local government

Categories under local government

Hide on his way to Privileges Committee?

Written By: - Date published: 5:32 am, May 8th, 2009 - 44 comments

Has Rodney Hide breached privilege by seriously misleading the House? This is one for you legal types out there but from a layperson’s perspective it looks like it. Here’s what happened (the full transcripts are below): On Wednesday, Phil Twyford (or Twif-ford as Hide insists on calling him) asked Hide whether “he has costed the super-city proposal outlined […]

Oh dear – Hyde the costs

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 pm, May 7th, 2009 - 71 comments

How embarrassing. Rodney Hide has been forced to admit that he has no idea of the costs of his super-city proposal. Phil Twyford with the aid of the speaker cornered him into an admission that he’d been bullshitting. The Minister has been caught out trying to mislead Aucklanders about whether the Government has done those […]

How Hyde is wasting my taxes on an uncosted project

Written By: - Date published: 5:09 pm, May 6th, 2009 - 20 comments

It appears that the propaganda campaign from Rodney Hide to push his proposal of the super-city has cost $533,000 in PR costs in the last 4 weeks. Phil Twyford (Labour’s Auckland issues spokesperson) comment is that:- It’s outrageous that the Government is prepared to spend an average of $133,000 a week on a publicity blitz, […]

Not my Leaders

Written By: - Date published: 1:14 pm, May 6th, 2009 - 2 comments

Hide and Banks do not strike me as the kind of men you feel safe about having too much power. They never have been and they never will be. Yet so far the ongoing review of the so called ‘Supercity Plan’ has suggested it’s only weakness is that the Lord Mayor wouldn’t have enough power. Instead, […]

Key decked over supercity

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 pm, May 5th, 2009 - 40 comments

A much better performance from Goff today in the House today. Finally, after weeks of fluffing, he managed to score a direct hit on Key. Goff’s questions on the Auckland supercity had Key denying the obvious, that the people of Auckland do not like his government’s supercity and do not believe they have been adequately […]

Backlash building on supercity

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, May 5th, 2009 - 25 comments

The unseemly haste with which the National/Act Government is pursuing its undemocratic supercity is causing more and more people to wake up to the con job they are pulling. A Reid poll (ignored by the Herald but run by the community newspapers) shows where just weeks ago the public was split evenly on the proposed […]

The super-con

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, May 4th, 2009 - 15 comments

Rodney Hide would have us believe that a supercity is the way of the future. He says “Auckland cannot become a world-class city without change”. Funny, because it’s already the 4th best city in the world, along with Vancouver which is also not a supercity. Look down the list, there’s Wellington and Sydney also not […]

It’s good enough for Wanganui

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, April 29th, 2009 - 11 comments

Rodney Hide refuses to give Aucklanders their referendum on the supercity and one of the excuses he offers is the cost: “The difficulty with a referendum is it would cost a million dollars” So what kind of things do councils find it worthwhile holding referenda on? Here’s what the people of Wanganui got to vote […]

Focused on what matters

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, April 28th, 2009 - 60 comments

So John Key has set his taxpayer paid researchers onto David Shearer. The best they can come up with is that 11 years ago Shearer advocated using regulated mercenaries on UN peacekeeping missions because nations like the US are often unwilling to commit their own troops. If Key, who is clearly obsessed with winning Mt Albert, (he made […]

The Backlash Begins

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 28th, 2009 - 43 comments

We’ve been warning that John Key faces a backlash in Auckland if he doesn’t rein in Rodney Hide and present a democratic supercity structure instead of the rort that is on the table now. We’re starting to see it. A poll out yesterday shows only 12% of people in Key’s own electorate support his government’s […]

Meeting tonight on Super City

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, April 28th, 2009 - Comments Off on Meeting tonight on Super City

From Just Left: Tonight – Freemans Bay Community Centre – the Western Bays Community Board is holding a meeting from 6.30pm to discuss the Govt’s super-city proposal. Come along. It is nice to see that some parts of the Council do want to hear what residents think, rather than other parts who are buying into […]

Drinking Liberally Auckland – the future of Auckland governance

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, April 28th, 2009 - Comments Off on Drinking Liberally Auckland – the future of Auckland governance

Join all your favourite lefty liberal drinkers at Drinking Liberally Auckland When: 7pm, Wednesday 29 April Where: London Bar – corner Queen and Victoria Streets, Auckland CBD Who: you and like-minded left-wingers. All welcome. This month’s speaker is Mayor Len Brown talking about the opportunities and issues arising out of the Government’s proposal for restructuring […]

Right’s excuses fall flat

Written By: - Date published: 5:56 pm, April 26th, 2009 - 40 comments

David Farrar, head of the Free Speech Coalition and renowned democracy fighter, has outlined the Right’s reasons for opposing letting the people of Auckland decide whether they want the Government’s proposed supercity. The post contains a bizarre level of personal abuse against Phil Goff but all that does is highlight the weakness of the actual […]

Fran gets it

Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 25th, 2009 - 17 comments

Fran O’Sullivan shows that she gets it – National-Act’s supercity is designed to serve the interests of the business elite by taking democracy away from the people of Auckland, and that’s the reason for their refusal to give the people of Auckland their referendum. Problem is, Fran’s all in favour of getting rid of democracy: […]

Hide says no to referendum

Written By: - Date published: 5:59 am, April 25th, 2009 - 18 comments

Rodney Hide says Aucklanders  shouldn’t have a vote on whether or not they want his supercity. He uses one of the weaker arguments the righties have been running in our comment threads “it’s not just a `yes’ or `no’ question” Yes it is. The question of how a super-city should be structured is not a ‘yes’ […]

Greens join call for referendum

Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, April 24th, 2009 - 65 comments

The Greens have joined Labour and an array of groups calling for Aucklanders to get a referendum on the supercity. Great stuff. Sue Kedgley points out that much of the Government’s proposed structure was not recommended by the Royal Commission and Aucklanders have not been consulted on them. ‘Rodney Hide effectively threw the Royal Commission’s […]

Goff calls for supercity referendum

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, April 24th, 2009 - 23 comments

Phil Goff has put out a press release calling for a referendum so that the people of Auckland can decide whether the Government’s Auckland supercity plan should go ahead. Excellent. A referendum is the only fair and democratic way to proceed. Especially when polling shows the people of Auckland are evenly split on whether or […]

Look Mum they stole my city …

Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, April 23rd, 2009 - 28 comments

After the success of the meetings about the super-city in Waitakere and Manakau yesterday, here are a few more of interest in date order. We will issue reminders when they are due. From the notice on the Grassroots Labour site about a public meeting in Waitakere. Time April 27, 2009 from 8pm (now correct time) […]

Govt’s refusal to listen sparks protests

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, April 23rd, 2009 - 9 comments

The government’s refusal to listen on its fast-tracked Supercity plans is already resulting in protests. The unrest that’s building should hardly come as a surprise. I can certainly understand Aucklanders not wanting to be dictated to by Wellington – especially when the outcome is ACT running their city. I’m still at a loss as to […]

Aucklanders must have their referendum

Written By: - Date published: 5:07 am, April 22nd, 2009 - 27 comments

In 1999, Napier and Hastings had a referendum over whether their councils should merge. They voted against it. In 2005, there was a referendum on Banks Peninsula and Christchurch City merging. The people voted for it. The Royal Commission report says that the normal process for council mergers set by the Local Government Act (schedule […]

Has National changed its policy on the super-city?

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, April 21st, 2009 - 23 comments

Yesterday I pointed out that the Local Government Act requires referenda on boundary changes such as are envisaged for Auckland. To not do so would be to use the parliamentary rights to amend legislation to remove a required consultation with the citizens of Auckland. It appears likely (from Graeme) that NACT will put forward a […]

Rob Thomas: Taking the Local out of Local Government

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 21st, 2009 - 4 comments

A long contribution from someone in centre of the local body issues in Auckland. Despite its blatant electioneering, it is interesting enough to post here for a slightly different (and milder) slant. The lack of any effective role for the proposed local boards that makes them useless is discussed below the break. After extensive consultation, […]

Arrogance

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, April 21st, 2009 - 12 comments

John Key on criticism that the Government is arrogantly ramming through its Supercity plans without consulting Aucklanders: “The Government is not so arrogant that it won’t listen to the submissions that are made before or during the select committee process,” Mr Key said yesterday.* If Key doesn’t want to look arrogant then he should stop […]

When is the required referendum?

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, April 20th, 2009 - 19 comments

I agree with the title of the Herald’s editoral today: “Let citizens have say on Super City“. Unfortunately, the editoral itself is wishy-washy. Aucklanders do deserve to have a say on the super city proposal. They should get to vote yes or no on the supercity in referenda before anything is set in stone. In […]

The fightback begins

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, April 18th, 2009 - 22 comments

This morning I picked up the local newspaper out of the mailbox – Harbour News. On the front page was this extraordinary editorial – “Who stole our Voice“.  The editor of the Harbour News tears Rodney Hide and the NACT government a new excretory orifice. This is what is coming from the ground up all […]

Creating venal politics

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 11th, 2009 - 13 comments

It appears that John Key and Rodney Hide are participating in an old political action in Auckland – the gerrymander. From a general desire from politically aware Aucklanders to get a more coherent local government for the city, they have constructed a political system for business to completely dominate the city. Democratic and public spirited […]

Ominous Trickles before the Flood

Written By: - Date published: 5:35 pm, April 5th, 2009 - 13 comments

The attack on democratic local government is taking shape in the public domain. 1. Hide was not made the Minister of Local Govt for nothing. Radical changes are planned and National chose an ACT Party frontman to deflect public reaction. The Bill about to be introduced, and likely passed, to ‘cap rates at the rate […]

How to approach Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 4th, 2009 - 12 comments

No Right Turn and David Farrar have written posts on the massive lack of proportionality in the suggested voting regime by the Royal Commission report on Auckland governance. Shades of a rotten borough of 18th century England, it seems to be designed to make some voters far more ‘equal’ than others. Unlike the evolution of […]

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