Councils Holding the Country to Ransom

[muppet]

That's alright eri.
Not their money.
Poor old ratepayers money.

[Maccachic]

Cost saving way to fix that problem tree : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/super-city...ectid=10851562

[Davo36]

Here's where your rates go: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...-ECan-iwi-link

$700k, to liaise with Maori.

[Perry]

Are they following or setting the lead
for the Auckland Super City Psychos?

[Davo36]

With the super city, there's a Maori board to advise on everything. Budget is over $1million per annum.

[eri]

the red under brown's bed is hulse

his deputy, only a heart beat away from bringing mao to middle-auckland

Deputy mayor Penny Hulse, who chairs the working party

The working party, which includes councillors, local board chairmen & members of the Independent Maori Statutory Board, has suggested a new process to apply to those parts of early Auckland not currently subject to character protection controls, and would see any proposal to demolish pre-1944 buildings in identified areas assessed against historic heritage & character criteria.

so we have all these drafty old villas and bungalows

that are harming the health of the poor renters who have to live in them

council want intensification, but also want to make it harder and slower to knock the old unhealthy stuff down

they don't seem to have the mental ability to hold more than 1 ideal in their heads at the same time

they can't possibly get even half of what they want

political parties at the national level are expected to cost their election promises

political parties at the local level should be expected to cost their local desires

or

they have a secret? plan

to preserve the heritage suburbs in central auckland for habitation by the middle class at ?1.5 million per house

and they bulldoze the state house suburbs and put up low and long apartment buildings and terrace housing

HNZ are saying they need more 5bed houses

do they have 5bed apartments on the plans? 200m2 for $750,000???

not to worry, they'll go public/private for those and sell them to the middle class who are worried they'll never pensions

and then write the contracts and laws to screw the private investors

but they'll do it AFTER they've signed

[eri]

The transition agency that set up the Super City predicted the council wages bill would fall from $604 million to $513 million
as a result of reducing staff numbers.

Staff numbers have risen by 840 in the past year and wages have gone from a forecast $513 million to $670 million
............. representing nearly half the revenue from rates.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10854690

[Wayne]

That article is playing with figures a lot

[eri]

yes, it's too early to judge harshly

but the amalgamation was sold as the best way to get cheaper, more efficient, council services

if the last couple of years of confusion and chaos simply results in the same number of bureaucrats, who are simply more remote

the amalgamation, which is supposed to be a model for the whole country

can be judged a failure for rate payers

[partya]

Word on the streets of our fair capital is that the Council CEO has been given the don't come Monday. More in the news tomorrow I'd guess......

[Davo36]

Word on the streets of our fair capital is that the Council CEO has been given the don't come Monday. More in the news tomorrow I'd guess......

Interesting, no doubt there'll be a big payout from the ratepayers!

[Davo36]

yes, it's too early to judge harshly

but the amalgamation was sold as the best way to get cheaper, more efficient, council services

if the last couple of years of confusion and chaos simply results in the same number of bureaucrats, who are simply more remote

the amalgamation, which is supposed to be a model for the whole country

can be judged a failure for rate payers

Sad to read half the rates money goes on Auckland Council staff salaries. I'm sure you could fire half of them with no loss of service. The remaing half would just have to work at a rate approaching the private sector.

[flyernzl]

With the super city, there's a Maori board to advise on everything.

Unelected, of course.

[Davo36]

It would be unfair for them to have to be elected flyernzl. How dare you minimise their rights!

[Perry]

Did this get posted elsewhere, closer to the publication date?
No surprise to see councils in there with the worst of them.
Oh, plus TLLs quirky banky, bully-boy snobs.

You Call This Service - Customers Strike Back
Sam Boyer
10/11/2012

Customer service in New Zealand is shocking, and it's getting worse,
a study has found. Fewer than half of 600 people surveyed in the latest
Kiwihost customer service survey said they were satisfied with the
level of customer service, and 36 per cent said it was getting worse.

Telecommunications companies ranked as the worst businesses to deal
with, followed by local and central government, and internet service
providers. TelstraClear ranked twice in the bottom three - for both
their telecommunication branch and their ISP service - and Slingshot
(ISP) was ranked worst. Eight of the worst-ranked businesses were ISPs
and telecoms, with airline Jetstar and HSBC bank also in the bottom 10.
Six of the 10 best-ranked companies were airlines, with Air New
Zealand the best-ranked company. Jetstar, however, was in the bottom
five - the only airline with a negative customer service rating. Banks
ASB, BNZ and ANZ National, and telco 2Degrees rounded out the top 10.