Tag: Ben Ross

Coming up on Talking Auckland

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The Local Government Elections Step Up

 

In the next 2013 – Local Elections post here at Talking Auckland, we take a look at the Right Wing (not Centre Right but, Right Wing) finally getting their A into G in the contesting of the Council Ward seats (so the race to become one of our 20 Councillors).

Does the Right Wing offer any serious alternatives or is it photo opportunities with the Prime Minister and which ever Minister trundled along, and angry press releases dumped into Scoop that sounds like a pile of Shrilling.

Also tomorrow in Talking Auckland; a special eye is being kept on the Herald on Sunday. Polling has been done (as alluded to on Facebook) and the numbers are apparently meant to be released (into the HoS) in regards to Brown vs Palino. Who fares what and how so? The Herald on Sunday should be telling us tomorrow with Talking Commentary to follow right behind it.

And finally why am I (naturally) more suspicious of the Right Wing than that of the Left Wing in our politics? I will reveal a bit more into my ideology and why despite being a Nat and a “Young Tory” (according to Russell Brown) I am often at wills against my own party. It will also reveal our political paradigm we actually have and how it is something else than rather Left vs Right.

All coming up as Talking Auckland continues commentary on the 2013 – Local Elections.

 

Update on Unitary Plan Submission Counts

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Thought You Might Want to Know

 

I just picked this up on Facebook (after the Great Facebook Crash of 2013) from Orakei Local Board Deputy Chair Mark Thomas in regards to an update on some of the Unitary Plan feedback and themes. While Mark has posted it on his page I will repost it here so it is a bit easier to read.

Update through on unitary plan submission numbers/issues.

They are still being collated but in terms of local board submissions, it’s now:

  • 2,074 from Devonport-Takapuna with 1,167 pro-forma; (56% pro-forma)
  • 1,663 from Orakei with 181 pro-forma; (11% pro-forma)
  • 1,468 from Albert-Eden with 46 pro-forma. (3% pro-forma)
  • Then Kaipatiki and Hibiscus & Bays on 1,354 and 1,314 (897 and 692 pro-forma). (66% and 51% respectively with Pro-Forma)

Counted numbers are at 15,710 but total is apparently around 22,000 (including social media comments!). Of course it’s quality that counts (!)

And the top “themes” submitted on are:
  • “Rezoning requests”,
  • followed by ‘Natural Environment”,
  • “Residential”
  • and “Transportation”.
  • Oddly, height (which doesn’t need speech marks because you know what it means) is not a theme submissions are being coded against….

And that is the latest at hand with the feedback and top themes so far.

Of course Mark’s post did attract comments including from me:

 

  • Ben Ross I’ll comment about the Pro-Forma’s later. But for the rest of it Mark it is a case of WTH? Okay so they are not codifying height so then I ask why is there an entire workshop around that particular issue today? Desley and Penny?

    As for Rezoning Requests can someone ask for Council to be extremely specific here. It is those in residential and rural zones wanting a change from say Mixed Housing back down to single housing, and Rural Zoning to full urban zoning. Is it Business zones being changed? Or are the Centres being asked to be up or downgraded from their current UP categories?
  • Desley Simpson Ben ask Penny- still on principles an hour late already – lots of discussion
    • Ben Ross Ask her to check her FB please then as I have tagged her. And an hour late already? Somewhat expected although still that deserves my  face
  • David Thornton Thanks for the update Mark – as I have been preaching from day 1 ‘Zoning is the critical issue’ because every piece of land in Auckland has been re-zoned in the draft UP, and that is a recipe for chaos.
  • Desley Simpson And officers still not able to feedback as we request for useful 
    input/ discussion
    • Ben Ross Yeah a bit pointless when not all 22,700 pieces (including Social Media (of which I made up around now 12% of total Social Media comments (ooops))) have been codified yet
  • Desley Simpson Indeed!!!

 

And at that I shall leave you with Captain Picard’s double face-palm moment – for when one face palm will simply not cut it

 

 

Record Month for the Blog

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NZ Blog Rankings Out

And the Open Parachute NZ blog rankings for May are out. Talking Auckland (formally BR:AKL) took 46th place for the month on the back of strong Unitary Plan coverage.

From Open Parachute:

May ’13 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking

46 Ben Ross: Auckland 4766 7815

It all seems we had plenty to talk about with the Unitary Plan – now closed for this round of feedback with BR:AKL leading the charge on the commentary from Day One (even while in Australia).

A massive thanks to the readers and those who commented. Big shout outs to Generation Zero, ATB, Russell Brown at Public Address and Metro Magazine for keeping the sanity and balance in the Unitary Plan commentary.

With the Unitary Plan to one-side and a hot topic issue now died down for now, it is a case of what next. There does not seem to be many things as “sexy” as the UP that stirs the passion of the city. While I will cover the 2013 Elections and resume coverage on transport and Port of Auckland, I ask the readers what are you looking for or want covered between now and the next round of Unitary Plan submissions (the formal notification).

Although again folks no I am not running for a Council seat on Auckland Council. My apologies there for this round. 2016 however – well I won’t rule that out 😉

Drop a comment below or leave an email.

Regards

Ben
Admin to Talking Auckland

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

Lets not Play Silly with the Unitary Plan

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Work with what we have please

I saw this from the much respect Councillor Fletcher this morning in regards to the Unitary Plan (it also has comments on it as well as it comes from Facebook):

The Unitary Plan should be withdrawn and replaced with a carefully staged approach that takes into full account critical infrastructure and the cost of growth. I hope the Mayor and CEO of Auckland Council will be willing to consider this with submissions on the ill conceived plan closing today. It would be throwing good money after bad to keep fiddling with this fundamentally flawed document. Better to scrap it and start again.
  • Matt van Tuinen Hear hear
  • Ben Ross While I hear you Christine have you asked the respective Ministers back in Wellington if such an exercise can be done? You of all people know that the UP is a creature of the Local Government Act (Auckland Governance) 2010 and procedures must be followed set out in that Act (let alone the RMA).

    Yes we might want to restart the UP again but is it “legal” to do so
  • Sharon Stewart I agree with Christine Fletcher the information the public have been asked to submit on has so many mistakes.. The question that needs to be asked is it legal to ask the community to submit on something with so many mistakes. Cameron BrewerDick QuaxGeorge Wood
  • Ben Ross So anyone going to ask the Local Government Minister, the Minister for the Environment and the Attorney General for a legal opinion on all this?
  • Sharon Stewart I am sure this will happen
  • Ben Ross Let me know when it does please 
  • Sharon Stewart Needs to be done before we waste more rate payers money. This is so important for Auckland to get it right.
    • Ben Ross Please do so ASAP. I have a 110 page submission sitting here on the UP as well as Clients’ submissions. None of us want our time (and money wasted) under taking the work we have done only for it to be “pointless” due to a total rewrite ordered
    • Sharon Stewart Better to rewrite and get it right.
    • Ben Ross Waiting
  • Gayatri Jaduram Do we have a legal definition for “Draft, Draft” ! 

 

So a pile of umming and ooo-ing over the Unitary Plan as the 5pm deadline comes and goes today on this feedback round. Thus far the Councillors pushing a rewrite seem non-committal to actually doing what I stated and contacting the relevant Ministers if they seriously want rewrite.

As I said “Please do so (get a rewrite ordered) ASAP. I have a 110 page submission sitting here on the UP as well as Clients’ submissions. None of us want our time (and money wasted) under taking the work we have done only for it to be “pointless” due to a total rewrite ordered”

Having just got my own submission and and helped my clients get theirs in I think we would be rightfully annoyed if a total rewrite was to occur now.

Councillors if they wanted the rewrite should have asked for one on March 16 when the plan was released. Not on May 31 when the first round of feedback is about to close (as I write this).\

I have said the Councillors have been particularly slow in some aspects of the UP. I am wondering if this call for a rewrite is them being slow again.

Not good enough if it is and was…

I and my clients do not appreciate our time being wasted due to slowness from the Governing Body…

Blog Undergoing Changes

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Some Changes You Might Notice

 

My apologies if you get a sudden fright from the change in looks of the blog. Ben Ross : Auckland is busy going through the changes as mentioned in the “To a Professional Era” post recently. This includes the name change to “Talking Auckland” and other changes to aspects like Twitter and Facebook they get rolled out.

 

The full suite of changes will be complete by May 31

 

Thank you for your patience as the blog undergoes the change over

 

Ben

Admin to Talking Auckland
(Formally BR:AKL)

Managing Director
TotaRim Consultancy Limited