Tag: Auckland Council

7 Councillors Not Present for Governance Training Paid For By Ratepayers. UPDATED

· 3 Comments ·

Unacceptable ratepayers money is squandered like this

Cathy Casey, Penny Hulse, Arthur Anae, Chris Fletcher, Chris Darby, Denise Krum, George Wood, Dick Quax, Bill Cashmore and Calum Penrose. The Mayor came for afternoon.

IF you name is mentioned thank you for showing up to the ratepayer funded Governance Training provided by the NZ Institute of Directors

If your name above is not mentioned and not Councillor Penny Webster who is overseas there better be a reason why you were not there.

Update: Councillor Linda Cooper was at Women In Leadership training today which clashed with the Governance training. 

Given the Governance training was done by the Institute of Directors (thus high-end) and costing the ratepayer some coin at the same I am not particularly thrilled eight of our elected representatives at the Governing Body no-showed especially the ones that critique Council governance frequently like a certain Cameron Brewer and Mike Lee. .

I am also told that the trainer who was from the Institute was not impressed by their tardiness either.

It is simple.

We elect you and you go TO your training that we pay for. If not well maybe we need to have some byelections as a more gentle reminder of ratepayer expectations and Governing Body accountability.

Public to Get Their Say on Aotea Quarter

·

Committee Approves Plan to head to wider public consultation

After the near shock of Councillor Mike Lee just about resigning on the spot (yes things got testy today) the Auckland Development Committee resolved to send out to the public for consultation the development plans for Aotea Quarter.

From Auckland Council:

Opportunities abound for future of Aotea Quarter

Aucklanders will be asked to help shape a new framework to evolve the area around Aotea Square into a thriving cultural hub, servicing the whole of Auckland.

The Auckland Development Committee today approved a consultation paper on the ‘Aotea Quarter Framework’, which will go out for public feedback in September and October.

Committee deputy chair and political design champion Chris Darby says: “Many great things are already happening in the quarter, including laneways, events and upgrades to Myers Park. When the new Aotea Station is created – along with the City Rail Link and bus improvements – this area will become very well connected: north, south, east and west.

“This is going to create huge opportunities for the area to really lift its game and become the cultural and entertainment hub for all Auckland,” Councillor Darby says.

The consultation programme is set to include public walking tours, focus groups and opportunities to have your say online at Shape Auckland. Questions will include how the quarter can better fulfil its region-wide role, how to get more families living in the area, which parts need to be made safer or better for pedestrians and how some of the sites around the area could be better used.

While the consultation is underway, in the first week of September the council will also be putting a call out to developers who want to express an interest in the Civic Administration Building, which has now been vacated by council staff.

The council has agreed a number of requirements for the Expression of Interest (EOI) process, including restoring the building’s heritage values, sustainable design and recognising Te Aranga Maori design principles.

—ends—

Consultation is due to start next month.