The Mayor’s Proposal for the 2015-2025 Auckland Council Long Term Plan and Lowering Development Contributions

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Interesting perspective from Local Board member Vernon.
This situation basically comes down to the National led Government passing through an amendment to the Local Government Act that restricts what development contributions can be used for. That is it can not be used as widely to help provide social/community infrastructure as prior to the amendment.

Rates, Road, Rubbish. The catch cry of the National conservatives and its conservative supporters who in all honesty do lack fundamental understanding on how a City works and evolves. It is more than just the physical infrastructure they constantly bang on about. You have the social infrastructure as well which is just as important for a City to function.
While alternatives for funding can be sorted for Greenfield areas (see: https://voakl.net/2014/09/19/what-if-we-go-full-throttle/ ) Brownfield areas (take note Orakei) will face either steeper general rate increases or even Targeted Rates levied (I wonder how Orakei Local Board would find being levied with a Targeted Rate for their Meadowbank Community Centre they are trying to bring forward on the funding table) . So National and its supporters might have just shot themselves in the foot.

Vernon Tava's avatarVernon Tava

It has been a sobering few weeks for Waitematā Local Board as we discuss the implications of the Mayor’s proposal for the Long Term Plan 2015-2025 (LTP). The LTP is Council’s budget for the next ten years and it is being shaped primarily to keep the average rates rise to between 2.5% and 3.5% for the next three years while paying for the City Rail Link. At the same time, Council will be attempting to eliminate the differential between residential and business rates. This will require major cuts to Council spending.

The ‘theme’ that will be most hard hit is ‘Parks, Community and Lifestyle’ (PC&L). This includes Parks and Recreation and Community Development and Culture (CDaC) which includes libraries. The proposed budget reduction to the capital programme in this theme is a massive 39% for the next 5 years. This goes beyond a temporary reduction in spending; it will cost jobs and as a result…

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Poll of Polls update – 18 September 2014

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Second to last poll of polls from the Occasionally Erudite blog site (one more coming up later today). Weighing this alongside Kiwi Blog’s average weighting system (http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2014/09/the_2014_election_polls.html ) we can see a settling down with the final polls. Although that said National are continuing to slip with NZ First continuing to gain. This gives the possible situation that either NZF or the Maori Party will hold the balance of power and we could very well see either a Centre Right or Left Government all things depending.

My vote was cast on Tuesday and the recent events from then would have not changed my voting stance. Needless to say watching my home electorate of Papakura will be interesting to see how much damage Judith Collins has received in the end. We shall all know Sunday morning.

MEANWHILE GET OUT AND VOTE

jononatusch's avatarOccasionally Erudite Publications

We’ve had the final pre-election One News Colmar Brunton poll tonight, so it’s the second to last Poll of Polls update before the election, with the Herald Digipoll and Fairfax Ipsos polls due out tomorrow (although you can already find the Digipoll results if you look on Wikipedia – that’s what happens when you release the percentage changes and expect that no one will do the maths…).

National drop 1% to 45%, leaving them well and truly in danger zone territory. Labour remains static on 25%, while the Greens fall 2% to 12%.

NZ First comfortably waltz back into Parliament with 8% (up 1%), as opposed to the Conservatives, who may have gone up by 0.4%, but still remain below the 5% threshold on 4.4%.

For the remaining minor parties, the Maori Party doubles its vote from 0.8% to 1.6%, Internet Mana is on 1.8% (up 0.4%), ACT is on 0.6% (down 0.6%)…

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Poll of Polls update – 17 September 2014

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I will be putting the Polls of the Polls over the last few days on the election campaign.

Yep at the moment it is about Winston – WINSTON

jononatusch's avatarOccasionally Erudite Publications

Two new polls out today – this afternoon’s Roy Morgan, and this evening’s 3News Reid Research poll.

In the Roy Morgan poll, National rise to 46.5% (up 1.5%), while Labour slumps 2% to 24%, and the Greens drop an even larger 2.5% to 13.5%.

It’s a great poll result for NZ First, who rise to 8.0% (up 2%). It’s their second best result from any major polling company this year, beaten only by the 8.1% they achieved in the latest Herald Digipoll.

For the remaining minor parties, the Maori Party hits 1.5% (up 1%), United Future rises from zero to 0.5%, ACT loses half of their support, dropping from 1% to 0.5%, and there’s no change for Internet Mana and the Conservatives, on 1.0% and 3.5% respectively.

The 3News Reid Research poll, meanwhile, is a very different beast. National achieve their worst result this year from any major pollster, hitting…

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3 News Reid Research poll mid September 2014

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Had a few people ask already so here is the latest 3 News Poll
Of note they did overstate National by 3% last election so who knows if that would translate out again

dpf's avatarcuriablog

Polling Company: Reid Research

Poll Method: Random Phone

Poll Size: 1,000 respondents (3.1% maximum margin of error)

Undecideds:

Polling Company: Reid Research

Poll Method: Random Phone

Poll Size: 1,000 respondents (3.1% maximum margin of error)

Undecideds:

Dates: 09 to 15 September 2014

Client: 3 News

Report: 3 News

Party Support

  • National 44.5% (-2.2%)
  • Labour 25.6% (-0.5%)
  • Green 14.4% (+1.4%)
  • ACT 0.1% (-0.2%)
  • Maori 1.1%  (-0.2%)
  • United Future 0.1% (+0.1%)
  • Mana/Internet 2.0% (+0.3%)
  • NZ First 7.1% (+1.2%)
  • Conservative 4.9% (+0.2%)

Projected Seats

  • National 56
  • Labour 33
  • Green 18
  • ACT 1
  • Maori 3
  • United Future 1
  • Mana/Internet 3
  • NZ First 9
  • Total 124

This is based on no change in electorate seats.

Coalition Options

  • CR – National 56 + ACT 1 + United Future 1 = 58/124 – five fewer than the minimum needed to govern
  • CL – Labour 33 + Greens 18 + Mana/Internet 3 = 54/124 – nine fewer than minimum needed to govern
  • C – NZ First 9 +…

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