Councils Holding the Country to Ransom

[Perry]

Seems more like a lack of prudent infrastructure planning than a lack of bureaucratic "kontrol."

[Davo36]

This seems to be the crucial bit:

"Lacking a comprehensive piped water network, industry and homeowners have tapped into the city's aquifers, causing rapid subsidence in northern Jakarta, home to several million people."

Nothing to do with council planning really, as in, it's not the type of buildings or number or placement of them. It's that they're undermining themselves.

Indonesia is a corrupt country. From top to bottom. So this affects everything too.

[Wayne]

This seems to be the crucial bit:

"Lacking a comprehensive piped water network, industry and homeowners have tapped into the city's aquifers, causing rapid subsidence in northern Jakarta, home to several million people."

Nothing to do with council planning really, as in, it's not the type of buildings or number or placement of them. It's that they're undermining themselves.

Indonesia is a corrupt country. From top to bottom. So this affects everything too.

It's caused by lack of central (city) control.
Often people advocate that councils and the Govt should stop interfering and let people get on with things. Seems the authorities did that here with a poot outcome.
Generally people will look out for themselves without looking at the wider picture.

[Perry]

The trick is where the line is drawn. Many have long advocated that councils should "stick to their knitting," rather than get involved in 'cultural exchanges,' 'overseas junkets,' and other suchlike 10,000% discretionary activities.

[Wayne]

The trick is where the line is drawn. Many have long advocated that councils should "stick to their knitting," rather than get involved in 'cultural exchanges,' 'overseas junkets,' and other suchlike 10,000% discretionary activities.

It is indeed.
Some, though, believe that the council shouldn't have any say over what and where of the build and let people go.

[Perry]

Perhaps part of the problem is linking fees to such regulatory activities? Tends to cloud the vision, eh what?

[Davo36]

Things like water reticulation and land use planning are not really the same thing in my opinion.

Wayne, you gave the example of Jakarta. Well I'll give the example of Tokyo. In Tokyo you can build almost anything, almost anywhere. They don't have water (or electricity, or phone...) problems.

They have a well run city in a well run country. Very very limited corruption etc.

BUT they have very liberal planning laws which allows them to get on with things.

The 2 aren't mutually exclusive.

[Perry]

I wonder if council 'culture' comes into, as well? One could be forgiven for getting the feeling that councils think ratepayers are there to serve the council, rather than vice versa. Remember the Japanese city sink hole? Repaired at lightning speed, with the Mayor apologising for the inconvenience and offering compensation. Not likely scenarios in NZ, I suspect.

Giant sinkhole in Japan repaired within days.
16 Nov 2016

[flyernzl]

I wonder what is the percentage of lawyers to the general population is in Japan?
A lot less than in NZ I suspect.

[eri]

I wonder what is the percentage of lawyers to the general population is in Japan?
A lot less than in NZ I suspect.

good article here

https://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2016/04/03/the-legal-industry-in-japan-the-numbers/

[flyernzl]

From the above:
"The number of lawyers in Japan has more than doubled since 2000, but demand for legal services has failed to grow apace. "

They need to take lessons from the NZ legal industry, and invent new laws to create work.
Many years ago the only time most people needed a lawyer was when you bought a house or made a will.
Now, even 10 year olds "consult my lawyer"!

[Perry]

Well, I Never

No It Can't - Yes It Can

Offers to insulate freezing social housing units in Christchurch
9 Aug 2019

Given the recent TT Kangaroo Kourt decision, how did the council escape censure and fines? (Payable to the tenants, of course, like instant fines are payable to the issuing police officer.)

Not what you know but who you know, perhaps?

[Shalodge]

Ahh .. this thread is still going.. amazing! Just back to unashamedly post this plug .. Well you never know .. Might be some Whakatane District ratepayers on here?

https://russellformayor.wordpress.com

[Perry]

Best of Luck, Russell.

The ambiguity of your line - Dumb leadership is doing the same stuff and expecting a different result - is telling.

Would voters better grasp this, electing the same people to the same positions and expecting a better result is just dumb?

Could be a bit inflammatory, I suppose.

The scripting of that web page needs some attention, too. Only one out of four web browsers I tried renders as you probably want it to. Three rendered as this screen shot shows.

[north shore]

From the herald today: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12261763
Auckland Mayoral hopeful John Tamihere has promised to freeze Auckland's rates rises for three years and ask landlords to put a hold on rent hikes during his first term.