Category Archives: Financial Planning

Unitary Plan Coverage Running Hot Again

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Feedback Closed yet the Commentary runs Hot

 

There must be a report due out (which there is) in regards to the Unitary Plan looking at five (now six) different Chrome tabs I have open at the moment in regards to media coverage. The MSM coverage is pretty wide-ranging from support of the UP to some impending changes towards The Clunker as well. Some of the more “interesting” pieces I will look at an individual level later on today and tomorrow.

But first some links into the chatter today around the draft Unitary Plan:

There is also a segment from Morning Report on how kiwi’s might be needing to let go of the 1/4 acre dream as well and be more pragmatic as Auckland grows

Quite the reading for your start of the week…

 

 

Money for a Church but No Money for a Death Trap

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Council’s Funding Priorities Wrong Again

 

I noticed this morning (well actually yesterday) that the Council Strategy and Finance Committee approved on a vote of 10-6 to give $3m of our ratepayer’s money to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell so it can get an “upgrade.”

This is while Auckland Transport struggles to find $27m for a grade separation of the Walters Road rail crossing in Takanini and most likely the same amount for grade separating the Morningside Drive rail crossing that nearly killed a woman in a wheelchair earlier this year.

So would the councillors like to explain their logic in supporting $3m to the second biggest church in NZ (the biggest being the Catholic Church) that is exempt from most of our tax and human rights laws yet not give money to a death trap that nearly killed someone in Morningside where they had a human right for authorities to maintain a public crossing in such a way that the accident should have never happened.

And yes I know the crossing has Kiwi Rail responsibility to it as well but it is a shared responsibility with Auckland Transport thus Auckland Council. After the incident at Morningside, the council should have either stumped up the cash entirely or loaned Kiwi Rail a proportion of the money needed to remove the that death trap through a grade separation. But no it goes through the bureaucracy again and again and again and won’t be done for at least five years.

Yet at a drop of the hat Council approves money for a church (where we are meant to exercise absolute separation from Church and State) on the grounds of community facilities needs. Umm if it is for community facilities how about than dumping the money to Local Boards so they can maintain their own community facilities if the money won’t be going elsewhere.

Shame on the every single councillor who voted in giving money for the church while we have a live death trap still floating around (and a few more entering the category as we move to electrification and more frequent trains).

Shows where some have their priorities that need some readjusting in this upcoming election.

 

Public Transport Fares going Up

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The New Fares

 

Yes the sole machine was out of order, however tech support had been notified 10mins earlier

Yes the sole machine was out of order, however tech support had been notified 10mins earlier

 

Okay so from June 3 the fares of public transport in Auckland go both up and down (but mostly up) as AT-HOP continues its roll out. While you can read my previous post on this matter “Screwing the Little Guy?” below is the fare movements.

The entire list can be seen HERE, otherwise this is the movements for train fares

Fare changes for trains are:

Product Price before 3 June Price from 3 June
1 stage Adult AT HOP $1.60 $1.62
2 stage Adult AT HOP $3.00 $3.06
3 stage Adult AT HOP $4.05 No change
4 stage Adult AT HOP $5.04 No change
5 stage Adult AT HOP $6.00 $6.12
6 stage Adult AT HOP $6.90 $7.11
7 stage Adult AT HOP $8.00 $8.10
8 stage Adult AT HOP $9.05 $9.27
1 stage Tertiary  $1.10  $1.17
2 stage Tertiary  $2.10  $2.21
3 stage Tertiary  $2.79  $2.92
4 stage Tertiary  $3.47  $3.64
5 stage Tertiary  $4.21  $4.42
6 stage Tertiary  $4.75  $5.08
7 stage Tertiary  $5.58  $5.85
8 stage Tertiary  $6.38  $6.69
Single Zone Monthly Pass $120 $140
All Zone Monthly Pass $255 $250
All other train fares remain the same

So if you use a 6-stage Adult AT-HOP fare (Papakura to Britomart (yay I get screwed over here), Waitakere to Britomart), or any Tertiary AT-HOP concession over 4-stages the sting from the rises is going to add up rather quick if you travel frequently.

As I mentioned recently I might as well leave the AT-HOP card at home and use cash fares if this is going to happen.

If I were to travel from Papakura to Britomart (return) Monday to Friday that would be an extra $2.10 a week (although I would be on a Monthly anyhow) while if I did that as a Tertiary Student (no monthly pass available here) it would be an extra $3.30/week. OUCH!

You would think AT would move the bus HOP fares down to match the trains, not move the train fares up to match the buses. Ah well – I am not Auckland Transport nor facing the issue of continued flagging rail patronage…

Lucky I am home based for my occupation at the moment which cuts out most travel unless visiting clients…

 

Screwing the Little Guy?

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Auckland Public Transport Fares to Rise

 

Yes the sole machine was out of order, however tech support had been notified 10mins earlier

Yes the sole machine was out of order, however tech support had been notified 10mins earlier

Well I managed to personally stave off a fare rise for AT-HOP care users in September last year (Fare Increase Ctd) for rail users. However, this time no such luck – you are going to be lugged with it this time around.

From the NZ Herald this morning after AT announced it last yesterday

Students bear the brunt of Auckland public transport fare rises

Auckland Transport has been accused of targeting students with public transport fare rises that will also affect thousands of Hop and multi-trip ticket buyers.

Auckland Transport – which waited until late yesterday to announce changes approved by its board two months ago – will lift cash fares for tertiary students by between 7c and 40c a trip on June 3.

Adults who use Hop cards on trains or 10-trip tickets on buses also face fare rises of 2c to 22c a ride.

Ten-trip tickets on inner harbour ferry trips such as from Devonport, Bayswater and Birkenhead to the city will also rise by up to $2, but water transport will become considerably cheaper for Hop card users.

A single trip fare for a Hop card user from Devonport to the city will fall from $5.40c to $4.10c compared with an unchanged cash price of $6, but ten-trip tickets will rise to $41.

That is to align Hop cards with multi-trip tickets, which Auckland Transport ultimately wants to scrap in favour of seamless travel across ferries, trains and buses.

Public transport operations manager Mark Lambert said close to 50,000 public transport users could be affected. The changes were required before Hop cards were rolled out to the city’s buses between June 23 and November, he said.

Auckland Council transport chairman Mike Lee asked why fares could not be aligned downward, particularly on trains.

“It seems the most loyal passengers are being targeted – students and those taking multiple trips.”

Auckland had the highest public transport fares of any Australasian city and students were “a key part of our market”, he said.

Mr Lambert said an increase in the student discount from 20 per cent to 40 per cent in 2008 proved highly effective in lifting demand and getting cars off the road, but there was a limit to ratepayer subsidies.

Auckland University Students’ Association president Daniel Haines said the fare rises appeared aimed at those who could least afford to pre-load Hop cards for multiple trips.

He said transport was the second highest cost facing students, after accommodation, and the increases would hit those who faced long trips from suburbs offering lower rents.
• For detailed information about fare changes, visit maxx.co.nz.

I remember fighting tooth and nail to retain the existing fares seen here below rather than having AT-HOP users pay a technical rise as AT were to flat line the discount rates at 10% right across the board

Savings with AT HOP

Adult Child/Accessible Tertiary
Cash fare HOP fare You Save! Cash fare HOP fare You Save! Cash fare HOP fare You Save!
1 stage $1.90 $1.60 16% $1.10 $0.90 18% $1.90 $1.10 42%
2 stage $3.40 $3.00 12% $2.00 $1.70 15% $3.40 $2.10 38%
3 stage $4.50 $4.05 10% $2.60 $2.29 12% $4.50 $2.79 38%
4 stage $5.60 $5.04 10% $3.40 $3.00 12% $5.60 $3.47 38%
5 stage $6.80 $6.00 12% $4.00 $3.55 11% $6.80 $4.21 38%
6 stage $7.90 $6.90 13% $4.50 $4.05 10% $7.90 $4.75 40%
7 stage $9.00 $8.00 11% $5.30 $4.75 10% $9.00 $5.58 38%
8 stage $10.30 $9.05 12% $6.10 $5.44 11% $10.30 $6.38 38%

 

I believe the new fare guide is not out but reading the material from AT properly you have:

  • Cash fares remaining the same
  • AT-HOP card fares going up as the percentage discount level is lowered across most if not all areas.

So rather than targeting the cash users and hiking the cash fares (if the actual fares did need to go up in the first place) which would move people over to AT-HOP, Auckland Transport go and hit “the little guy” who is already on AT-HOP. Ouch and nasty!

The AT-HOP fare rise also seems to be the exact opposite of the Deloitte HOP review would suggest

 

One wonders what the thinking was behind the latest move?

 

Myth Busting The Housing Accord

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Groan when Government MPs think in one dimension to a problem

 

One of the flaws of our Westminster Parliamentary system New Zealand has is our strong Party base system that occupies our Parliament. Long story short; the MP’s of a said Party basically tow the line of the party leadership and drone out what ever the leadership says. No dissenting opinion, no critique and no crossing the floor when something really pongs in the legislation department. Essentially all we get is drones harping on about the same think the leader or a Senior Minister has uttered despite deep down it might go against the individual MP’s conscious and morals. In the USA with its Federal Congressional System you have a very weak party system despite having “Democrats” and ‘Republicans.” With the US system the emphasis can be placed on bi-partisanship and members for a said “party” openly being against their party’s stance in a more free manner than here. If a Democrat or Republican does not like what their party is proposing they will and quite often go against the party and cross the floor with their vote (usually as they are following their conscious (or the money)). However, with the US system the passage of legislation can be utterly slow compared to ours…

 

I mention this as a conversation happened between myself and Jami-Lee Ross (MP) over the Much-to-do-about-nothing Accord. I see Jami is harping on like a drone and towing the government’s one-dimensional thinking and lines in regards to Housing led by Minister Dr Nick Smith, and even has a Simon Bridges moment with an insult rather than reality check on the true housing market. Then again the Government has been thinking 1D with housing for a while so to me nothing new. As I said: “Government should not meddle in something it has no knowledge or place of and in”

I also look for MP’s who are free to speak their mind even if it against the line of the Party if a policy is as deeply flawed as the Housing Accord. I don’t look for drones or yes-men – have too many of those already up and down the country and in businesses…

So the Facebook conversation in regards to the Government’s naked attack on Council Sovereignty:

20 hours ago near Auckland ·

I will take the more unusual move to defend Council Sovereignty (even if the Council can send me bonkers) against Central Government. That is owing to what Government is doing is affronting and a threat to hard earned concessions I am trying to win for Auckland and Better Auckland via the Unitary Plan.
Government should not meddle in something it has no knowledge or place of and in
    • Stan Blanch Ben!!!!…Dont give them dignity!…They are simply tax collectors and merely redistrubuters of rate payers income. Plus infuse into that calculation..a bit of social engineering…giving a handful of non elected maori, MP’s salaries to tell us where the Taniwha are buried..
      • Ben Ross I give dignity where it is due, I give credit where it due. I can also take both back as well and just as easy Stan Blanch. What you describe can also said be said to Central Government as well – although you did mention MPs.
    • Nigel James Turnbull Parliament is sovereign, councils are not. They are accountable to parliament. If they were sovereign who would deal with situations like Kaipara district council?
      • Ben Ross And who can dissolve a sovereign parliament if he choses do so? Australia and the State of Queensland have had it and we can have it as well while we have a Governor General. So as much as Parliament can dissolve a Council, the GG can dissolve a Parliament.
      • Ben Ross So the point is moot there Nigel James Turnbull
      • Nigel James Turnbull I doubt the GG would be involved in dissolving parliament over local govt issues? Just saying
      • Ben Ross Not Local Issue no Nigel. National issue for sure if a deep crisis presented itself as it did with the Aussies in the 80s
    • Jami-Lee Ross Local authorities are creatures of statute. They function under laws passed by Parliament. From time to time there will be matters of national interest that the government of the day will decide needs to be dealt with by new or amended laws.

      In this case, the supply of housing is something we don’t think current legislation deals with adequately. Amendments are needing to fast track the availability of land for development and speed up the consenting process.
      • Ben Ross Councils are creatures of Statue yes. The RMA 1991 from the then National Government which decentralised our planning rules and handed them mainly over to Council. The LGA 2002 from the then Labour Government gave Councils the infamous General Level of Competence rules followed by the LGA Auckland Amendment 2010 from the current National Government which gave birth to the Super City and the current Auckland Council. I need not remind you Jami-lee that your very own Government ignored the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Auckland and its recommendations and fostered upon what we are now stuck with.
    • Ben Ross So what we have now with Auckland Council, its CCOs, the Auckland Plan and the Unitary Plan are all creatures of Central Government incompetence in 2009 and 2010. I am stuck with what I have with Council and seem to make it work for my requirements this end. I do not need Central Government Meddling again with this Much-Ado-About-Nothing Accord knowing the track record of Central Government stuffing things up with Local Government. Twice by National and once by Labour. Soon to be three from National with the Accord Jami-lee-Lee Ross
    • Jami-Lee Ross Hmm… well, good luck and best wishes over there in your alternate universe. We’ll just get on with freeing up more land for housing and streamlining the consent process so more Aucklanders can find homes and the cost of land can start to slow down. Good night Ben
      • Ben Ross Now now Jami-Lee no need to do a Simon Bridges…
        Both of us went through University together (politics) and know the history of the RMA and LGA quite well. You are an intelligent person and now it is more than just the land that impacts the cost of housing affordability. You also know these five prongs will affect how much I pay for a house in a Greenfield area such as Karaka:
        Land
        Construction Costs
        Council Fees and Contributions
        Financing and wages
        Infrastructure provision

        So unless your Government is going to help stump up with the motorway, pipes, rail and bus provision – Council gets lugged with it and we end up with it in the house price and our rates

        This post would explain it better 
        http://voakl.net/2013/05/13/the-much-ado-about-nothing-accord/


        As for streamlining the resource consent process – never had an issue with it at all and have stated that in the past

        As for Dr Smith interfering with the Unitary Plan and the RUB, care to explain to Karaka what happens if you open up the wrong section of land and trigger off the Weymouth-Karaka Bridge? Not going to have many happy residents in a hurry

        So no alternative universes like the Minister might be in – just reality

 

 

Just a reminder I am not seeing much better out of Labour and the Greens either in regards to the Unitary Plan and housing. Look the Social Housing and Insulation aspects of the Housing Policy are fine and I have no beef with the Government over that at all (you getting this Jami-Lee). But I do have major beef in Government roughshodding the RUB processes currently underway in Southern Auckland. What I want Jami-Lee to answer is: “what happens if your Housing Accord and Special Housing Area opens up the wrong Greenfield land parcel and triggers off the Weymouth-Karaka Bridge. How do you explain to Weymouth, Karaka and Clendon the bridge that will ruin the amenity of three diverse communities all because you meddled in something you have no knowledge or real experience in.”

That is the beef with the Special Housing Areas. The fact that the error rate with opening up the wrong parcel of land and fully not appreciating the other prongs that determine housing affordability is not even mentioned by the Government nor the Housing Accord.

 

There are other ways to get housing affordability back on track just not the way this 1D government is doing it…

 

So Housing Affordability with the Housing Accord – a Myth that needs to be busted…