Hard News: What Now?
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All this brings to mind this quote from Urban Archipelago:
"When cities set their own transportation priorities, truly urban systems (like the monorail) get funded and built, while the suburban mega-highways that lard initiatives like R-51 go unfunded. We don't use suburban roads. We can let the suburbs figure out a way to pay for them."
And wouldn't it be ironic if the strongest supporters of John Frum economics, sorry, privatisation, kick up a stink about being told to pay for their own 14-lane highways?
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Tamsin6, in reply to
Not wrong Russell – the whole place took a nose-dive in the 1970s.
Every time I’ve been back to the place I partly grew up in (‘partly’ because Oamaru/Moeraki were the other places)I’ve felt more & more despondentI remember going to the beach at New Brighton as being a very good day out - there was a play area on the beach front, the pier, and a very flourishing and busy shopping centre. Going down to New Brighton when I was at Uni in the early 90's I remember being surprised how empty and small, battered and deprived it looked - but the beach was still a big draw.
When I lived in Petone in the mid 90's, I was also surprised by how such a gorgeous sea front area could also be one of the most deprived parts of the greater Wellington area (except for Wainuiomata, but then they did have an Olympic sized swimming pool to make up for the lack of a beach). Though I gather Jackson Street and surrounding area have changed somewhat. I wonder what it would take for the same kind of revitalisation of New Brighton? I'm not sure what has driven the gentrification of Petone - property prices getting out of hand in other parts of Wellington?
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Sacha, in reply to
Are you saying Brian Rudman opposed the regional fuel tax?
No because that wouldn't be true and we both know it, so I'm not going to fall into that perjury trap.
Genuine question - not like I've read everything the man has written.
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Herald has a solid 3 minute clip of Key being interviewed about the response in the eastern suburbs - same media scrum that both TV channels excerpted in their stories. Some good questions asked by assorted journos. You can judge the quality of the answers.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
And wouldn’t it be ironic if the strongest supporters of John Frum economics, sorry, privatisation, kick up a stink about being told to pay for their own 14-lane highways?
It would be a near certainty, but here’s a crazy idea. How about The Browns (and every other Mayor) call Joyce and English’s bluff?
Call on government to restore the ability to levy regional petrol taxes (with the income ring-fenced for regional public transport projects determined by local government themselves). Go out and make the argument that it's easy for the editorial board and columnists of the Herald to turn into born again Keynesians and talk about “shared sacrifice”. Now’s the time to nut up or shut up - if central government is going to argue (correctly, IMO YMMV) that the national infrastructure spend needs to be focused on Christchurch for a long time, then give regions the ability to do it themselves.
If Len’s “deep breath” was used to make a politically courageous argument like that (instead of glib PR stunts like the “100 projects in 100 days” nonsense), he’d have something more valuable than my support. He’d get my vote, and so would any other candidate walking the talk.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Genuine question – not like I’ve read everything the man has written.
That was a porn-star dick presumption of bad faith on my part. Sacha, please accept my apology.
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Sacha, in reply to
All good. I can see how that could be assumed.
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Sacha, in reply to
determined by local government themselves
Wasn't that the stumbling block for some in central government (across the spectrum)? Perhaps it has changed.
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Today’s Weekend Herald frontpage: Auckland Council won’t release an old, possibly inaccurate list of earthquake prone buildings in a city that isn’t particularly prone to earthquakes.
IMO this is taking their whole “if it’s suppressed it leads” thing just a bit too far.
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Sacha, in reply to
Probably also some "but Wellington released a list" envy.
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Sam F, in reply to
Yup. Interesting how the story suggests that some of the buildings may have been strengthened since - I'd say Auckland being Auckland an equal or greater number have already been bowled.
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nzlemming, in reply to
I’m not sure what has driven the gentrification of Petone – property prices getting out of hand in other parts of Wellington?
I think it started once the meatworks closed. That was a big factor in keeping Petone poor - rich people didn't want to live with the smell, and poor people didn't have a lot of choice.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Wasn’t that the stumbling block for some in central government (across the spectrum)? Perhaps it has changed.
I recall it being the Greens biggest problem with the original legislation, though someone like Mikaere would be better qualified to speak to that.
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Off-topic: Brian Gaynor offers a measured but cutting analysis of Mark Hotchin's recent "it wasn't me" media tour.
The basic problem with Hotchin is that he promised too much and failed to deliver. But he blames everyone else for Hanover's problems and continues to paint himself as a white knight.
...
It is also illusory for Hotchin to claim that for every $1 that went out $2 went in.
The reality of the situation up to June 2008 was:
Watson and Hotchin companies took $117.8 million out of Hanover Finance in related party loans.
They then received dividends of $45.5 million.
They paid back related party loans of $68.5 million.
Thus Watson, Hotchin and their associated companies took out $163.3 million and put in $68.5 million during this period, a far cry from Hotchin's claim that they put in $2 for every $1 they took out.
It is wrong to claim that paying dividends and depleting shareholder funds has no impact on a company if this money is used to repay existing loans.
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Sacha, in reply to
Auckland being Auckland an equal or greater number have already been bowled
Or quietly flicked on to those without the right insider knowledge (being Auckland)
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
IMO this is taking their whole “if it’s suppressed it leads” thing just a. bit too far.
I hate saying this, but for once The Herald can be acquitted of the charge of journalistic GBH (grievous beat-up hackery). I’m sorry, but I read this and “WTFingF?” was my first reaction.
Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay – with backing from Mayor Len Brown – yesterday refused to release the “earthquake-prone building register” of 412 unreinforced masonry buildings because it was out of date and could affect owners’ property values. [Emphasis added – CR]
Don’t really think “property values” should be the prime consideration here, do you? Also, this register has been in existence since 2004 (according to the linked story) – why the hell isn’t it being kept up to date, since I presume any earthquake-proofing would need to go through the consents process at the very least? (I know Brown and McKay can plausibly blame the last lot, but really guys. You’re wearing the big hats, boys, and that’s a well you can’t keep going back to forever.)
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
Call on government to restore the ability to levy regional petrol taxes (with the income ring-fenced for regional public transport projects determined by local government themselves)
Given that that particular measure went with almost dizzying speed when National came to power - and the consequent damage to Auckland's public transport spending required quite the prostrations before the Minister of Trucks before we were, oh so graciously, granted a loan to get our trains electrified - you can't blame Brown for not thinking it's a call that's going to get a fair hearing.
Joyce pre-judged the CBD rail link without seeing a business case and has kept up the sceptical tone about its worth ever since, even in the face of high-quality BCRs. In Brown's shoes I'd be very hesitant to waste my breath on a man whose disdain for public transport is worn very firmly on his sleeve.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
why the hell isn’t it being kept up to date, since I presume any earthquake-proofing would need to go through the consents process at the very least?
Yes, it should be being kept up-to-date. But if it’s not, they’ll be worried about being sued by a specula^Wdeveloper who’s unaware that they bought a lemon and is now staring at a huge financial loss. Or, worse, they name an address and it turns out that the building in question, as Sam [corrected] says, has been bowled.
I don’t think they’re being terribly irresponsible with this one, but they’ll only get about a month’s grace out of me before I’ll want to know when the updated register is being released.
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Sacha, in reply to
turns out that the building in question, as Sacha says, has been bowled
That was Sam. My money was on them being sneakily sold
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Dismal Soyanz, in reply to
I think it started once the meatworks closed. That was a big factor in keeping Petone poor – rich people didn’t want to live with the smell, and poor people didn’t have a lot of choice.
Also possibly reflecting the general loss of manufacturing businesses in the Wellington region. Having said that, gentrification of Petone seems to have been more in evidence over the last decade - possibly an overflow effect from Wellington City?
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
you can’t blame Brown for not thinking it’s a call that’s going to get a fair hearing.
Matthew: With all due and sincere respect, you don't get to have it both ways and neither does Brown. A palpable lack of enthusiasm for the CBD rail loop from central government didn't stop Brown from making it a centrepiece of his mayoral campaign. And listening to various commentators, you'd think it's the only thing that will save Auckland from economic zombiedom.
I can understand why regional petrol taxes are about as popular as kosher bacon, and a smart political operator like Connor Roberts knows Brown won't score a second term on the Banks Effect. But bitching central government isn't going to cut it either -- but it's certainly not going to lose anyone any votes, will it?
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Sam F, in reply to
(I know Brown and McKay can plausibly blame the last lot, but really guys. You’re wearing the big hats, boys, and that’s a well you can’t keep going back to forever.)
I’d say they can keep going back a bit further than four months, though, surely? That said I agree with Matthew that it needs to be sorted - I just object to the Herald turning a fairly explicable council decision and presenting it (IMO) hysterically.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
A palpable lack of enthusiasm for the CBD rail loop from central government didn’t stop Brown from making it a centrepiece of his mayoral campaign.
The neanderthal attitude toward big-budget public transport projects wasn't on display by Joyce until after Brown adopted the rail link as a key policy. By which time it was a little late for him to back down, especially given that Banks went into reverse faster than you can say "National Party lapdog" when Joyce's true colours came out.
Brown should certainly try, but I don't blame him for thinking it'll be a waste of breath that could be spent more productively on trying to get support for something that might have a chance of happening.
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Dismal Soyanz, in reply to
Probably also some “but Wellington released a list” envy.
The awareness of earthquake risks in Wellington has meant Wellington local government has been somewhat more on the ball on the issue of building strength (witness the WRC report on the lessons of Sep 4 for Wellington). Not to say that it's all good but I would have expected the council here to have more up to date info than Auckland.
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Amazingly no bodies found in the Cathedral site. A second best to finding survivors. Peter Beck's response is spot on. </threadjack>
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