial turf and more bikes in schools.

Funding for energy efficiency, insulation, renewable generation through organisations like Kaibosh, AroSolar and the Sustainability Trust saves money while reducing our climate change impact. Increased pest control, more planting, research and partnerships boost our Biodiversity. We're well on the way to planting two million trees by 2020. Our commitment to community gardens and orchards is matched by volunteer enthusiasm.

Our urban growth plan encourages more people living in better quality homes near to services. Funding goes towards inner city regeneration, an urban development agency, bus priority work, and strengthening suburban centres. We've brought forward a significant cycling spend and support for Safe Routes to Schools walking improvements.

We've also stuck to our rating promise for no more than 4.5 per cent average for the first three years of the plan. The modest increase in rates combines with efficiency savings, manageable borrowings and partnerships to deliver employment and prosperity.

The cost for all this action, growth and achievement? Less than $6 per person per day. Let's get on with it.

Celia Wade-Brown is mayor of Wellington.