We share the WRS team’s concern about the lagging performance of the regional economy. Both directly and through the Local Government Forum we have drawn attention to this problem in submissions to the Wellington City Council and the Wellington Regional Council over many years. Our analysis has been that council policies have not been conducive to making the region attractive for business. We have predicted that their continuation would see, among other things, an ongoing drift of head offices out of Wellington. These predictions have been borne out. There has, however, been no apparent willingness on the part of the councils to heed our submissions. This year the Local Government Forum collectively decided that it was not worth persisting with them.