Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Auckland's future: Keep calm, but think hard

Russell Brown

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:58:03 +1200

The really dangerous thing about trying to beat up a financial crisis that doesn’t exist is we’re not having a grown-up and reality-based debate about the hard calls and genuine risks down the road. And they are there.

It screams out for a serious feature in the paper – graphics,…

Sacha

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:11:25 +1200

seems to have crossed the line into being actively destructive

that happened many years ago. yet still he has a job

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:52:14 +1200

Government, local and central, should always be subject to robust media scrutiny, but Bernard [Orsman]’s reporting in the Herald really seems to have crossed the line into being actively destructive of the city’s interests.

Quite. And, sure, who the hell likes having their rates hiked and thinks their local government…

Christopher Dempsey

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 14:47:58 +1200

To take that to the reductio ad absurdum, why not just abolish elected councillors and have Parliament set rates and decide how they are to be spent?

Parliament (#TeamKey) did. It abolished tree protection rules in the Auckland City Operative District Plan. Cue sounds of chainsaws.

Predictable outcome, many trees…

Rich of Observationz

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 13:23:47 +1200

Pudong. It's a fairly standard modern airport, one huge terminal, lots of expensive shops, fair selection of restaurants, just a lack of cash machines (in international airside, I was transiting).

Russell Brown

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 11:04:37 +1200

A great column by Rod Oram on the “wildly inaccurate and irresponsible claims” of a council financial crisis.

Notable:

Debt remains well within the limits the council has set itself. For example, interest this financial year will take 11 per cent of revenues and 19 per cent of rates, versus…

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:12:31 +1200

The Minister of Tourism…
Didn't the good old US of Eh? declare war on that sort of nonsense?.

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:08:06 +1200

usually I try and walk out of customs and hit one
I find it hard to go through customs without doing that, but I manage.
But according to Russell l am a reprobate, along with members of the fashion industry, TVNZ and a couple of radio personalities and Ben Wilson.

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:01:36 +1200

I travel a lot and don’t really know if any that are quite so blatant (actually forcing you to walk through the duty free store when you arrive (I often end up at immigration in tears because of all the perfume) it’s one thing to walk down a corridor with…

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:00:12 +1200

is that a realistic wish? I’d love for all public good infrastructure to be there, is it?Not after it has been stolen from us by money grubbing greed heads.

Scott Dunavan

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:56:12 +1200

an embarrassing show of greed that makes feel me a bit ashamed every time I arrive back in the country (in tears)

Exactly. The Minister of Tourism... oh, never mind.

Paul Campbell

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:38:30 +1200

yes I use an ATM too – usually I try and walk out of customs and hit one (or hit one before that if I can), I have a mental map somewhere of ATM locations in various border crossings around the world (Bangalore, Taipei, halfway thru the Shenzhen subway crossing,…

Chris Waugh

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:45:16 +1200

For many it is still more convenient to carry cash. So arriving in Auckland with cash and needing local currency and walking up to one of those money changers at the airport is not a good look for Auckland or NZ.

We're still figuring out our particular financial situation, but…

Paul Campbell

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:08:16 +1200

Could you point me towards an international airport that doesn’t do exactly the same thing, because I’ve not come across one. (Anything that efficiently facilitates my speedy departure from the airport with a carton of duty free cigs tucked under my arm works for m

I travel a lot and…

llew40

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:39:31 +1200

Transport is transport and it should be regarded as a public good along with all other infrastructure

Well, thats one perspective, but given the state of transport infrastructure in NZ that is funded publicly, and transport infrastructure under private ownership (e.g. the airport) – is that a realistic wish? I'd…

Roger

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:21:41 +1200

Not sure if that would work with a Chinese bank though

Chinese ATMs work just fine, as do Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Indonesian... Japanese less so.

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:45:44 +1200

I almost never line up and change money, anywhere. Just take it out of a machine on a card. Not sure if that would work with a Chinese bank though. I was in Shanghai airport for a few hours once and there was only one ATM in the whole place.

Richard Aston

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:44:00 +1200

scum sucking asshat

Great line, I shall add that to my collection of insults and curses

Steve Barnes

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:41:35 +1200

The council has a fair swag invested in about 22% of the airport which already operates (very successfully) as a private company. An option?
It should buy the rest, why visitors to our country have to be fleeced by “entrepreneurs” before they step out into a city without a train…

Chris Waugh

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:31:13 +1200

If you're going to complain about Auckland airport, then surely it should be the money changers at international arrivals and their exorbitant fees that you target? And the smarmy, arrogant looks on their faces as you enquire as to their rates and they inform you as to how much they…

Craig Ranapia

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:15:28 +1200

A friend recently called Auckland airport’s mercenary approach to customers especially the whole thing of forcing arriving and departing international passengers through their duty-free maze as “the New Zealand ride’s exit-through-the-gift-store”

Could you point me towards an international airport that doesn't do exactly the same thing, because I've not come…

Roger

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:30:16 +1200

If the council came up with an elegant, easy to administer, and fair money making scheme that would raise gazillions, Bill English would simply change the law to stop them doing it.

I think that this very accurately sums up the situation!

Paul Campbell

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:49:52 +1200

A friend recently called Auckland airport's mercenary approach to customers especially the whole thing of forcing arriving and departing international passengers through their duty-free maze as "the New Zealand ride's exit-through-the-gift-store"

bob daktari

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:21:20 +1200

I have little faith that any privatisation scheme would benefit ratepayers or the city itself.

The airport could still have been state owned and profitable – benefitting all not a small group of shareholders – refer also to power companies. I'm one of them that believe the state/city should provide…

llew40

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 10:08:58 +1200

The council has a fair swag invested in about 22% of the airport which already operates (very successfully) as a private company. An option?

bob daktari

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 09:59:22 +1200

I don't propose selling anything, tis the polar opposite of my beliefs – they are assets for a reason.

I do think we'll see increasing pressure from central govt (National) for Auckland (like other centers) to "pay their way" by privatising things like Watercare, possibly the port etc.

Richard Aston

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 08:52:24 +1200

Still, I doubt that things would become as acrimonious as Thatcher vs Livingstone.

Yeah Red thats the great thing about politics, its full of surprises , some good, some ugly.

Ben Austin

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 02:18:20 +1200

Right, but that is true for all of New Zealand. The country has been designed deliberately to be highly centralised on the national government. I don't think it problematic then for the government to not want to abrogate too much power in that scenario.

That being said, I think there…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:56:13 +1200

When the super city was first created I think some politicians freaked out realizing they were effectively creating a city state with comparable power to central govt.
Maybe that is why central govt is trying hard to limit and control the sovereignty of Auck.

I've always suspected there was a…

Stephen Doyle

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:39:27 +1200

Not to mention the MP for Helensville, also in Auckland
And Joyce, on a lifestyle block in Albany is a neighbour of one Kim DC.

Sacha

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:58:43 +1200

and Steven Joyce

Albany is supposedly in Auckland.

Sacha

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:56:56 +1200

pissing money away?

zing
#tinkle

Stephen Doyle

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:55:11 +1200

So you'd expect to see Maggie Barrie, Murray McCully, Nicki Kaye, Maurice Williamson etc to drive Auckland issues over and above Bill English and Steven Joyce.
In the words of the Mitre 10 ad, " you must be dreaming"

Yamis

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:50:44 +1200

Len Brown linked to this post on his facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/lenbrownformayor?fref=nf

Graham Dunster

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:40:19 +1200

My point regarding the national politicians is that they have a responsibility to their constituents to ensure that their electorates (and thus the geographical region in which they are situated) get the best possible treatment, which they manifestly fail to do. I don't expect them to set the rates but…

Graham Dunster

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:37:07 +1200

Interesting article in the Guardian regarding sewerage – http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/15/why-modern-bathroom-wasteful-unhealthy-design?CMP=ema_632

SteveH

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:14:25 +1200

fiscally incontinent
I assume the main symptom of which is a predilection to pissing money away?

BeShakey

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 17:56:29 +1200

As for funding the quickest way for the moment is to have a GST sharing arrangement like Australia does between Federal and State Governments. That is all GST collected off general rates goes back to the Council. All GST off water rates goes to Watercare. All GST off public transport…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 17:14:23 +1200

You’re joking right Craig?

I'm not joking. If central government really thinks local councils are too fiscally incontinent to be trusted with the powers delegated to them by the Local Government Act, then I'm sure the next Parliament will have no problems passing a bill to take them away.

Richard Aston

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 17:11:12 +1200

the elephant in the room is of course we should pay for the much needed infrastructure and the like by selling off assets

What assets would you propose selling Bob ? What have we got in the family silver cupboard?

Richard Aston

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 17:10:11 +1200

Dan Salmon

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:48:36 +1200

As an aside, there's a great article about lost opportunities in that 1858 decision in the latest Harpers Magazine (or maybe LRB?) -exploring the downside of committing to said waste system. Losing a chance to use solids in agriculture, instead concreting up streams and rivers and flushing it all out…

Mark Graham

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:35:35 +1200

But are you seriously calling for central government to try directly influencing local government decisions over their own affairs?

You're joking right Craig? Central govt,, especially this one, has been openly meddling in local govt and not in a good way. Look at the Canterbury Water Board, the Chch Council…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:20:47 +1200

One thing I continue to find hard to understand is why the MPs elected in Auckland constituencies are not supporting their city. Nary a peep from them, let alone an organised group ensuring that their constituents are properly served.

To be fair, Graham, constituency MPs do all kinds of advocacy…

Graham Dunster

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:30:48 +1200

Mind you, when compared to the vicissitudes of life in Christchurch…

Steve Curtis

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:29:01 +1200

Auckland City’s financial asset base is nowhere near that high: the $37bn figure includes parks, roads, footpaths, pipes, etc that can’t ever ever be sold… not sure the banks would count those.
Just because the Whaeloil sys so doesnt mean its true.
Papakura sold off its water pipes a while…

bob daktari

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:00:58 +1200

the elephant in the room is of course we should pay for the much needed infrastructure and the like by selling off assets

Sacha

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 14:05:28 +1200

that can’t ever ever be sold

Oh but managing them can be privatised, including leverage against a calculation of their ‘value’.

I believe they also have their depreciation managed, like most public assets nowadays.

Stephen Adams

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:08:46 +1200

Auckland City's financial asset base is nowhere near that high: the $37bn figure includes parks, roads, footpaths, pipes, etc that can't ever ever be sold... not sure the banks would count those.

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Plans/LongTermPlan/VolumeTwo/section_1341865638182.html

In terms of 'actual' realisable assets Auckland Council Investments has around $2.5bn, Auckland City Property has around…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:05:15 +1200

I’m really not sure what it is Brewer, Wood, Quax, etc., want for this city. I’m sure East Berlin had trains (!) that ran on time but I doubt there was much fun to be had there.

I'd wager that it'd be anything to reinforce their gated-community-minus-the-gates worldview. Overseas, stiff…

Tom Semmens

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:53:35 +1200

I'm really not sure what it is Brewer, Wood, Quax, etc., want for this city.

Tauranga, but with mega traffic jams.

Paul Campbell

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:40:57 +1200

The subway in Berlin ran from one side of West Berlin to the other but under the East – I have a definite memory of them slowing down through the deserted stations – one could see a lone guard with a machine gun standing under a bare light bulb no…

Mark Graham

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:26:46 +1200

This financial crisis beat up reminds of the one John Banks manufactured upon taking over the Mayoralty in his first term in order to create an opportunity for his mate, Bill Birch, to come in and delete all sorts of services out of the Council budget.

Firstly, it's a lie.…

Rich of Observationz

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:21:40 +1200

assets of $37 billion against debt of $8 billion

I think most of us would be quite happy with a mortgage of under 25% on our house.

So why is such a loan to provide the community assets that allow us to live in that house suddenly "Oh noes bankruptcy…

bob daktari

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:14:49 +1200

There's a huge promised investment in wasteful roading projects. Those are propped up by govt 'loaning' its national transport agency and co-funder extra money to bring some of them forward. Except the one project that does need to be ready in time to avoid the region's public transit networks seizing…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:07:55 +1200

At least Rudman seems able to string a few thoughts together without making shit up.

Meh... in the interests of general amity, I think we'll just have to agree to disagree there and move on. I wouldn't be too upset if both of them were put on gardening leave for…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:04:11 +1200

For some reason people seem to think you can have the benefits of a city without having to pay for them.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die first? Who hasn’t been there – but I really enjoyed a week of deliciously unseasonable warm spring weather…

Sacha

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:01:08 +1200

Len Brown sucks up to the right-wing councillors and agitators by proposing to keep rates down just like C&R did for decades and is rewarded by complaints from the same direction. We've seen the impact of short-sighted penny-pinching on the region's infrastructure.

There's a huge promised investment in wasteful roading projects.…

Tom Semmens

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:58:49 +1200

But it seems to me that the capital infrastructure for Auckland’s million-and-growing can’t all be funded out of rising property taxes. Anyone got any ideas?

If the council came up with an elegant, easy to administer, and fair money making scheme that would raise gazillions, Bill English would simply change…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:50:44 +1200

ETA: I see I should have asked Google before posting.

Much as I think Dr Bassett has become a bitter and twisted old man, he does have a valid point about the Granny. He's largely right, until the final sentence:

__"Does he want to be known as the individual who turned…

Konrad Kurta

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:47:45 +1200

That's actually disturbingly accurate. I can't understand how Orsman gets to write editorials that are so mind-numbingly stupid and misleading in the country's biggest newspaper. But I guess the man knows his (white, wealthy, disgruntled, middle aged) target market.

Bart Janssen

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:29:18 +1200

For some reason people seem to think you can have the benefits of a city without having to pay for them. It's something that boggles the mind. I get that we don't like seeing bureaucratic waste and we don't like seeing our rates used on foolish ill-planned projects.

But when…

LouisM

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:21:46 +1200

Unfrotuantely I would have to disagree with your opinion on Orsman. I thought many of his reports and columns on the Unitary Plan were sensationalised, hyped-up and often misleading.

Tom Semmens

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:21:09 +1200

I hear Bernard Orsman has never gotten over being snubbed over some petty matter or another several years ago, and he has a personal vendetta against Len Brown.

In addition, Len Brown isn’t from the Auckland oligarchy, so everyday he is mayor he is the symbol mocks the pretensions of…

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:18:28 +1200

Last time I looked, there is no local authority in this country where budgets are set by Mayoral fiat.

This is correct, but spoils a number of popular narratives so shut up.

Andrew Geddis

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:14:10 +1200

The “calls” came from former North Shore comedy mayor and current New Zealand First MP Andrew Williams talking to Leighton Smith.

Given the "Taxpayer Union's" linkages with one David Farrar, it's interesting to revisit how he treats the utterances of Andrew Williams on subjects he disagrees with him on: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/11/fail-2.html

Andre Alessi

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:10:23 +1200

I’m honestly confused about how Orsman’s column was published. I mean, I know it fits a narrative, but surely some fact checking would have been in order? My impression is that Orsman is generally pretty good, so I don’t understand what happened here.

ETA: I see I should have asked Google…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:05:36 +1200

I’m also enormously annoyed by The Herald (and everyone else) running the “Len Brown’s a lying liar who’s dancing naked around a bonfire of YOUR money” line.

Last time I looked, there is no local authority in this country where budgets are set by Mayoral fiat. Perhaps folks like Mr…

LouisM

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:46:09 +1200

Also, we need to see a large trimming in the investment in roading infrastructure that will bring dubious returns. Unfortunately, most of the councillors who cry about a financial crisis are also supporting many of these large spending projects.

Ben Ross

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:45:49 +1200

The Taxpayers Union you can ignore as they (like a few "conservatives") lack City Building nous.

As for funding the quickest way for the moment is to have a GST sharing arrangement like Australia does between Federal and State Governments. That is all GST collected off general rates goes back…

LouisM

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:44:29 +1200

Great post, good to see someone calling for some sense on the Council's "financial crisis". As far as I know it's unprecedented for a council to pay for rail network infrastructure, it has usually been a central government exercise. I had assumed that if the 50/50 split between local and…

James Butler

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:21:27 +1200

CONGESTION PRICING

Public Address

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:21:27 +1200

Discussion from blog post.