Tag: Auckland

So When Will the Police Apologise For This Utter Failing?

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Britomart Chaos Unacceptable

 

By now you would have seen the reports doing the rounds of a brawl breaking out at Britomart Station on Saturday night after the Christmas in the Park, and Raggamuffin events were concluded.

You can see the Herald report here:

Marauding youths shut down Britomart station

By Sam Boyer, Mathew Dearnaley 6:10 PM Sunday Dec 14, 2014

Youths jumped up on turnstiles during the confrontation. Image / Facebook

Dozens of marauding youths brought Auckland trains to a halt last night as hundreds of people converged on Britomart to get home after Christmas in the Park.

Police and security guards closed access to the Super City’s main railway station soon after 11pm after 30 to 40 youths climbed on top of turnstiles and began pushing and shoving each other on the platforms.

A video on Facebook captured some of their behaviour, showing them taunting and making aggressive gestures to the guards.

A heavy sign was thrown across the turnstiles at the guards before police arrived to restore order.

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Source and full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11374116

 

The gates at Britomart themselves were the device as well as the guards and Maori Wardens that kept that brawl from spreading out of control.

But questions of the police need to be asked especially after a video emerged on Facebook showing the brawl going for five long minutes and still no police on the platform level. So to the Commander of Waitemata Police:

  1. Why were their no police on the main platform level after the events has concluded to act as a visible deterrence
  2. Why were their no police heavily patrolling outside the Britomart McDonalds where the rolling brawl started to both stop the brawl there and prevent it going down to the main platform levels
  3. Why after the brawl spread to the Britomart Platform level there was absolutely no police on that platform to break it up. A video clip shows the brawl going for five minutes and no police
  4. Why was there no squad ready with paddy wagon and dogs ready for instant deployment in such an event
  5. Why did the intelligence unit not pick up on the volatility of this before it happened or are they to busy pinging journalists critical of the Government?
  6. Why no arrests

The video is here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=857078164313656&pnref=story

 

This not the first time the police have failed to respond to such incidents at a pubic transport stop or station.

 

Our public transport is meant to be safe so people especially families will use it but if the police can not do its job in deterrence and busting of such disturbances it does not give confidence to the rest of the City and tourists when we do hold large events. Furthermore the main platform level is a dangerous place if bad behaviour occurs on that level. Falling onto the tracks sober will hurt as is, falling onto the tracks drunk and no control is not going to be a pretty sight especially if head hits the iron. Also train movements is enough to put things at higher risks of an accident before control manages to bring all such movements to a halt.

I have noted this is not also the first time Christmas in the Park has resulted in drunken behaviour either. That situation faces a very easily solution: either we tell our peers to get themselves back in order or face Council dropping the ban hammer on the event. A pity a few spoil it for the rest so we might be wanting to better self police our peers before an authority does it for us with a blunt instrument…

As a comparison the NRL 9’s earlier this year was a very busy event but no reports of major issues as we saw on Saturday night. So Auckland can get its collective self together…

 

And so then who will be held to account for this ball dropping?

 

No Sunday BBQ Today

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Final for 2014 next Sunday

 

Apologies folks but no Sunday BBQ podcast today.

 

The final Sunday BBQ podcast for 2014 will be next Sunday and we will be taking a look at the year that was for our Mayor.

 

Tomorrow I will look at the new Sydney Plan (http://www.strategy.planning.nsw.gov.au/sydney/) which again Sydney has pretty much left Auckland for dead again after it did so with a transit orientated development recently.

Put it this way while Sydney’s plan is ambitious it can be delivered and it recognises a few realities that Auckland missed with her own.

 

More tomorrow

 

Glenora Road Station?

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And what about Te Mahia and Westfield

 

I saw in the Auckland Transport Board Meeting closed agenda for this month as well as the forward program sheet that three stations are up for discussion and possible decisions.

They are:

  1. Whether to close Te Mahia and/or Westfield Stations
  2. Allow Glenora Road Station to be built next to the Takanini Village

 

The Agenda and Forward Program papers that caught my attention

 

 

Comments

I note that the discussion around all three stations is behind closed doors under the justification of frank and free discussion to which a decision will be noted (rather than actioned by the looks of it). All three stations have stirred up the emotions with Manurewa Local Board roping in the Mayor to get Te Mahia to stay open while Papakura Local Board and Councillor Calum Penrose are fighting to get Glenora Road Station built and operation (rather than Auckland Transport’s favoured Tironui Station).

What could be indicative around Westfield and Te Mahia is that they are on the Auckland Plan Transport Network funding program for upgrades. Meaning if full funding is available the stations would be upgraded within the next 10 years otherwise not at all under the current Basic Transport Network scenario. However, that APTN and BTN could change depending how the Governing Body treats the final version of the Long Term Plan next year.

That said Glenora Road Station is not on either the APTN or BTN but if Auckland Transport give it the green light then somehow the Council will need to get funding for it.

 

The agenda paper notes that the decisions around those three stations will be released in due course. It will be VERY interesting to see which way AT fall over these stations.

 

Coming Up on The Weekend Analysis

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End of the Line?

 

For my last Weekend Analysis for 2014 I was going to look back at the City Rail Link debate that happened on Tuesday. Well Kane from All About Auckland who was there when the Governing Body failed in their one job (Council: You Had ONE Job! UPDATED) delivered this promotional piece for his show on Monday:

The End of the Line?

The Governing Body convened for an Extraordinary Meeting on Tuesday to debate the City Rail Link for the 7th time. Quite why they were required to perform yet again remains unclear.

Most likely reasons being that a letter arrived on the Auditor General’s desk from some Councillors which may have had an unsettling effect on her.

Another reason being that the last meeting to discuss the CRL, at the Budget debate, saw a spilt decision on allowing a road tolling option to be included in the Transport Funding consultation document.

Len could not afford the political risk inherent in a decision that saw the far left and far right join forces against the centrists so when the opportunity for another vote loomed up in the form of the Auditor General rejecting the Budget while it included Central Government funding for the CRL, rather than quietly negotiating through it, he used the chance to improve his mandate.

The debate, which was a good one, marks the sorry end to Len’s political career as the Mayor with the Mojo. The Mayor in waiting said it all when,  part way through the debate, she took careful aim and explained to him exactly how he should do his job. And all the while those on the left and the right giving him the benefit of their advice

—-ends—-

 

Ouch!

Kane’s piece certainly delivers enough material to work on as does Bob Dey’s piece as well.

So tomorrow on The Weekend Analysis I look back at the CRL debate as well as my picks for Councillor(s) of 2014 – both good and bad!

 

Promo piece

All About Auckland Show

On This Week’s Show:

The End of the Line?

Episode 47

SkyTV Channel 83 FACETV

Monday at 9pm – repeats Tuesday 12.30pm

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Funding for Whau Environmental Projects

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$14,000 granted

 

From Auckland Council

$14,000 for Whau environmental projects

 

Two Whau-based projects have been awarded a combined $14,200 from Auckland Council’s Environmental Initiatives Fund to help care for the area’s environment and protect its heritage.

The Whau River Catchment Trust receives $11,700 went to support the rehabilitation of the coastal bush found at the Kurt Brehmer Walkway in Rosebank Peninsula next to the Whau River estuary.

And $2,500 was awarded to the West Lynn Garden Society Inc. providing a contribution towards an audio/visual system to enhance the community education facility.

Whau Councillor Ross Clow says the awards were well deserved.

“It is clear that there is real passion for preserving our natural environment and heritage in Whau. These two projects will make a real difference to the community, and were worthy recipients of the funding.

“Empowering the local community to help benefit the areas they live is an important part of what Auckland Council does, and I am delighted to see these two deserving projects being recognised by the council.

“I am really excited about them and can’t wait to visit them to see how they are getting on,” he says.

The council’s Environmental Initiatives Fund awarded a total of $634,000 in funding to 133 projects across Auckland with an average grant of $4000.

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