hawkesbaycouncilwatch

You have to admire someone who can smile their way through any media comment and yet make such outrageous and get away with them.

Peter Sharples thinks democracy is wrong.He does not believe in one man one vote. Extraordinary!

The leader of a race based party and doesn’t believe in democracy. This should ring big size alarm bells in this country and it is pleasing to see the Dom wrote an editorial on the issue. It is appalling that Sharples thinks along these lines as it explains that he just has no grasp of what democracy means.

It’s no wonder the Maori Party want special treatment for their people, but it does not fit in with the democracy we have enjoyed for many years.

National are not learning the lesson either.

Local Government NZ is jumping up and down about democracy and the role of council controlled organisations in the new Auckland wonderland  oops super city, and their very leader is from Hastings District where democracy flew out the window years ago.

They even have a claytons CCO in the Hastings  regional sports trust.This was set up as a CCO but the Mayor who is also chair, has a conflict of interest sitting on this trust  and he says it is not a CCO.

How do ratepayers get accountability??

It is pleasing to note that Napiers MP , Chris Tremain has at last grasped the reality of a situation and spoken sensibly about a difficult issue.

The erosion problem at Haumoana has been with us for years and those who live in the firing line of the power of the sea must realise that the sea will win. Their houses will not survive and building sea walls will not save them.The sea loves walls.It eats them.Its a fact.

Pouring ratepayer money into saving these houses would create a huge issue and precedent as there are many  spots around the country that replicate the Haumoana situation. One would need a bottomless pit of money to start battling an unwinnable war.

Lets hope Tremain follows up with some more intelligent responses to local problems.

You thought I was going to say step change. Wrong. I was warned about that one a year ago and fell off my TV chair when the Prime Minister started using it.

What the hell does step change mean???

No Meerkat means ……..’co-governance’ and the related …… ‘co-management’.

These are the new danger words. They sound good.They sound harmless. They are very appealing to some sectors in the community that want more than what they are entitled to. In other words those who want more of the action for little input or accountability.

We see some of the first moves in this area foisted on us by the Wellington Regional Council this week. An alarming move led by ex Labour MP Fran Wilde.

The Dominion covered a story about a co… measure on Wednesday and it will be interesting to take note of any responses. This is a huge backward move by the Wellington Regional Council.

Will the disease spread?

Who is the Chamber of Commerce?

They have been doing a sterling job for some time but they can’t resist this annual  pitch to keep upsetting Hawkes Bay which is not really what they want to do.

The Chamber think they know all about local government. They don’t. They know about business but they do not know about local governent. Running local government is not like running a business.Quite different in fact. And why, really why on earth do they want something that will create more problems for business and increase costs by way of higher rates for all.

Local Government is about community, not big business.

More on this later.

Noticed that the pollies were back at work.

Time to get back and monitor what the papers don’t

Quote from comment on another blog  ‘ taxation is a personal thing, it’s my money’  end quote.

I like it

The Hastings District Council after many attempts have decided they are the heart of Hawkes Bay.

Do they have a heart? The way they have treated ratepayers this year you would not think so. They have saddled future ratepayers with huge debt that our kids will be burdened with.

They are too scared to admit we derive so much economic benefit from our primary producers and that fruit is still a huge part of Hastings.

The Fruitbowl of New Zealand remains the best name for Hastings and that is that.

We have yet another National Minister making a PC decision.Not wishing to front up to the hard decisions Maurice veteran Williamson, finds the easy way out over the Wanganui decision and plugs for either or.

Not prepared to stand up for the facts of the issue, Maori was not a written language at the time and it was written as spoken. Wanganui.

I suppose that was better than wankanui and it has after all stood the test of time.

We like it as it is.

The decision to fly the Maori flag on the Harbour Bridge on Waitangi day , helps cement in the division that the current political climate has created.

National claims they are establishing good relations with the Maori Party but in fact, what they are doing is slowly building a major wall in the country that is separating genuine kiwis with race based policies that are spreading despair and grief among the majority.