hawkesbaycouncilwatch

One of the biggest council mistakes was celebrated yesterday with the digging of sods in the highly sort after plains zoned areas of Hawkes Bay.
The sods turned are a blot on the processes of the HASTINGS District Council and councillors who have been led by the nose in to destroying a large slice of a precious resource.

The council has said in the past that they did not want supermarkets or big boxes on the plains but then they go and do it themselves.

A complete sham.

Accountability and a huge dollop of ratepayer funds went out the door on this one.

The HB Regional Council has advertised  two positions for people who are going to get involved in advising on how best to use water.

These positions are totally unnecessary as they should be left to private enterprise.

The RC is over-reacting to pressure from people who do not understand a thing about water or water usage and in appointing more to the army they are going to reap more problems.

Water users in HB are well aware of the issues, shortages, costs and requirements to be responsible.

This is a major step in the wrong direction.
 

The announcement of the board members that will see the takeover of Auckland continues to show the ACT tail wagging the National dog.

Rodney Hide thinks he is going to make things better and stated last week that it will be the first time in fifty years that  Auckland will get what it wants.

This process is treating Local Government as a business which it is,  but it also a different business to private enterprise and cannot be run the same.This is where the right fall down in forcing theory into an area that will not work in a practical way.

The Board will try and run the council as a dictatorial business but it won’t be long before it starts to crumble.
Ratepayers will be left in the dark, so much in the dark they may as well give up fighting now.

Big is not better in local government. 

MMP delivers us another ridiculous situation where with the by-election in Mt Albert has an MP who is standing to be an MP but may lose and still be an MP.

What a stupid situation

Rodney Hide has no-one to blame but himself for the shameful display taking place in Parliament.

Labours filibustering tactics are shocking but National and Hide need to take note of the arrogance being shown in forcing change on so many people .

The presence of  Roger Douglas in the house makes one think that it is he who has been responsible for this plan to ruin Auckland local body politics.The tactic of pushing legislation through without consultation is typical of the approach he took when last in Parliament.
This  time he is doing it using Hide as a front man.

It is a crime that National are sharing the arrogance in changing this  legislation by facilitating this shocking destruction of local government.

Power is a funny thing.
Political power is not only a funny thing but at times does not fit with democracy.

The response to issues by the PM in recent weeks makes it look like his advisors are a bunch of shiny bums with a narrow focus.
There are too many experts involved in politics.We have lost the down to earth people and the MP’s who have the intestinal fortitude to say what they think.

The PM’s reaction to the Napier siege and the suggestion that we need to look into gun ownership again is an example of a reaction that could be sheeted home to shiny bums. No understanding of the situation at all.

The PM is also making a wrong move on a super city for Auckland and far reaching changes to the RMA.
These are  big issues and National risk getting punters offside early in the term by ruining the relationship with good people.
Gutting the RMA is a major faux pax 

Meerkat had yet  another call last week from a ratepayer most concerned about the debt level of the Hastings District Council.
With a projection that the debt will be $100m plus by next year their should be protests in the streets.

This is an unacceptable level of debt and the council needs to take stock and make some tough decisions.
It is unfortunate that most councillors are influenced by Mayoral excitement over big projects.

Submissions on the regional councils plan close tomorrow 11 May.

There are some major departures from the councils normal brief which are in part a sop to new personal and a change of guard.
The proposed changes however are very dangerous and threaten the future of the council itself.

A big worry is Hawkes Bay Inc and the people involved with this along with a new rate.

This shift in emphasis needs to be challenged and quickly.

Submit today.

The new setup for Hawkesbay Inc is going to rob ratepayers of more unnecessary funding and become the plaything of a worrying mix of administrators.

It is of major concern that the new chair of HB Inc has started out by launching a vicious attack on those who tried to make the organisation work in the past and has indicated that his direction is not one that the organisation should be following.
The allegations against council staff are out of order and the regional council should review his appointment to this position.

More to come.