local government Archive

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  Is urban sprawl inevitable? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Advocates (like Steven Joyce) of removing Metropolitan Urban Limits and allowing lots of low density growth around our cities like to present their case as if urban sprawl is the natural result of market forces. Their narrative is pretty much that people like to live in spread out suburbs with their own back yard and [...] read more
  June 21, 2011 2:43 pm - 45 Comments
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  Growing in a way that makes us happy - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  According to a piece in the Herald today, people with longer commutes are less likely to be healthy, happy or stay married. The study found that if you commute for 45 minutes plus then your chance of getting divorced is 40% higher than for those with shorter journeys. This is good news for me (and [...] read more
  June 8, 2011 6:42 pm - 17 Comments
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  The real costs of Hide’s mismanagement of SuperCity - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Usually we are all a bit pleased if our predictions are proved in time to be right.  But in this instance I would have been happier to be wrong!  Last December I blogged about the train wreck that was already in progress within Auckland City’s staffing, as good skilled people the Council could ill-afford to [...] read more
  May 12, 2011 12:24 pm - 2 Comments
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  Who will determine Auckland’s future? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  The cabinet papers that Rodney Hide has released relating to Auckland’s Spatial Plan make for interesting reading. It is obvious that this government will attempt to call the tune on Auckland’s development, despite the substantial mandate that Auckland voters gave to their mayor and council just a few months ago. A  discussion document that will in part inform the Spatial [...] read more
  March 21, 2011 4:56 pm - 7 Comments
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  The Forestry NES: Robert Guyton thumbs up, Nick Smith rotten - by frog

  
  
  
  Congratulations to one of our regular commenters, Robert Guyton, on his election to Environment Southland last weekend. I really hope Robert can make a difference in stopping the “Double Dipton” plan to double Southland’s dairy herd numbers, and stopping Gerry Brownlee’s Lignitemare. I was pondering a post on Nick Smith’s proposed National Environment Standard on forestry. read more
  October 12, 2010 7:03 pm - 13 Comments
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  Wellington local body cliff-hanger - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  I could hardly believe it, when the Returning Officer read out the figures—Celia Wade Brown was only 40 votes behind incumbent Mayor Kerry Prendergast! Kerry looked mortified, Celia looked stunned, and the crowd that had gathered in the Wellington Council foyer looked amazed—because there had been no hint, in the media, that the election was [...] read more
  October 11, 2010 4:31 pm - 21 Comments
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  Podcast: Standing for something - by frog

  
  
  
  Local government is democracy working at the grass roots. The stuff that goes on around the council table can have a massive impact on the quality of our lives. I talked to Green MP, Sue Kedgley, one of the first Greens to win office to a city council. Click this thing to hear from her… [...] read more
  August 12, 2010 11:18 am - 9 Comments
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  CTU spot on with submission - by frog

  
  
  
  Submissions to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee about the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill closed last week. Out of the 427 submissions, one of the most interesting and well done was put forward by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. The submission outlines the problems with defining core services, the emphasis on investing and undertaking [...] read more
  July 9, 2010 10:51 am - 9 Comments
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  Supercity saga continues - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  The Auckland Transition Agency has revealed a few more drips and drops of information, and we now know (roughly) who will be housed where in the brave new world of Supercity. read more
  June 1, 2010 9:58 am - 10 Comments
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  The ‘Our Auckland’ results are in - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Congratulations to the crew at ‘Our Auckland’ who did what the government has singularly failed to do, and gave Aucklanders a chance to vote on what they thought of the government’s plan to set up the new Auckland council. A remarkable 96% rejected the government’s proposal; 95% do not think that enough attention has been [...] read more
  May 20, 2010 9:19 am - 1 Comment
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  Vote on a Super City referendum - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  As I blogged last week a new community coalition, Our Auckland, has formed to oppose the creation of the Super City. Our Auckland believe that Aucklanders haven’t been given a fair chance to have a say on the government’s decisions in regard to Auckland. Because of this they’re giving people a chance to vote on [...] read more
  May 10, 2010 11:16 am - 3 Comments
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  Water and democracy - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Every New Zealander should be worried about Rodney Hide’s latest bill on local government — which will allow our water supplies [DOC] to be controlled and managed by private companies for 35 years, and will force Councils to focus only on ill-defined ‘core business’ [DOC] (which excludes, amongst other things, the environment).’ Multinational corporations are [...] read more
  May 5, 2010 6:40 pm - 18 Comments
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  Will the Supercity include ‘corporate sustainability’? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Caught up on an interesting discussion on Celsias about the likelihood of ‘corporate sustainability’ positions being included or not at our wonderful (?) new Supercity.   It would be a real shame for all concerned if they are foolish enough to not employ a good team of people who can drive both the new organisation’s ‘in house’ [...] read more
  May 5, 2010 10:10 am - 2 Comments
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  New coalition forms to oppose Super City - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  If you read the Aucklander you’ll know there has been a new and very positive development in the story of the SuperCity today. A group of concerned citizens and community groups have come together to form an organization called Our Auckland. They’re campaigning to get National & Act to run a real consultative process with [...] read more
  April 30, 2010 2:30 pm - 3 Comments
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  Stop trying to privatise our public transport Mr Joyce - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Last week the Waikato Times ran a worrying article about a review of public transport effectiveness that the government is currently running. There aren’t many details of the review publicly available yet but I’ve obtained this briefing from officials to the Hamilton Regional Land Transport committee about it. The briefing states that the Minister’s primary [...] read more
  April 23, 2010 1:11 pm - 29 Comments
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  Who will stand for Auckland’s powerless local boards? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Would you apply for a job when you didn’t know exactly how much you would be paid? how many hours you’d be expected to work? what tasks you’d be responsible for? what resources or authority you’d have to achieve your responsibilities? Sadly, this is the situation confronting people who are considering whether to stand for [...] read more
  April 14, 2010 12:37 pm - 5 Comments
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  Wellingtonians won’t fall for Dunne’s Super city plans - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Wellingtonians are far too intelligent to fall for Peter Dunne’s ‘we must follow Auckland and become a super-city’ line. read more
  February 12, 2010 3:26 pm - 13 Comments
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  Auckland Supercity – Rogernomics Round 2 - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  The Super (Monster?) City meetings we are hosting along with Labour are well under way, and we are getting good numbers attending.  What is coming through loudly and clearly is that people are angry and frustrated at the blatant attack on democracy and the underlying agenda of ‘Rogernomics Round 2’. Waiheke last Thursday attracted 40-odd [...] read more
  February 4, 2010 2:19 pm - 1 Comment
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  A friendly reminder to Aucklanders – your democracy is under threat - by frog

  
  
  
  Just before the summer break, the Government pushed Rodney Hide’s Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill through its First reading and sent it to Select Committee. I blogged about it at the time, but many frogblog readers may have missed it in the pre-Christmas rush.  So here’s a friendly reminder – submissions close on 12 [...] read more
  January 22, 2010 6:14 pm - 10 Comments
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  Party Central or Local Democracy – which matters more? - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  There has been a lot of chest beating this week about the pros and cons of development on Queens Wharf.  Mayor Banks has been particularly vocal about the issue, insisting that “he was not going to be told by Wellington what could be built at the bottom of Queen St in Auckland”. It is a [...] read more
  January 14, 2010 12:16 pm - 17 Comments