local government

Categories under local government

C&R’s takeover attempt

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, April 16th, 2010 - 19 comments

Voters of the Auckland region should be very concerned with the news that the Auckland City CBD-based Citrat political party looks set to run a single whipped slate of candidates at this year’s supercity election. The fear is that the C&R CBD old boys are gonna do in Waitakere, Manukau, Franklin, Rodney and the North Shore what they did in Otahuhu. Talk about crushing local voice.

Lies strengthen case against David Carter

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 8th, 2010 - 6 comments

It’s the lies that get you. That’s what Agriculture Minister David Carter and John Key are learning as more details of Carter’s conflict of interest over the legislation that removed the Environment Canterbury councilare emerging. Carter and Key now have to explain why they have lied and misled, which will be tricky to explain if they continue to insist there’s no ministerial misbehaviour to cover up.

Hide to speak at privatisation conference

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, April 6th, 2010 - 23 comments

Last year, Rodney Hide said that John Key is a ‘do nothing’ prime minister, and his fellow ministers were lazy and didn’t pay attention what his was up to. Well, they might like to pay attention now: Hide is keynote speaker at a conference on local government later this month where water privatisation is the highlight of the agenda. Does Key support Hide’s push for water privatisation?

Campbell and McCarten on McKay

Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, March 30th, 2010 - 17 comments

The latest piece from the ever excellent Gordon Campbell has a go at the beat up of North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams. Towards the end he raises some interesting points about Auckland’s new boss.

Hide plays dictator of local government

Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, March 28th, 2010 - 79 comments

Andrew Williams, mayor of North Shore, is clearly a bit of an odd-ball. Maybe the people of North Shore simply feel that a bit of public urination is a small price to pay for having a good mayor. I don’t know or care. But it’s outrageous, frankly, to see Hide once again over-stepping the constitutional limitations on his office. It is clear his call for Williams’ resignation is politically motivated.

Super bill for Supercity

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, March 25th, 2010 - 6 comments

When pressed very very hard, Rodney Hide described the set up costs of the Government’s Supercity as “minuscule” even though he couldn’t put a number on it. Now, we have some a number on what “minuscule” is in Hide’s book. The Auckland City Council alone faces a $34 million bill to establish the Supercity.

One person one vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 24th, 2010 - 14 comments

Pita Sharples’ speech on race relations day, and his comments that followed, certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons. Did Sharples really mean to suggest that we should do away with “one person one vote”? I don’t think so…

Who is paying for Wellywood ads?

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 23rd, 2010 - 4 comments

I wonder who is paying for this ad pleading for people to join the pro-Wellywood Facebook group. The pro-Wellywood group has the bland artificial feel of a piece of astro-turfing, probably from Prendergast or the airport judging by the content. And it stands to reason that the ad is paid for by the creators. Is ratepayer money being used to try to get people to join a Facebook group?

Banks’ brand is buggered

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, March 22nd, 2010 - 13 comments

How much is the Huljich Kiwisaver figure-fudging scandal hurting John “the dodgy-director” Banks’ mayoral chances? Answer: a lot.O’Sullivan then explicitly writes off Banks – saying he’ll lose to Len Brown – and joins the long list of commentators criticizing the Huljich rip-off and noting it has damaged Banks’ chances. Think this story is only getting play in the business pages? It’s not.

Sex & the Supercity

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, March 21st, 2010 - 52 comments

What a cynical and politically-driven process this whole Supercity process has been. It is undemocratic to its core. It is not about ‘growth’ or creating a better city. It is about securing power (and, thereby, wealth) for the city’s right-wing elite. Now their plans are falling apart around them. A female candidate to replace Banks is their last gasp attempt to stop Len Brown winning.

Lee, Joyce and Hide’s Super City “pig’s arse”

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, March 17th, 2010 - 9 comments

In a letter to the Herald today, responding to Mike Lee’s op-ed of yesterday, Steven Joyce says:

“Contrary to what Mike Lee says, the Auckland Council will be able to appoint or dismiss any member of the Auckland Transport Board at any time.”

Problem is, Mike Lee didn’t actually say what Joyce says he did.

Prenderghastly

Written By: - Date published: 3:33 pm, March 15th, 2010 - 32 comments

First it was the Wellywood sign, now it’s a statue of a guy standing in a giant pile of manure while holding aloft a golden testicle.

And you thought the only Mayor who delighted it making their constituency look stupid was Tim Shadbolt.

Auckland Super City and the American Revolution

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, March 15th, 2010 - 6 comments

Much of the power in the new Super City will be held by council controlled organisations. These organisations will be responsible for approximately 75% of Auckland services and their unelected directors will have free rein to make important city decisions. The organisations will have no obligation to consult and no responsibility to the public if things go wrong.

Radicals are a pain

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, March 12th, 2010 - 28 comments

Looking at the leaders for the Fabians seminar on Sunday, it looks to me like it is going to be quite interesting because it is likely to focus more on incremental rather than radical methods. One of the major issues to me with the existing ‘debate’ on economic matters has been the level at which it is ideologically driven rather than based on the actual economy. The main problem with the ‘debate’ are impatient radicals from all sides.

ACT gerrymanders Auckland for the rich

Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, March 11th, 2010 - 23 comments

The Local Government Commission released its final ward boundaries for Auckland today and the result is a city gerrymandered by ACT to favour the interests of the rich.

That’s the verdict from No Right Turn, who’s crunched the numbers and discovered a systematic bias for the Right.

A sign of how corporates think

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 11th, 2010 - 20 comments

The more I think about the ‘Wellywood’ sign the angrier I get. Who does Wellington Airport think they are imposing this monstrosity on the people of Wellington without any consultation? It’s just another example of the corporate mentality in this country – a subtle blend of arrogance and idiocy.

Wellywood? Welly-hick, more like

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, March 9th, 2010 - 53 comments

Wellingtonians like to think of themselves as more sophisticated than their rural brethren.

But sometimes they come out with something that shows just what a bunch of hicks they are.

Come on Granny

Written By: - Date published: 3:57 pm, March 6th, 2010 - 11 comments

Come on Granny Herald. You’re almost there…

Alternate forms of protest

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, March 4th, 2010 - 27 comments

Now this is pretty damn funny and just adds to todays absurdities over the waste of money on rugby world cup TV in 2011. Veteran Springbok Tour protester John Minto has found himself at the centre of a new Eden Park storm, with a controversial plan to name a nearby $3 million road after him.

Will the supercity transition authority now want to stop community boards from naming streets?

Go to lunch – protest sham ‘consultation’

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, March 2nd, 2010 - 9 comments

The select committee considering the 3rd super-shitty bill is sitting in Parnell now. There is a protest against the sham ‘consultation’ that National and Act have used to lock Aucklanders out of having any significant say in their city before, during and after this change.

Goto Quality Hotel Barrycourt, 20 Gladstone Road Parnell Auckland. The protest finishes at 2pm

Come Aucklanders – protest tomorrow.

Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, March 1st, 2010 - 7 comments

The select committee on Rodney Hides vision of the Auckland Super-City sits in Parnell tommorrow. The National MPs complicit in foisting this idiotic vision of Auckland on us will be there along with the architect – the head of the lunatic Act party.

Spend your lunchtime demonstrating what a crock this version of the super-city is. Do it in Rodney Hide’s Epsom electorate.

National’s jam tomorrow

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, March 1st, 2010 - 5 comments

When it comes to listening to the public, National promise “jam tomorrow”. Wait for the select committee. Wait for the third reading. But the record shows that these are empty promises. The Human Rights Commission has criticised National over their latest mockery of a consultation process on Auckland…

I’ll book the billboards, you ring Roger Kerr for a donation

Written By: - Date published: 3:53 pm, February 26th, 2010 - 26 comments

The Human Rights Commission has come out swinging at the anti-democratic nature of the Super City consultation.

Will the Free Speech Coalition leap into action as it did last time? Probably not.

Looks like Rodney Hide was lying (again)

Written By: - Date published: 3:41 pm, February 26th, 2010 - 6 comments

The Government’s Auckland Transition Agency today released a discussion paper on the powers of the boards and briefed a public hearing of the select committee considering the third super city bill.

Stealing Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, February 25th, 2010 - 5 comments

Auckland is being stolen from the people who live there. It will end up like a christmas turkey – “decapitated, plucked, gutted, stuffed, stitched up, roasted and carved up. And when the diners have eaten their fill, all you have left is a dead carcass.”

Supercity: Who’s gonna vote?

Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, February 23rd, 2010 - 21 comments

Recent polls highlight how important turnout will be at this year’s local body election.

Sam Cash takes a look at recent history and how attitudes to the supercity and the themes of this election could increase participation.

Boag on way, Farrar to follow?

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 20th, 2010 - 14 comments

Former National Party President Michelle Boag has been told to remove herself from the consultancy charged with selecting executive staff for the Auckland Supershity, because of her conflict of interest as an advisor to John Banks’ campaign

A sign of the times

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, February 19th, 2010 - 10 comments

The Northern Action Group has, with the support of 80% of Northern Rodney District, been petitioning the Government to leave Northern Rodney out of its Supercity experiment. The Government, as throughout the Supercity process has completely ignored the wishes of the people. Symbolically, the Northern Action Group has put a broken campaign sign on Trade […]

The pipsqueak attacks the Waitakeres

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 12th, 2010 - 21 comments

This is a fast way to get my blood boiling. Rodney Hide as minister of local government has removed protection from the Waitakere ranges. It is time to make the Act party extinct rather than merely being on the endangered species list. The Waitakere ranges are the only readily accessible tramping around Auckland. Virtually every […]

Banks gets bitten

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 pm, February 2nd, 2010 - 31 comments

In a sure sign that the political phone is off the hook for John ‘Mayor for Remuera’ Banks, the deputy mayor of Rodney John Kirikiri has a scathing letter in yesterday’s Herald criticising the super-mayoral candidate’s cynical electioneering. After a couple of high-profile high-cost staff hires (he has ex 3 News political reporter Scott Campbell […]

Meetings: Auckland super-shitty

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, January 28th, 2010 - 2 comments

Phil Twyford has been organizing a series of meetings about the impending Auckland super-city 3rd bill. The date for submissions to the select committee closes on Feb 12. Write a submission and maybe go to Wellington  and give Rodney hell – that is if he dares to turn up to the select committee. These meetings […]