Busytown: Beware of the Leopard
64 Responses
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Thank you Jolisa for going to all this effort for us all. I, for one, really appreciate it.
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Sacha, in reply to
David Shearer
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Thank you Jolisa for your eloquently written setting the scene, and detail of your feelings, your brave efforts.
It is not just Councils that set up the parameters of Hearings to 100% enable the result they want.
Here in Kapiti, we had the Western Link Road [actually linking the string of communities along the Coast, so that drivers from each did not have to travel up to 6+Km to SH1 to go north or south] fully consented and ready to go.
But Stephen Joyce on reaching the Power of Cabinet, decided on RONS, and organised the Kapiti Expressway.With many others, lawyers, environmentalists, scientists,I submitted to the EPA, against NZTA who were the mouthpiece of Joyce/Nat Govt.
All submitters opposed to the Expressway were warned that comparison with the Link Road was not,would not be, relevant.
I also submitted about Carbon cost [peat+++ re Methane and Concrete re CO2]
But the EPA in their final decision statement mentioned only the CO2 cost of cars/trucks, saying that there would be less on a free-flowing Expressway than on the SH1 with its traffic lights.
And the monstrous Expressway with C/B Ratio of 0.4 is going full steam ahead.We, the people feel, are, so powerless.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
they seek him here…
where is Ian D when we need him?
Sadly, he is deep in the last 50 odd hours of packing up an entire house, full to the gunwales of far too much stuff – in preparation for earthquake damage repairs, at last.
So time-starved am I, that I won’t even be able to attend the anti-TPPA protests occuring nationwide tomorrow…I do hope someone is sending reportage of this Kafka-esque process to Private Eye, and why isn’t Metro championing their namesakes – Metrosideros excelsa ?
What you need is a Crimson Pimpernel!Good luck with a noble fight.
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nzlemming, in reply to
And the monstrous Expressway with C/B Ratio of 0.4 is going full steam ahead.
Actually, the C/B is 0.2
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Jolisa, in reply to
Rochelle (and nzlemming) that's such a dispiriting story; makes you wonder what environment the EPA thinks it's protecting. The only bright spot, I suppose, is the Environment Court's ruling re Patricia Grace's ancestral land... although will the highway simply veer around it, and continue on its monolithic way?
I've been telling myself that it's worth fighting the good fight even when we lose; because in asking all the questions and exposing the shape of the machinery, we help those who come next, and make it less simple for the larger powers to just roll over people and places. Thank you for your work!
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Jolisa, in reply to
What you need is a Crimson Pimpernel!
I am sewing up the costume as we speak!
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nzlemming, in reply to
Rochelle (and nzlemming) that’s such a dispiriting story; makes you wonder what environment the EPA thinks it’s protecting. The only bright spot, I suppose, is the Environment Court’s ruling re Patricia Grace’s ancestral land… although will the highway simply veer around it, and continue on its monolithic way?
Correct. The only chance of stopping it was a change of government or (still possible) they find out we weren't kidding about the water table around here and someone dusts off the old Transit/NZTA reports that said this is so completely the wrong place to build a motorway.
It was great to be at the Māori Land Court hearing regarding the Grace block. As usual, NZTA did their standard, shocking performance but this time they ran up against a judge with substance, rather than a panel appointed by the government to rubber stamp the application, and again in the Environment Court. Hopefully, the Basin Flyover debacle will see them pull back on using their bullshit Boards of Inquiry process to push these crappy projects, but I imagine their "RMA amendments" will deal to that scant hope.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
I’ve been telling myself that it’s worth fighting the good fight even when we lose; because in asking all the questions and exposing the shape of the machinery, we help those who come next,
Exactly .It's not just about us . It's about the future of the planet and our standing on it. If we lie down and let the Government and Councils and various agencies( our employees) ride over our concerns, we condone the behaviour. The struggle (and it is) is now set up for you to fail at most turns. We have had legislation and HR people to ensure that we are seen as the enemy. We have spin doctors and PR people who work tirelessly to subdue the people. One of the wonderful things about the internet is that information spreads faster so it is our duty to make as many people as possible aware of all of our personal concerns. ""Viral" is our friend. Keep up the good work Jolisa. It's always a pleasure and interesting to see a Gracewood rear their collective heads. I pass those trees most days of the week. The continuous removal of the Cabbage trees ,the huge Pines bordering the Golf Course and watching them become mulch was disheartening to say the least. Did you know ,the last storm also brought down a Huge tree at the bottom of the Bullock track. That was forces of nature and just one tree of that size made me sad. We have recently lost a couple of hundred trees on our new property .Thankfully mostly Ti Tree . But the huge Kanuka was sad. It's standing on a lean and it will take over the driveway one day but that's nature and acceptable. Human intervention should not be as inconsiderate as the stand at Motat. Stay well. :)
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Jolisa, in reply to
Thanks, Soon Lee. Not unexpected but a blow all the same.
There's now an Action Station page that makes it quick and easy for anyone to make their opinion instantly known to David Warburton at Auckland Transport.
Also a fundraising effort, for big professionally printed signs & banners to raise awareness, and an art installation by the amazing Tiffany Singh. Any surplus will be directed towards official appeals against the verdict, which can be very expensive.
On the official timeline, AT has up to 30 working days to accept or decline the commission's recommendation. This would be 12 January at the earliest, and 19 February at the latest. Encouraging actual human beings at Auckland Transport to reconsider -- via email, letters to the board, anything at all -- is a priority right now.
After AT makes its decision, Council has 15 working days to notify submitters and landowners. After which there are 15 working days in which submitters on the NoR can appeal. (This doesn't include those whose submissions were disqualified).
If AT and Council act swiftly and nobody appeals, the trees could be chainsawed before Waitangi Day.
Meanwhile, the trees appear to be tweeting, and signs and bunting and banners have begun to go up. The trees are still on public park land, and thus amenable and accessible. Would be great to see the trees "speaking" in as many voices as possible!
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Excellent work Jolisa!
So it has become plain that the Community has no power, the Local Board has no power and unelected bureaucrats within Council still have all the power.
Who we elect to get actual democracy?
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This feels like a good moment to pop back into this thread and firstly, thank people for their support and advice along the way - what a wonderful resource we are! - and secondly, mention that it would be handy to tap some legal expertise regarding the submission debacle, if anyone with the expertise has a moment (or two!) to spare...
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