July 23, 2026A leaked email shows Upper Hutt is unlikely to sign up to a Wellington metro authority with Lower Hutt, Wellington City and Porirua. A leaked email sent by Wellington mayor Andrew Little to Wellington City councillors on Wednesday evening, after a meeting of the region’s Mayoral Forum, said Upper Hutt was “unlikely to agree” to be blended into a Wellington metro authority. Upper Hutt would consider its inclusion in a proposal they did not agree with akin to “co-opting them against their will”, the email claimed. She told Local Democracy Reporting the Upper Hutt City Council had not decided whether to support the proposal ahead of a meeting on August 5. “Throughout this process, our focus has been on the likely costs and benefits for the Upper Hutt community, and on protecting effective local representation,” she said.