Posts by Steve Barnes
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Nice one Christie.
Sounds like a great place for the inaugural PAS Great Blend Holiday
Russ? ;-) -
Did anyone notice that on Friday it actually was some sort of *private* party central anyway ?
I said earlier that I suspected the Pacific Leaders Forum had a bit of a do down on Captain Cook Wharf.
According to TV3 it was a private function for Ports of Auckland. (not on line)On the subject of who was to blame for the transport chaos. Auckland Transport is responsible for the running of the Rail Stations these are run unmanned, It appears that was so on Friday night, there was no management of patron numbers attempting to use the system, apart from closing the doors at Britomart Station.
Slack.
Veolia says* we had an agreement with Auckland Transport to carry 15,000 fans to Eden Park for the game (from Newmarket and Britomart and presumably stations along the way)
* the stations are basically "unmanned"
* we had people climbing on the trains
* the rail system was basically overwhelmed -
Hard News: The Minister's Brain Has Exploded, in reply to Glenn Pearce,
Did anyone notice that on Friday it actually was some sort of *private* party central anyway ?
I was told at the time by someone who was supposed to be there that it was to do with the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum This page from Oxfam lists events at the "Cloud" until the 8th. I got the impression that the Forums own "Party Central" was moved to Captain Cook wharf, although I can find no "official" notice of this.
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Hard News: The Minister's Brain Has Exploded, in reply to Richard Aston,
It seems the original decentralized party approach advance by Auckland City was over ridden by government and its party central idea. This seems a crucial piece of information that’s got buried – Govt created the conditions for the problem in the first place.
Indeed.
Even John Banks was against it. Even though I quoted him above saying...
"John Banks told Newstalk ZB the Government had swallowed the Council’s plan “hook, line and sinker”, and paid the price."
The reality was the exact opposite...
Mayors reject Queens Wharf funding plan
By Michael Dickison
1:59 PM Friday Feb 19, 2010
Auckland ratepayers were expected to foot the bill for building on the site, with a $97 million development including a cruise ship terminal said to be preferred by the Government.
But that plan was rejected, and three other, cheaper plans for temporary structures also put on hold until a masterplan for the waterfront was developed, said Auckland City mayor John Banks.
"We don't have to get terribly excited about what will be on Queens Wharf ... there may be some party on Queens Wharf but there will be many parties all over New Zealand and all over Auckland."
Ponsonby Rd, Parnell Rd, the Viaduct, a revamped Aotea Square and a new maritime events centre on the waterfront would all become "party central", Mr Banks said.Let's hope the people of Epsom see through this toad come November.
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Hard News: The Minister's Brain Has Exploded, in reply to Tom Semmens,
Police crowd control at the Satan Parade,Wow, things really have gone downhill under Red Len.
Oops, that's what you get when you let your fingers do the talking. ;-)
On a related note...
John Banks told Newstalk ZB the Government had swallowed the Council's plan "hook, line and sinker", and paid the price.
"It's an evitable consequence of planning and a gun-ho approach," Mr Banks said... ..."There was enough drunken louts down there to trigger the biggest riot this country has ever seen."
This from the man that wants to take Epsom in November. Gun Ho? sounds like someone a rapper would sing about rather than what he thought it meant and even then he is wrong.
The term was picked up by United States Marine Corps Major Evans Carlson from his New Zealand friend, Rewi Alley, one of the founders of the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives. Carlson explained in a 1943 interview: "I was trying to build up the same sort of working spirit I had seen in China where all the soldiers dedicated themselves to one idea and worked together to put that idea over. I told the boys about it again and again. I told them of the motto of the Chinese Cooperatives, Gung Ho. It means Work Together-Work in Harmony...."
"Work Together-Work in Harmony" indeed.
Mr Banks' usage however is described thus...Gun ho
what the linguistically challenged mistake for "Gung ho". -
From my vantage point, up on the top of the Hilton, I had a good view of the crowd on Queens Wharf and it looked pretty sparse most of the time. There seemed no particular pattern to the crowd density, at most I would say the density maxed out at around 1.5 psm.
We could see the area of Quay St directly at the gate and the problems encountered by Fullers in extracting passengers from the wharf and expected worse in terms of misadventure. I did wonder at the time where all the Police were in terms of crowd control, all I saw were security personnel looking bemused at the scene and taking no action when the crowds blocked vital access routes. As to the Waka crews, at first sight I thought a bunch of people had "dressed up" for the occasion and were expecting people to just get out of their way and the crowd responded as you would imagine. Did no-one in the mess of organisation think to offer some sort of escort?
I have seen greater Police crowd control at the Satan Parade, where were they?.One further question. Did Key and McCully really think Queens Wharf was ever going to be big enough for this part of the event? room for just 12,000 people?
I think this proves that the current Govt. is incapable of running anything involving a large amount of people, not a Downtown event, a mining disaster, a City wide earthquake, let alone the whole country.
Let them be gone this November. -
Hard News: The Minister's Brain Has Exploded, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
while running a glorified bar is an essential state function?
I suppose it is a bit a pre-emptive strategy so they can claim "See, we CAN run a piss-up FOR a brewery"
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Perhaps the Government could take over running the trains...
While they are at it they could Nationalise the Electricity Industry and the Banking and Insurance sector.
Go Comrade Key. -
Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to Sacha,
I can only conclude that you may need to study up on the various organisations
Then you conclude incorrectly. That is the last thing I NEED to do, do I look Bothered?
Perhaps if you want to pin the blame for anything anywhere then may I suggest you do some studying instead of just dropping great gobs of other peoples work into your posts and criticising everything others have to offer. -
Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to Sacha,
Now do you see why I find the suggestion of the rugby union having any power in this funny?
No. The fact that somebody indulges in apathy, incompetence and childish behaviour does not exclude them from having power, unfortunately.