Councils Holding the Country to Ransom

[Sportsvee]

interesting take

on investing heavily in public transport

so last century

https://www.economist.com/leaders/20...rich-countries

Congrats on post 3000 in this thread 😎

[Perry]

Some SuperGold Card users could lose free travel with Wellington's new bus transfers
26 June 2018

Munro emailed Metlink about her concerns, and was told she should get on a bus from Wellington earlier. The matter was discussed at a Greater Wellington Regional Council meeting on Tuesday morning. Councillor Daran Ponter said the problem would affect a minority, but acknowledged those people would have to pay for a connection where they once travelled for free.

Councillor Sue Kedgley said people were . . . going to have to transfer once, or in some cases twice or even three times. They are now being penalised. Those affected would be a small percentage, but the price of the fare could be significant for them, she said. I can tell you that [Super]Gold card users are not going to be happy with finding that they suddenly have to pay ... I think we're going to find that many people who have to transfer are not going to be happy.

What care we? We are THE council.

Go see Winston First!

[Perry]

Another council epic FAIL

Chef's restaurant debacle slips through cracks in council check

[Kaye]

Just one of many for this council Perry...

[Perry]

Auckland Council Disease Spreads

Councillors are there to make you think you have representation and a choice.

You don't!

Tasman District Council corporate services manager Mike Drummond intends to seek legal advice on whether he can release dam-related documents to councillors.

[sidinz]

Neighbour wars aside.......since when do tree houses fall under the Building Act?? They have been told to remove it because it is not code compliant (those words were used in another article on the issue).

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/garden/105214847/dunedin-tree-house-neighbours-have-past-bad-blood

[Sportsvee]

"I think that this is actually pretty insulting and doesn't give us any credit as councillors for the work we do or our professionalism."

Or maybe they are getting full credit and don't like it.

[Bob Kane]

Neighbour wars aside.......since when do tree houses fall under the Building Act??

As soon as you start seriously attaching wood/structures to a tree.
The problem here was the tree house was over the top - a serious amount of work went into it so it became a building - with all the resulting rules that buildings have.
The father who built it meant well - but he went too far.

[Wayne]

As soon as you start seriously attaching wood/structures to a tree.
The problem here was the tree house was over the top - a serious amount of work went into it so it became a building - with all the resulting rules that buildings have.
The father who built it meant well - but he went too far.

I thought it looked like a pretty average treehut.
I wonder how they will make a compliant structure in a tree?
The foundations would be iffy for a start.
I doubt that there will be a follow-up article so we will probably never know.

The neighbour didn't get their privacy issue addressed.

[sidinz]

The problem here was the tree house was over the top - a serious amount of work went into it so it became a building - with all the resulting rules that buildings have.

Where do you draw the line between a treehouse and a building? It was clearly not meant for habitation

[Wayne]

Where do you draw the line between a treehouse and a building?

When you rent it out?

[eri]

now auckland council is taxing fuel

they can announce a few more vanity spending projects

like auckland's own 50mt statue of the maori earth mother

to rival the statue of liberty

Auckland Council has approved $1 million in its 10-year budget for initial design and development of the proposed structure or "pou" - $100,000 for design in the current financial year and a further $900,000 for initial development next year.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12088430

[Perry]

Remember Countdown?

now auckland council is taxing fuel they can announce a few more vanity spending projects like auckland's own 50mt statue of the maori earth mother o rival the statue of liberty

Auckland Council has approved $1 million in its 10-year budget for initial design and development of the proposed structure or "pou" - $100,000 for design in the current financial year and a further $900,000 for initial development next year.

A rare bit of common sense aired by hot airman Shane Jones:

"If such a pretentious gesture is their long-term ambition then pay for it yourselves. The notion that the ratepayers of Auckland should foot the costs for this cultural mimicry promoted by the Ōrākei hapū is risible," Jones said.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/shane-jones-dismisses-pretentious-hap-proposal-30-metre-plus-auckland-statue-pay-yourselves

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/07/new-zealand-first-mp-shane-jones-rips-into-bastion-point-statue-proposal.html

https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/105514486/pay-for-it-yourselves-nz-first-mp-shane-jones-savages-haps-papatnuku-proposal

[Wayne]

The paper this morning suggested that the original idea was to crowd source funding.

[eri]

more like the fall-back plan

if they're called on their bullsjit