Local government

Oct 1, 2024 ∞

Access to Botanical Gardens lost to many visitors

I have to say I definitely agree with this letter. I’m keen on Wellington City Council building more cycle lanes; they are ultimately the way of the future as climate change makes cars less viable and acceptable.

Kāinga Ora giveth and taketh away

How do these two announcements line up?

Kāinga Ora set to cut about 300 jobs

AND

$48 million later, Kāinga Ora confirms it may stop Arlington development

On the same day. Surely some of the 330 people destined for the chop could be reassigned to the social housing development in Arlington?

Sep 8, 2024 ∞

Busy weekend - soccer club breakup and community 'placemaking' under threat in Porirua

⚽️It’s been a busy weekend. Yesterday, we had the local soccer club’s end-of-season breakup. For the first time in many years I wasn’t involved in organising it after stepping down from the committee following my cancer prognosis from my haematologist at the end of last year. I said to the folk there that it was a little odd to be presenting the “Iain MacLean Memorial Trophy” when I was not yet ‘in memoriam’. That flew over the children’s heads, as I hoped it would, but some parents got it.

Tory Whanau puts the PM straight

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has got stuck into the PM for his misguided speech to the Local Government Association this week. As well as justifyingly defending the good things WCC has done (and they aren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination), she made the important point that it was a missed opportunity for how central and local government could work together.

Her column is in the Sunday Star Times. If it is behind their paywall, I apologise.

Tory Whanau: Time for the PM to stop taking cheap shots at councils

Aug 22, 2024 ∞

PM shows he doesn't understand local government

The PM Christopher Luxon got the reception he deserved when he spoke to the Local Government Association conference yesterday. He (or who ever wrote his speech) trotted out a tired prescription of ‘reducing spending’ and ‘tackling waste’ in local government, when the problem for many years is that local government has been underfunded for the services it needs to provide to communities.