Isolating the Environment Court – Unacceptable

On the 3rd of September, I had picked up (From Whale Oil) and subsequently wrote a piece here at VOAKL on a possible attempt at perverting a ratepayer (amongst others) course of redress and opinion through the Environment Court.

Upon doing my usual links through Twitter (follow me through Twitter @View_of_AKL) and Facebook (View of Auckland) I got some replies back from two Councillors and the Deputy Mayor:

• Is our Mayor trying to avoid the full weight of transparency of the Environment Court.?

  

  Perverting Our Course of Redress and Opinion?

  voakl.net

  Isolating the Environment Court – Unacceptable While on my tea break this morning I noticed this piece of commentary from Whale Oil – Cameron Slater: What is Sneaky Len up…
  • • Dick Quax Agree entirely Ben Ross I’m sure that you will have the support of Cameron Brewer and George Wood on this and so will all those value democracy and the rule of rule. A lot more will be heard on this. Brian Rudman wrote a good piece on this not so long ago.

      Penny Hulse This issue has been discussed by the full council in open session, it has been discussed with the local boards and has been an item on Cllr Brewers 6th of August Business forum. Cllr Brewer moved the recommendation to support this approach.
    • Cameron Brewer Umm don’t know if that was the best work of the Business Advisory Panel. Let’s see what the Govt comes back with… growing concern from community groups and local boards.
    • Ben Ross Okay? I am returning from Britomart back to Papakura, I will take a look at Minutes when I get home.

Naturally I will go searching through material mentioned to see what was said has been done. So here is the Minutes from the August 6 Business Advisory Panel:

[See pages 2-3 in regards to Unitary Plan especially this comment: "Is this just for Auckland only? Is it a perpetual right of non-appeal?"]

It is that comment that the Deputy Mayor could be referring to here. Whether it is or not I see the entire point being rather flimsy as the English here is too loose to be thrown around whether it be the Deputy Mayor’s comments or what was said in the Minutes of that Panel.

In any case I will have to go trawl through Governing Body Agenda and minutes to continue to discover what our Deputy Mayor was going on about. But that will have to wait as good old Whale Oil has just posted on a nice $30 million HOLE Council is about to dig itself in.

In other words: Time to go shine that light in this $30m murky dark hole that seems to be emerging rather large :O

BEN ROSS