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Added on 26 Feb 2015. Last read 5 minutes ago.
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This feed currently contains the following newsitems (total count 34):
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Platitudes, demolitions, and mis-information
- Better Wellington
- by Karl Tiefenbacher Having watched last week’s Long Term Plan meeting, I was left with hope. Hope that the crown Observer managed to stay awake through all the platitudes being...
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Stop the council’s $55 million Frank Kitts Park spend up!
- Better Wellington
- The Frank Kitts Park redevelopment has gone from a reported $5.5 million to $7 million to $42 million, but will in fact be closer to $55 million to complete. Having...
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Green Party orchestrates Wellington coup d’état
- Better Wellington
- How the Green Party took control of the Wellington City Council Soon after the 2022 local government elections, Wellington city councillors met and the Mayor, newly elected Tory Whanau,...
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The next chapter of the city soap opera – The Post commentary
- Better Wellington
- Dave Armstrong, a playwright and satirist based in Wellington, and who’s a regular opinion contributor to The Post, has written this insightful piece that was published in the The Post...
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Documents confirm Green Party role in Council investigation
- Better Wellington
- David Farrar at Kiwiblog has published an interesting addendum to our Better Wellington article about the role of Tory Whanau’s Chief of Staff, Nadine Walker, in the council-paid investigation into...
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Iwi reps accuse council of breaching agreement
- Better Wellington
- The two iwi appointed representatives are accusing Wellington City Councillors of breaching the agreement that allows for iwi to have representation at committee level. In an email to Councillors, the...
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Democracy crashes into Wellington City Councillor
- Better Wellington
- The following opinion article was offered first to The Post. They declined to publish, for reasons not given. It’s their call on what they put in their newspaper. We consider...
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Wellington Hospo Sector speaks out …
- Better Wellington
- Better Wellington has been speaking with members of the Wellington hospitality sector and we will bring you more of their views in the coming weeks. But as you can expect,...
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“I’m feeling the crunch!” Wellington’s Mayor … In Her Own Words
- Better Wellington
- Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau acknowledges the economic challenges facing Wellington residents, saying she’s “feeling the crunch” too and recently sold her car to help pay the bills. The mayor’s annual...
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Have they or haven’t they?
- Better Wellington
- (This opinion piece was originally published on Scoop.) by Helene Ritchie There’s something weird going on at the Wellington City Council. It involves consultation on the future of the City...
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Did you hear the one about Calls to Prayer and other tales …
- Better Wellington
- The New Zealand Herald recently published this article: In the article, the Kilbirnie Mosque confirms it plans to broadcast the call to prayer three times a year – on the...
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Wadestown Residents Oppose Council parking, cycle changes
- Better Wellington
- Wadestown residents have rejected revised proposals from the Wellington City Council that they say would fundamentally change the character of the suburb by installing a restrictive parking management plan and...
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Green Party behind move to silence, discredit councillors
- Better Wellington
- Wellington City Council is a hive of political intrigue and back-stabbing. Let’s take the recent revelation that Council chief of staff Nadine Walker, who’s married to Green Party co-leader Chloe...
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City Councillors make fuddled attempt to usurp Free Speech … again!
- Better Wellington
- Yesterday, the union representing NZ Post workers refused to deliver our flyer to Wellington residents. They failed. NZ Post management has told its employees it’s “not appropriate for them to...
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Government’s harsh warning to councils
- Better Wellington
- “Pick up the rubbish. Fix the pipes. Fill in potholes … and maintain local assets quickly, carefully, and cost effectively.” That’s the clear message delivered by the Prime Minister Christopher...
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NZTA funding cut forces rethink on political ‘hot potato’
- Better Wellington
- Wellington’s The Post newspaper reports (2 August): Thorndon Quay’s vexed raised pedestrian crossings have raised more bumps for Wellington City Council, which has been told NZTA would no longer...
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Wellington City Council chief executive won’t seek new job contract
- Better Wellington
- Writing was on the wall for McKerrow Wellington City Council chief executive Barbara McKerrow should be congratulated for admitting to herself the council needs new leadership and she needs to...
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Aotearoadcone! Have traffic management companies been rorting the system?
- Better Wellington
- Wellington City Council is looking into whether it, too, is getting stiffed on exorbitant road cone charges, like Auckland City Council. The Auckland City report on road cone / road...
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Satirical publication set to lampoon Wellington City Council
- Better Wellington
- Will comical commentary give the Wellington City Council a run for its (your) money? A new publication has hit the streets of Wellington and looks set to send up...
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Gary Moller, cyclist: “Time to scrap many of Wellington’s cycleways”
- Better Wellington
- Having ridden Wellington’s streets almost daily for 50 years, I feel qualified to share my thoughts on the state of our city’s infrastructure. It’s clear, electric bikes or not,...
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Winter of Discontent
- Better Wellington
- Dissatisfaction with the Wellington City Council has hit new highs. The Council has just released the results of its annual survey of residents, which shows just how much discontent there...
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Traffic light crossing bonanza raises hackles
- Better Wellington
- A traffic light bonanza which will see raised pedestrian crossings and signals installed every few hundred metres along one of the capital’s busiest commuter routes is slammed as “overkill” and...
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Announcement from Councillor Ray Chung
- Better Wellington
- “Wellington City is in the worst shape it’s ever been – economically, socially, and culturally. “The concerns of ratepayers are not unique to our city. Wellington ratepayers are struggling with...
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Cancelled deal good for Wellington ratepayers
- Better Wellington
- Councillor Ray Chung said the Reading Cinema deal was bad for the city and cancelling it potentially saved Wellington Ratepayers many millions of dollars more than the proposed $32 million....
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Nanny Council’s 30km/h Speed Limit Proposal put on hold
- Better Wellington
- Wellington residents can breathe a sigh of relief and give thanks to the eagle-eyed oversight of city councillor Tony Randle, who found the “small but significant” error in the council’s...
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Wellingtonians turn out to oppose LGWM
- Better Wellington
- Around 150 concerned Wellington business owners and residents turned out to Prefab Hall in Jessie Street, Te Aro, tonight to voice their concerns and anger at the continued lunacy of Let’s Get Wellington Moving, the extreme costs to ratepayers, and the hidden agenda behind the anti-car ideology that appears to have gripped the city council’s over-paid bureaucrats.
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Media release: Reforms a ‘circuit breaker’ for sluggish region
- Better Wellington
- Media release here (PDF, 152kb)
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Newstalk ZB interview: John Shewan
- Better Wellington
- A great discussion between Tim Fookes and John Shewan of Better Wellington on Newstalk ZB this week. Have a listen here.
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Regional amalgamation critical for Wellington’s future
- Better Wellington
- A new group in Wellington City has been established to express community support for amalgamating the 9 councils across the Wellington Region. Better Wellington supports one local authority for the Wellington region. Spokesperson John Shewan says that the amalgamation presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Wellingtonians to come together to create a more resilient, responsive, and competitive region. “Wellington is the most fantastic city in the world, fullstop,” says Mr Shewan. “But it’s clear to a lot of people that Wellington is dropping off the pace. Having a single council for the region will allow us to speak with one voice to central government, to pool our resources on things like economic development and climate change, and to create world-class infrastructure for the residents.” Group member Sue Elliott says that amalgamation is about coming together to future-proof the region. “This is really about ensuring that 20 to 30 years from now Wellington remains a thriving place capable of retaining talented people and businesses,” says Ms Elliott. “Other cities like Auckland and Christchurch get a lot of government attention. Plus Wellington now has to compete with places like Sydney and Brisbane for young professionals, tourists, and students. So it’s really important that the region sings from the same song sheet to keep us ahead of the game.” Group member Mike Egan says that amalgamation is clearly the best way forward. “When you stand back for a moment and look at the bigger picture, it just makes sense that the 9 councils come together. All the people I speak to about amalgamation support it, so let’s make it happen.” Better Wellington strongly supports the Local Boards system used in Auckland. “It is the way to go,” says group member Julian Light. “Local Boards would give the residents of Wellington real control over local issues that matter to people including libraries, swimming pools, galleries, museums, environmental initiatives, and heritage protection. Our expectation is that the Local Boards would spend around 25% of the new council’s total rates. It’s really only the big overarching issues that would be dealt with by the main council.” The group encourages Wellingtonians to sign-up as supporters at their website (www.betterwellington.org.nz). Group member Francie Russell says “We need to reinforce our premier brand for culture and entertainment. Now is the time for Wellington people who support change to voice their opinion. It’s a really critical moment with the Local Government Commission considering all the options. This is an absolute must for the Wellington region but we actually need to make it happen.” Better Wellington 7 May 2014 www.betterwellington.org.nz The members of Better Wellington are John Shewan, Sue Elliot, Julian Light, Francie Russell, Mike Egan, Viv Maidaborn, and Martin Shelton. END OF RELEASE For more information contact Ryan Malone: (021) 205-5149 PDF media release
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Auckland Council Report: Amalgamation benefits boost council savings
- Better Wellington
- Improved economies of scale from the amalgamation of the eight local authorities have helped Auckland Council maintain services at reduced cost, says a council report on efficiency savings. Average rates increases have reduced year on year from previously anticipated rises while capital works are nearly double that of the former councils. Annual operating savings to June 2013 were $131million and are budgeted to be $188million by June 2018. Savings have come from benefits including: - simpler and better information technology – better purchasing and tendering processes – bringing more work in-house to reduce reliance on external resources – reducing the number of office buildings occupied. “The benefits of amalgamation become more evident with each year,” said Councillor Penny Webster, chair of the Finance and Performance Committee. “We’re running a ruler over everything we do as we manage ratepayers money. That’s what is expected of us and we are delivering savings while pressing ahead with projects that will make the city a .better place for residents to live in, enjoy, and prosper,” she said. Read full media release here, and the Auckland Council report here (page 131).
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