Category: General

Everything else

Photo of the Day – and ADC Agenda is now up

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Busy Busy

 

Photo of the day from last Thursday while at the Auckland Council Budget Committee as the Committee passed through the 2014/2015 Annual Plan

Myself and Radio NZ's Todd Nial hard at work reporting on the Budget Committee Photo Reference: Councillor Cathy Casey
Myself and Radio NZ’s Todd Nial hard at work reporting on the Budget Committee
Photo Reference: Councillor Cathy Casey

Photo Credit: Councillor Cathy Casey

 

At least it wasn’t the one where we were yawning after the very long helicopter debate (no disrespect to the Helicopter Trust). To the right of Todd and myself was Bob Dey who produces the Property Report.

 

My own commentary to the Budget Committee debate can be seen here: Annual Plan Passes, Bitter Debate on Southern Initiative Occurs

 

All three of us plus New Zealand Herald’s Bernard Orsman will be back on Thursday to report in on the Auckland Development Committee. That particular Committee will be discussing the issues of Queens Wharf, and Queen Elizabeth Square which have both recently popped up in the NZ Herald.

 

Auckland Development Committee – May Agenda (note an Addendum Agenda is to follow)

 

Not Particularly “Thrilled” on the Onehunga Timetable Criticisms

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Just leave it be, bed the EMU’s in, and roll it out when Manukau is on stream

 

And so we are at day 4 of the electric trains running on the Onehunga Line – our shortest line of the Auckland rail network. After a bit of a rocky start on Monday which was expected all seems to be bedding in well on the Onehunga Line and reviews of the EMU’s quite positive.

What was not positive was the fact that the timetable did not change (so an increase in frequencies) for the Onehunga Line to reflect the EMU’s on the line.

Knowing that a new timetable is due out (all fingers crossed) in October after the Manukau Line goes on stream with the EMU’s, and knowing what goes into timetable creations from my former life in Transdev I was not particularly amused at the criticisms levelled.

On the idea “ghosting” a timetable (so creating it well advance than implementing it at the set time) it can be done but would be best effective if all lines were done at once. Knowing the Southern Line has the freighters on it and at the risk of the freighter schedules changing (for whatever reason) I would be wondering if ghosting would have worked. If someone in the know could comment on this it would be greatly appreciated – thank you 🙂

 

Anyhow the current timetable is not flash but we are meant to be rolling to all EMU’s on all lines for weekend services at the end of the year. Although they are still wiring up the Western and Southern Lines at the moment so all EMU weekend services will be interesting if those two lines are not complete by then.

At the end of the day it is a game of patience especially as we are on the final stretch.

The new timetable comes out for all lines with better frequencies later in the year. We are bedding in new EMU’s so in my opinion the existing timetable suits it rather well.

Rather than “criticising” AT I give them and Transdev the tick of a job well done this week all things considering including the teething issues on Monday.

 

Now if Auckland Transport can claw back those roll out dates for the Southern and Western Lines next year I guarantee some very happy people including me.

Our EMU’s are here and South Auckland gets the new bus network first up next year. Along with integrated fares I can say I have a 🙂 on my face for where we have got to so far. That said I also know the road ahead and I mentioned here: “Now We are Electrified, What Next?”

 

As for when I will catch my first EMU? Most likely later in the year when they ply the Manukau Line 🙂

Lest We Forget

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100 Years Since World War One Started

 

Today we mark 100 years since World War One – The Great War started, and 99 years since the disastrous landings at Gallipoli in Turkey. We all have our own ways in marking both events as well as other wars New Zealand and Australia fought in.

For me personally I had family involved one way or the other in both World Wars One and Two on both the Allied or German sides. Whether it was on my German and Prussian side members of the family serving as Imperial Officers in World War One, or living in Nazi Germany during it tyrannical regime from 1933 until 1945 constantly not only facing the threat from the regime itself but also the Soviets and the Allies who were at war with Germany back then (1939-1945). Whether it also be on the British side my late grandfather in the Merchant Navy running the Atlantic U-Boat Blockades not knowing when that next torpedo would hit your ship next. And after the conclusion of the War he was sent as an Engineer to a devastated Germany to begin the rebuilding process. In his time in Germany he would meet my Omi and bring her back to an equally devastated England where they got married and would eventually have three daughters (the youngest being my mum who was actually born in New Zealand). A Brit and a German getting married so soon after the War would have been unthinkable but it happened. In the early 1950’s my grandparents (so my mum’s side) would set sail on a one of the Government sponsored migrant ships. Their destination? Well pretty much the southern Colonies who escaped the most savage aspects of World War Two (but who had still lost so much in the way of men). And so they landed in New Zealand where they lived (one of my Aunties would return to England to live later on) right up until this day (although my grandfather passed away in 2005).

And it is where I live today – in a free and democratic New Zealand.

 

I do not forget the sacrifices made both men and women, and the Country made in a series of events that started arguably back in 1870 and would not conclude until 1945.

 

But I also do not forget the history either.

 

For example there is this:

A man we held in such great esteem in World War Two was also personally responsible for the disaster that was Gallipoli in World War One. That person being Sir Winston Churchill. Yes he lead the British Empire with success against Hitler in World War Two and even saw the threat Stalin would become. But as First Sea Lord of the Admiralty in World War One Churchill was charged in sending the Navy through the narrow strait (where Gallipoli is situated) to prevent the Ottoman Naval Fleets from reaching the Mediterranean and harassing the Allied naval and supply lines.  As history would tell us April 25 1915 which we now remember as ANZAC DAY would be the day the Australian and New Zealand troops would land on the wrong landing spot with little or no naval back up. The rest and its consequences you should know from the botched landings. As history would also teach us much later on those botched landings in the end were blamed on Churchill who I believe was later relieved of his command.

 

So yes as remember our War Dead who sacrificed so much so we can enjoy what we enjoy today, let us also not forget the events that lead up to April 25 1915, as well as the consequences of the World Wars that still continue to this very day.

He who is ignorant of history is doomed to repeat it. 

Lest We Forget

 

 

Live Beaming of Council Meetings Going Out for Tender

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Able to see some of the Council meetings on the Internet – live – again

 

After the Council last year switched off the high-speed wireless that would disable the video service All About Auckland being able to stream Council meetings live, Auckland Council has finally put out a tender to resume live streaming. From Stuff.co.nz:

Auckland Council to beam live 

LAURA WALTERS Last updated 13:55 23/04/2014

The Auckland Council plans to run a live webcast of 57 of its council meetings each year in a bid to increase transparency and raise awareness of the decision-making process.

The council has called for expressions of interest from people who could provide services needed for a live webcast of meetings.

In its information document, the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand and the accompanying need to perform at a world-class level.

The webcasts would initially cover meetings of the mayor and 20 councillors and meetings of four committees.

The committees are the Auckland development committee, the finance and performance committee, the budget committee and the regional strategy and policy committee.

The average duration of each meeting was four hours, the council said.

Council spokesman Glyn Walters said the council had been planning to offer the webcasts since the council was set up in 2010.

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So the five meetings this live streaming is meant to cover are:

  1. The Governing Body (so the main Council itself) chaired by the Mayor
  2. The Budget Committee also chaired by the Mayor
  3. The Auckland Development Committee chaired by Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse
  4. The Strategy and Policy Committee chaired by Councillor George Wood
  5. The Finance and Performance Committee chaired by Councillor Penny Webster

 

The sub committees and forums that report back to the main committees above will not be beamed live on the Internet.

 

It will be good to have the live beaming restored after All About Auckland’s live streaming was dropped last year when the Council turned off the high-speed wireless inside the main Council Chambers. Yes the live beaming does allow more people across Auckland to watch and witness both the Governing Body, and the Committees of the Whole in action. The restoring of live beaming also allows people like myself to run live Tweeting and live Blogging when we are not able to make the Committees ourselves for whatever reason. And yes live Tweeting from the Governing Body and the Committees is (as I discovered) quite a popular service for people who either can not watch the video or be at the Council meeting.

I did notice this one liner from the Stuff article: “the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand.”

Reduce the reliance on the media. Hmm the media are typically only at the Governing Body meetings and periodically maybe at the Budget Committee meetings. Otherwise it is just usually me and veteran reporter Bob Dey casting a very lonely presence at the media table while the Budget Committee, and Auckland Development Committee (both the most important committees after the Governing Body itself) meet and deliberate (with Bob also usually at the Strategy and Policy, and Finance and Performance Committees). So I do wonder if Council is having a go at a particular journalist or in a roundabout way trying to increase the visibility of the Committees.

None-the-less I doubt the Main Stream Media outlets will increase their reporting from Council even when the live beaming resumes. So it will be back down to the blogs and other social media outlets to help continuing to spread the word and provide commentary that would otherwise be absent.

 

Suppose we will have to wait and see how the tendering of this new beaming (streaming) service will go and whether the live streaming will be free.