local government
Categories under local government
- auckland supercity (417)
- C&R (18)
- local body elections (119)
- supercity (101)
McCully needs to front up
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, September 11th, 2011 - 92 comments
McCully is Minister for the RWC. He claimed the government had done “their best” and assured Auckland that the transport systems were ready to go. He was wrong in every respect. In the aftermath of the fiasco McCully now needs to front up and get three things right…
Auckland transport shambles
Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, September 10th, 2011 - 111 comments
The RWC public transport fiasco was not a good look for our biggest city, and not a great advertisement to the world.
The new Christchurch
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, August 12th, 2011 - 36 comments
The first hints of the plans for the new Christchurch are out. What do you reckon?
Hiding the costs from Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 7:58 pm, June 1st, 2011 - 18 comments
Hide is trying to distance himself from his negligent costing of the Auckland merger, and the consequent $450 million blowout on IT systems alone. Aucklanders won’t have the satisfaction of kicking him out at the election. But they can still kick out the arrogant government that steamrollered all over the city, with no regard for good process or public opinion.
Aucklanders to pay for Nats’ negligence
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, May 28th, 2011 - 73 comments
Auckland ratepayers are going to be stuck with a huge bill for the Nats’ failure to properly cost the merging of the old Councils’ IT systems. As Russell Brown puts it – “Someone has to be accountable for this”…
National vs Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 1:42 am, May 23rd, 2011 - 23 comments
National are not acting in accordance with Auckland’s wishes. Aucklanders want public transport, and its Council wants a quality compact sustainable eco-city – National seem to be aiming to frustrate that. Aucklanders should submit their views to strengthen our voice against the government.
Auckland: Submit!
Written By: - Date published: 5:37 pm, May 9th, 2011 - 25 comments
Apologies to non-Aucklanders, but this is an appeal for those in the Queen City to make sure they have their say on the future shape of our biggest city.
Len wants your input, fellow Aucklanders!
Aucklanders think Joyce is crazy.
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, April 5th, 2011 - 27 comments
Even considering putting in a new harbor crossing without heavy rail that hooks into our existing public transport rail system is simply ideological stupidity by National. Well it is good to see that Aucklanders recognize the critical requirement for a new harbor crossing – “Rail crossing wins big backing in poll”. The sample is small but quite clear…
Steven Joyce: still living in the 20th century
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, March 27th, 2011 - 46 comments
Steven Joyce and the NZ Transport Authority seem to be living in the 20th century. You know the time, when there was a strong causation and correlation between rising numbers of people and increased use of roads. But neither appear to have caught up with the 21st century where that isn’t happening. Yearning for the 1960’s in planning transport infrastructure doesn’t help Auckland or the rest of NZ
Future Auckland Transport
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 78 comments
This post was going to be about Auckland Unleashed which is being released today, but has been somewhat, er, derailed, by the bridge vs tunnel report that’s come out.
Auckland: a sprawling car future?
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, March 12th, 2011 - 77 comments
National will reject Auckland Council and Aucklanders’ view on what their future city should look like. Instead they propose One ever more sprawling city, with ever more sprawling motorways, ever more cars clogging its veins, ever less community, and ever less government money.
News round-up
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, February 10th, 2011 - 6 comments
*English vs English on assets sales, as business commentators come out against the flawed business case for privatisation. *Will Hide honour his word and resign over Supercity debacle? *Foreshore Bill to join CERRA as a constitutional outrage. *Economic woe keeps coming. *Is the ‘brighter future’ on its way or just more Key stunts?
No votes for appointed advisers
Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, January 22nd, 2011 - 23 comments
It’s been revealed that the Government, having decided against dedicated Maori seats on the supercity council, gave appointed Maori advisers votes on council committees under its supercity legislation. That’s just unacceptable, we can’t have appointees voting equally to democratically-elected council members.
Editorial casts doubt on value of Herald’s anonymous editorials
Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, January 6th, 2011 - 30 comments
Over recent years the anonymous editorials in the NZ Herald have become increasingly variable. Some have been written by authors who I’d disagree with their ideas, but who clearly have examined the topic in enough depth to be able to argue for and against alternate ideas to arrive at their editorial judgments. Then there are others that have clearly been written by authors with little understanding of the topic and are simply coded dog-whistles unworthy of the editorial page. I have a look at one of the latter.
Spending Brown
Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, December 13th, 2010 - 49 comments
ACT, through Rodney (who’s so careful with the taxpayer’s money) and Jami-Lee Ross, are trying to make an issue with Len Brown’s spending. I’m shocked…
This Government Doesn’t Trust You
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, December 8th, 2010 - 34 comments
You not only can expect to be spied on more after an overhaul of the SIS, but you sure as hell shouldn’t be allowed to know how they are going to do it. It’s your freedom they’re protecting, so you should expect a reduction in liberty to achieve that. And we certainly can’t be allowed […]
Maori seats for Auckland?
Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, November 16th, 2010 - 8 comments
National’s handling of the Auckland SuperCity process was profoundly undemocratic in a multitude of ways. Thank goodness, and the common sense of Aucklanders, that a “Labour Mayor from South Auckland” was elected to sort out at least some of the resulting mess. Len Brown has pledged to hold talks on dedicated Maori seats on the Council. It’s great to see that Brown is open to correcting National’s injustice on this matter.
Happy birthday Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 am, November 1st, 2010 - 8 comments
Happy Birthday Auckland! The new Supercity is now in effect, with Mayor Len Brown at the helm. How is the tension between a left wing mayor representing a third of the country, and a right wing central government, going to play out? The Nats can’t afford to let Auckland fail…
Gordon Campbell: Central vs Local Government
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, October 21st, 2010 - 12 comments
Gordon Campbell on central government’s reaction to the local government elections. Campbell argues that National has a vested interest in the failure of both Len Brown in Auckland and Celia Wade-Brown in Wellington, and that voters have rejected the “1980s model of political leadership”.
National’s anti-Public Transport message
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, October 19th, 2010 - 16 comments
Different voice, same message: instead of Stephen Joyce or John Key, we now have Bill English saying that they don’t have any money for Public Transport. Just money for roads. They’ve been forced to commit to $1.5 billion of ongoing Auckland rail projects, and that’s all it’s going to get, thank-you.
Lessons for Labour?
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, October 16th, 2010 - 53 comments
Friday fun: a drug-free Parliament by 2020
Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, October 15th, 2010 - 19 comments
Last year, Icelandic comedian Jon Gnarr set up the Best Party to parody the parties that brought Iceland to ruin. The party contested the Reykjavik local elections with Gnarr promising a drug-free Parliament by 2020, a polar bear for Reykjavik zoo, a Disneyland, an end to debt, and to break all his promises. They won and Gnarr is now mayor.
Celia seizes victory
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 pm, October 13th, 2010 - 41 comments
Congratulations to Celia Wade-Brown, Wellington’s new Green mayor. Apart from the understandable exception of Christchurch, we’ve seen a Leftwing landslide across the main centres and in many of the provincial councils too. The people have voted for community, democracy, and sustainability, and against corporate cronyism. See ya Kerry.
Prendergast doesn’t get it
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, October 13th, 2010 - 40 comments
According to Kerry Prendergast, STV may cost her election as mayor of Wellington, and therefore it is undemocratic. Good doublethink there Kerry.
UPDATE: Prendergast really doesn’t get it – Celia is Mayor!… Lost by 176 votes.
Sunday Morons: an omnibus of silly people
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, October 10th, 2010 - 19 comments
With all of the political activity over the last week, there are a few items that missed getting covered as well as the ones that we covered extensively. Rather than do individual posts on the idiots of the week, I’ve written an omnibus post of my notes from the last week.
Auckland Moves Left
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 pm, October 9th, 2010 - 13 comments
Len’s in in Auckland, but it’s not just the man at the top the left can be happy with. Auckland may have provided a few new seats to National at the last general election, and Hide may have done his best to set up the SuperCity for his mates to win – but the Council doesn’t look so bad either. Add in the Local Boards, and it wasn’t a big day of celebration for the right.
Congratulations to Len Brown
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, October 9th, 2010 - 121 comments
It’s official, Len Brown is the first ever super city mayor. My congratulations to him and to his team who have worked so hard to get this result. It’s a great victory for the people. The Right thought they had stitched up Auckland very nicely with their undemocratic supercity but the people have rejected them […]
Election results – Brown Wins!
Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, October 9th, 2010 - 62 comments
There are various good online sources for following the local body election results. Here’s a quick roundup.
Finding the rotten apple
Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, October 8th, 2010 - 42 comments
Labour candidate for the Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board Daljit Singh has been named as one of two people charged over false voter registrations. This seems a pretty crude attempt at perverting an election and a stupid one that no sophisticated political player would ever think they could get away with.
Team Anderton should remain confident
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, October 7th, 2010 - 51 comments
Bob Parker has milked the earthquake for maximum political gain. As a result, Jim Anderton is understandably the underdog in the mayoral race. No-one could blame him for losing in this situation but don’t rule him out just yet. People haven’t suddenly forgotten why they wanted rid of Parker or Anderton’s record of service.
Auckland electoral fraud case
Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, October 6th, 2010 - 89 comments
The alleged electoral roll fraud in Auckland has plenty of angles and dimensions for political junkies. But the underlying issue is simple. Electoral fraud of any kind is not OK, perpetrators should be found and prosecuted. We have one of the most robust and respected democracies in the world. Let’s keep it that way.
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