Hard News: Auckland: where only one man votes
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Keep Auckland moving forward
ban reversing
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Alien, have you seen the plan for New Brighton?
They're still living on the 1950s - 1970s saturday trading market ideas. It deserves development, but starting with housing would make it sustainable.
Of course CCC still do not accept sea level rise, at its current rate as recorded in Lyttleton for over a centuary so lets not even mention anthropogenic causes. -
Sam F, Ecan had the same job up for offer last week. That means there was a vacancy. Strangely it was a permanent position.
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Starting to wonder why we even need a Council in Auckland.
This Government seems to do as it pleases.Mayors, Schmears, let's just have Rod and the Gunnmint, McCully style. Oh what fun! -
Speaking of powerless, long-awaited Local boards discussion document was released by Auckland Transition Agency today.
Phil Twyford's summary - they get to choose the colour of the carpet.
Transport linkages and scenarios discussed briefly on AucklandTrains blog.
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Thanks Sacha, I now need a whole bottle of wine.Sadly I suspected as much. This really is "Obliteration 101" and no matter how it is dressed up as lamb, we get mutton. This week in Parliament has been atrocious. I fear Heatley has been the fall guy for another smokescreen.
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My friend says Party Central is Kingsland. I trust him, for he did fix the 111 telecom debacle today. :))
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Party Central is Kingsland
ARC chair disagrees, will be shaking his funky corduroys elsewhere.
"Believe me, it's going to happen ... In 2011 I'm going to be down there on Queens Wharf partying like it's 1999," Mr Lee said.
Mind you, a venue like Kingsland's main street that can only hold 1/60th of the Eden Park crowd would suit Act down to the ground..
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Alex Swney's op-ed (published before today's announcement) thoughtfully describes what could be done with the wharf in time for RWC without much expense or cutting off future options. Starts by outlining public opinion.
A survey conducted by an independent online research company for Heart of the City showed on average 80 per cent of Aucklanders were dead against spending $97 million on a huge new cruise terminal and multi-function centre - Option 4.
Of respondents with an opinion 78.6 per cent said don't rush permanent development of Queens Wharf for the Rugby World Cup.
And 84.4 per cent want to see permanent development led by the new mayor and councillors with a broader plan.
A total of 88.2 per cent want to see agreed plans for other central wharves and Quay St first. And as the mayors became aware, Auckland City is building a $29 million Marine Events Centre, with multifunction capability on Halsey St Wharf and in time for the Rugby World Cup. There was no justification for building two boxes with similar architectural characteristics on two wharves by 2011.
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Circus on the waterfront
Didn't someone just buy the Mt Smart Supertop
tent for $10.00!!
Maybe that would be the easy answer for a very temporary party venue - get it "bombed" by the local spray can crews, a few projections - voila! ...and then everyone can relax and think about doing summat creative and substantial on the waterfront without the ridiculous haste...Also doesn't it seem to be a smack in the face, and pocket, for every struggling hospitality venue in the downtown Auckland area to have the Gummint take all their patrons away during the RWC - where is the financial benefit trickle down to the masses then?
The Gummint should stick to Parliament as their "Key" entertainment venue and enterprise... -
Existing venue owners point out there are also issues about staff management and host responsibility.
A planner for party central had come around to his bar asking what he paid staff and where he got security, Mr Sissons said.
Whoever would run party central would poach local staff, and with a temporary three-week liquor licence would have less reason to be responsible, he said.
"We think it's hilarious. The Prime Minister's come up with party central and everyone's on the bandwagon.
"I don't know who'd want to party in a cold, wet marquee in the middle of September and wait in bloody long queues to drink a warm Heineken out of a plastic cup."
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Tim Selwyn was at the select committee hearings when the ATA's Grant Taylor presented its local board proposals. Selwyn is unimpressed. Worth a read, and includes reaction from others.
Describing what the local boards do as "decisions" is a gross misrepresentation - they are only recommendations to the Council, they are submissions, part of a consultation process in the same way that Joe Bloggs can make a submission and a recommendation to Council. The local boards have no power to make decisions on these issues unless the Council delegates it to them and since they don't want any of the local/council demarcation put in legislation the Council retains all the cards - local boards have only what they are given. Taylor actually argued that putting specifics in about what local boards could do would be unhelpful and unproductive! To whom? Why?
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And as for the claim the boards will be: "overseeing the management of local facilities like swimming pools and parks, community programmes and local services such as refuse collection and graffiti control"
- that just cannot be true. They cannot really oversee anything - certainly not in the sense of supervision or accountability. They can complain to the Council about the operations and make recommendations to the council about operations just like everyone else, but they have no power to suspend or sack staff or to do the things necessary to really change anything. -
Am now beginning to wonder if this " Party Central on the edge of the city Plan" is really to hide the fact that, the corporate takeover of Auckland can be disguised if we can get everyone here drunk because that is all we'll have left. I mean why the huge promo of sufficient space for drunks. Isn't it aboot "Te Rugby"? Let's face it, we don't all need to be drinking all at the same time. Shouldn't Eden Park have room for drinking as well if that is what is the major promotion for this game?
Still, the Lizard makes a bit of sense further up. Trouble is sense doesn't even come into it anymore. Excuse me while I finish that bottle of wine I opened last night:) -
Aye, Sofie. And have ye not noticed that nice Mr Key is always photographed relaxing with a bottle of beer in his hand? I think he has a problem and he wants the rest of us to drink with him.
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nice Mr Key is always photographed relaxing with a bottle of beer in his hand? I think he has a problem and he wants the rest of us to drink with him.
Yes Paul, that is probably why he has no concern for Heatley's 2 bottles of wine either, plus we all know he had the barbie with young Prince William and you know what they say about the Royals. It could be timely to see if he has any brewery shares that he has forgotten about because you know how alcohol can fog the brain and I haven't seen any of those there lately :)
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Mind you, a venue like Kingsland's main street that can only hold 1/60th of the Eden Park crowd would suit Act down to the ground..
People keep saying this without pausing to consider that Nixon Park is only 600 or 700m away.
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Nixon Park is only 600 or 700m away.
Plus spitting distance to dare I say it... Mt Eden. Shops, bars, eating establishments and an old Volcano.Then Dominion Rd, with, public transport.and free parking! OMG!
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Ah, yes, but, the Government's carefully planned plan is to have the party central as far from the rugby as possible, so far that it might be called party peripheral. The precise purpose of this peripheral plan remains shrouded in mystery, although under certain lights it appears to be no more than a whim of the Prime Minister.
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I haven't seen anyone talking about using Nixon Park yet. Could work, barring mid-winter mud. Marquees will be in demand everywhere.
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Just caught up with what's been said, and am I the only one whose immediate reaction to the ECan situation was a prolonged expletive? I mean, we're all up in arms about the dickery that's going on with democracy for Auckland, but at least Aucklanders will still get to vote for their regional representatives at the end of the year. Blitzing an entire local body because some of the voters don't like the way everyone else voted is disgusting.
Worse is that this doesn't actually seem to be getting much coverage by the MSM. Wherefore art thou, Granny's banner headlines "Democracy under attack!"? -
...and am I the only one whose immediate reaction to the ECan situation was a prolonged expletive?
and the unreal disconnect and hypocrisy of Bob Parker and the Mayors playing "witch-finders" - Parker is hardly one to talk about proper procedure - guess he'll be taking a large stock of those "throwing stones" into his new council HQ "glass House" - er retrofitted postal sorting centre
- thinking about it, it's odd he doesn't espouse the theory that the new council bldg in Hereford street will "revitalise" or add "vibrancy" to the inert,
er inner city ... it'll sure add parking problems! -
Worse is that this doesn't actually seem to be getting much coverage by the MSM. Wherefore art thou, Granny's banner headlines "Democracy under attack!"?
How about, "Don't you worry about that!"
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How about, "Don't you worry about that!"
Yes, well. Had lunch with a friend from Wellington last week, and said to her that as much as portions of the country just love the idea of Auckland getting thoroughly fucked by "the man", they ought better be very scared about what's going to happen to their local government if the current Monster of Local Government is in the same seat after next year's election. Now we see that it's already starting elsewhere, and the ink isn't even dry on the shambles that is the Megatropolis founding legislation.
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at least Aucklanders will still get to vote for their regional representatives at the end of the year.
CCOs, much? Pop quiz: what % of total supercity budget spend will be controlled by the new unelected Transport agency?
they ought better be very scared about what's going to happen to their local government if the current Monster of Local Government is in the same seat after next year's election.
Will happen before then unless resisted strenuously. Rodders is gagging to legislatively cap Council spending a la California - and central govt spending likewise.
National and ACT have been holding talks on spending limits, but Mr Hide said he was pushing hard to have a cap set before a taxpayer rights bill, which would allow the public to veto spending above a set level, goes before Parliament.
No guarantee he'll get away with it - but deserves loud and organised opposition and pressure on the Nats to ignore their own loony fringe.
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as much as portions of the country just love the idea of Auckland getting thoroughly fucked by "the man",
Which portions are they? This Wellingtonian is absolutely concerned on your behalf, as is his Hamiltonian father when they talked last.
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