Liberal Prime Minister recognises the importance of the City From the Planning Institute of Australia Planners applaud return of cities to frontbench prominence Australia’s peak body for urban and … Continue reading Australia Gets a Minister for Cities and Built Environment. New Zealand? Stuck Somewhere in the Past?
After Richard Prebble made his case with rail (Prebble on Rail – Commit To It!) our largest freight mover – Mainfreight has also made its call for more on rail. Given that Mainfreight is what I would consider an authority on moving our freight around AND uses both truck and rail (even has its own private rail sidings in Otahuhu and Southdown) the Government and Labour should pay attention to what they say. Sadly though given the performance of both National and Labour through history I know they won’t.
But let’s see what Mainfreight had to say. From The NBR:
Mainfreight [NZX: MFT] chairman Bruce Plested has criticised what he says is the government’s lack of a national transport plan, throwing his support behind state-owned rail operator KiwiRail and calling it an integral part of the infrastructure.
Speaking to shareholders at today’s annual meeting in Auckland, Mr Plested said the government and the Treasury had treated rail appallingly since it was sold in 1992 and repurchased in 2006, and that policymakers lack a strategy for transport infrastructure considering road, rail and ports.
“Without rail, our opportunities for passenger transport are restricted, our desperation for more roads intensifies to the point of impossibility, and our options for port locations become hopelessly restricted,” Plested said. “How on earth could the Treasury not see these connections, and our government not see the need for an overall strategy?”
Plested, who last year donated $35,000 to the National Party and $100,000 to the Maori Party, was responding to Treasury advice to the government this year recommending closing major parts of the rail network.
Earlier this month, fellow Mainfreight director Richard Prebble, who oversaw widespread job cuts when he was railways minister in the 1980s, wrote an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald newspaper urging officials to reassess the cost of forcing freight to use roads and the congestion it would cause.
Managing director Don Braid said the company was a strong supporter of rail, with current and future roading not capable of meeting Mainfreight’s needs, according to presentation slides accompanying his speech.
Mr Braid said the company wants more positive support for long-term rail infrastructure, and Mainfreight is continuing to invest in facilities at or near rail-serviced property..
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Source and full article: http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/mainfreight-throws-weight-behind-kiwirail-laments-lack-national-transport-strategy-b-176311
Again it comes down to a few things:
So with Auckland’s productivity continuing to drop (mainly due to transport) we have two choices and rather simple choices at that:
We know rail is more efficient than trucks for freight Question Time is usually a dull affair most days but often you get a gem that catches your attention. Such … Continue reading Bridges Contradicts Government Policy Since the 1950s
Basic – START BASIC I have been watching the Housing Warrant of Fitness debate with considerable interest. As a start I propose the following to apply on all residential dwellings: … Continue reading Housing WoF
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You know when our National Government is behind the 8-ball when this happens out of Victoria:
And this is the first Budget for the Labor Victorian State Government and one that even produces a $1.5 billion surplus (approximate) straight off the bat first go.
Our Government lags badly if Victoria and for that matter New South Wales can invest heavily into actual transport projects (along side their Councils) and still run that magical Budget Surplus to boot…..
Sir Bob Harvey tells lower North Island of amalgamation “benefits” I saw this one pop up thanks to Councillor Cathy Casey. From The Wairarapa Times: Two super-city meetings next … Continue reading Really Bob?
I would argue ‘No.’ You often hear it being touted and it was done so in the weekend. That Auckland is booming and the provinces of New Zealand … Continue reading Does moving jobs from Auckland to the rural communities help either?
Earlier this week the Auditor General released a rather damning report against both our central and local governments about addressing infrastructure needs for New Zealand (not just Auckland). Now by infrastructure I am talking about physical which includes but often most forgotten until something goes wrong fresh water, waste water, and storm water.
This extract from Bob Dey:
Mrs Provost warned that population shifts could make some communities unable to continue paying to maintain basic services such as sewers & water supply, while growth in others – such as Auckland – would need to match housing, working & services very carefully to avoid failure.
New Zealand’s economy for the past 200 years has been mostly about growth, although removal of some services such as post offices from rural towns, starting in the 1980s, was a warning about what might befall small communities.
Mrs Provost’s report, Water & roads: Funding & management challenges, was presented to Parliament yesterday, along with findings from research carried out by the NZ Institute of Economic Research that provides an historical perspective of local government investment trends, the forecast investment outlook and observations on differences in investment between regions.
The economic research showed infrastructure investment came in waves, creating investment “echoes”, and that large renewal cycles were pending.
Ironically, there’s been a tendency to underspend infrastructure budgets. Mrs Provost gave some explanation of this – that visible assets such as roads did need more frequent renewal than underground pipes. But, in short, her report can be summed up thus:
Implicit in the report is a requirement to examine funding: Underground infrastructure is funded locally, roads & bridges nationally.
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Source and full post: http://www.propbd.co.nz/auditor-general-issues-blunt-warning-infrastructure/
The Auditor General’s Infrastructure Report can be seen below:
Further commentary on this at a subsequent podcast
Due to Slightly Left of Centre now being a private blog any reblogs I have done from that site will no longer show up here in Talking Auckland.
Out of my control folks sorry
Talking Southern Auckland 