City nor even New Zealand are not united behind the Opposition I spotted this on Twitter yesterday and Retweet quoted it with my reply underneath it: Tenby Powell @tenbypowell This is … Continue reading Leadership on the Port? Opposition Continues to Fail There
Lack of wharf space = cruise ships not visiting NZ entirely I suppose this is a natural consequence of the Isthmus and North Shore Councillors playing silly buggers over the … Continue reading Did Auckland’s Isthmus and North Shore Councillors Interfere with Other Region’s Economies?
Council still needs to convince of City Centre Centric Based LTP Which would be in defiance of the submissions to the Long Term Plan which said less on the … Continue reading Individual Long Term Plan Budget Lines Make for Sad Reading
Discussing the Long Term Plan After the Mayor last Thursday handed down his proposal to the Long Term Plan – in which it was received with general support even … Continue reading Budget Committee Agenda Up
Why the Split on Geographic Grounds? On Thursday the Governing Body resolved through the Mayor’s casting vote to allow the Port of Auckland compromise (extending one wharf rather than … Continue reading Geographic Split on the Port Debate
While quieter last month Talking Auckland did improve its rankings to 21 (well 20 as Whale Oil is not publicly showing his Stats Meter) up from 24 in March.
Again a thank you to readers and the growing numbers of commenters. Without you Talking Auckland would not be possible.
This month we have the Budget Committee debating the Long Term Plan, and myself due to give a presentation to the Auckland Development Committee on sub regional development.
Also this month starts the first of my Unitary Plan mediation/hearing sessions as well with Transport as the first topic being transport. Fun times ahead.
Image credit: Hosting A Competition To Increase Blog Visits
There are now over 300 blogs on the list, although I am weeding out those which are no longer active or have removed public access to sitemeters. (Let me know if I weed out yours by mistake, or get your stats wrong).
Every month I get queries from people wanting their own blog included. I encourage and am happy to respond to queries but have prepared a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) people can check out. Have a look at NZ Blog Rankings FAQ. This is particularly helpful to those wondering how to set up sitemeters.
Please note, the system is automatic and relies on blogs having sitemeters which allow public access to the stats.
Here are the rankings of New Zealand blogs with publicly available statistics for April 2015. Ranking is by visit numbers. I have listed the blogs in…
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Review to get under way – mid year I am been a vocal critic of the Council being extremely slow in investigating new ways of getting alternative funding for projects … Continue reading Council to Look at Alternative Funding – PROPERLY This Time
SHA consents increase From Auckland Council Consenting of Special Housing Areas developments ramping up Auckland Council is working at pace to consent Special Housing Area (SHA) developments in both urban … Continue reading Special Housing Areas Plodding Along
From Auckland Council
Auckland Council has launched a section on its website providing information on a variety of council activities as part of a commitment to more openness and transparency.
The proactive publication of information on the More about the council webpage, which can be found via the Auckland Council Media centre helps to provide Aucklanders with better, timelier and more accurate information about how council works.
The first release of information includes Auckland Council Group staff numbers, information about annual average rates increases, debt, efficiency savings and progress updates on the NewCore project.
It also includes contracts awarded by the council with a value of $100,000 and greater from 1 July 2014 to 31 March 2015 and spends with suppliers with a value of $100,000 and more from 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2015.
All of the information in the section will be updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant and current.
Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town says the proactive publication of information aims to strengthen Aucklanders’ trust in the council.
“Central government and other local authorities already have similar initiatives, meaning Auckland Council will now be aligned with best practice across the public sector in New Zealand in making information more accessible to the public,” he says.
“In the future we will also be providing more details about how we work and what we do, including information about employee costs, travel expenses, key statistics about council activities and other useful information as and when it becomes available.”
In addition to the proactive publication of information, the council also today began publishing on its website Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act (LGOIMA) responses where the council deems the information to be in the interests of the wider public.
More about the council and LGOIMA responses are available to view now.
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One to bookmark if you like to keep an eye on the inner mechanics from time to time.
From Auckland Council:
Auckland Council’s Governing Body, chaired by Mayor Len Brown, today formally approved the creation of a new Rainbow Community Advisory Panel.
The panel will be established over the coming months and will provide a local government platform from which to effectively address issues of significance to Auckland’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community.
A report presented at today’s Governing Body meeting highlighted that GLBTI people continue to experience discrimination on an institutional and individual level as well as high levels of addictions, mental health issues and suicide. It also explained that people of diverse gender identity still face legal and social obstacles that impede their ability to lead their lives fully, safely and openly.
Public input was received by Lexie Matheson who spoke in support of the establishment of a Rainbow Advisory Panel. Lexie voiced her concern that transgender people are not represented or covered by current New Zealand Human Rights legislation. She said the new panel will allow her and other transgender people to finally have a voice.
Mayor Len Brown, who previously endorsed the creation of a Rainbow Panel at the 2014 Big Gay Out and again at this year’s event, was wholly supportive of a panel at today’s meeting.
Councillor Cathy Casey, Chair of the Community Development and Safety Committee says today’s decision has been a long time coming.
“For many years over successive councils the rainbow community in Auckland has been asking for formal representation in the same way other communities are represented. So I’m absolutely thrilled that today the council has truly acknowledged Auckland’s incredible diversity and finally given a formal voice to GLBTI Aucklanders. This is a historic day for our rainbow communities.”
She says the panel is a logical and necessary evolution of the Rainbow Door Reference Group established in 2010.
“The Rainbow Door Group has provided an invaluable service by offering an informal forum for both rainbow and mainstream service providers to meet with the council to discuss concerns, issues and opportunities. Today’s decision to establish a formal advisory panel takes this to the next level.”
The purpose of an advisory panel is to provide strategic advice to council on issues of importance to the community it supports, and to advise council on how to engage effectively with that community and its stakeholders.
Four demographic advisory panels were established in the first term of Auckland Council to represent disability, Pacific, ethnic and youth concerns – two by legislation and two on the initiative of the Mayor. A Seniors Advisory Panel has also recently been created to represent the interests of older Aucklanders.
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Talking Southern Auckland 