They've been in office for over a year now, and they are still just tinkering around the edges. The goddamn councils have been bumping rates (annual property based local taxes) by 3x-8x the rate of inflation for years. My rates have almost triplets over 9 years.
We have mayors in office who have support from less than 20% of their constituents at local elections.
And they spend our money on shit like drag Queen story hour for kids in libraries, or rainbow pedestrian crossings, or on refurbishing their offices. But they don't collect the trash, they don't maintain the roads, they impose idiotic local traffic speed limits, I dream up restrictions on land based on fake climate change science.
In NZ, councils are the operational arm of the deep state. And they are funded by homeowners money.
This is a pathetic, weak ass, lame effort by our WEF loving cuckservative government.
Yes, I agree, and I maintain that this initiative is directly challenging all the vanity projects that councils have spent the ever-increasing ratepayers money on. They get themselves in debt, and then HAVE TO raise the rates. For example, I mentioned the architecturally designed, and challenging to build, toilet block that trapped wheelchair-users inside, because the council didn't bother to run the plans past the Building Team (so annoying and it's only for the council -we'll save money this way). Any competent processor would have picked up the lack of wheelchair turning-space issue from plans. The peeps upstairs didn't think that some fancy toilets needed any supervision. After all, they spent a fortune on the architect, and their building-mate. And why did it have to be so fancy? The thought was that fancy amaze-balls toilets would encourage tourists to stop for a while - maybe they'd partake in the vibrant lunch-bars and stationary shops. They also cut down an avenue of plane trees to put the concrete sea around the toilets (good work for the roading team during Covid, yeah?), and reduced the lanes of traffic so that it would 'slow down' the tourists. Social engineering at its finest, with propaganda about 'reaching for the stars' or something. Hardly inviting, and very annoying to the locals, who went out of business due to the roadworks. An ordinary toilet-block (which they demolished, because graffiti costs sooo much to remove) would have continued to serve customers using those shops. Just saying.
Oh what about the council carpark building in Tauranga? A clued-up inspector found that all sorts of regulations had been broken including an alarming lack of reinforcing steel and bracing, and ordered it removed. It was hubris, and stupidity, that led to that disaster of a multi-million dollar money-pit.
But then, councils were never meant to be property developers and they certainly are not trained to assess bids from contractors - it takes a dipoma in quantity surveying - so the elected members pick their mates, who may be in over their heads, or seeking to make a few short-cuts, as no inspector will pick up what they are up to. No-one told the ratepayers that they must vote for a quantity surveyor, or a even building inspector, LOL. So the privilege of building infrastructure should be taken away from Local councils. As you say, councils must pick up rubbish, maintain parks, pick up stray dogs, fix local roads etc. Very boring compared to commissioning shiny new buildings or green, inclusive playgrounds.
But, I get what you are saying about Luxon the WEF-baby.
How many times have we scratched our heads when councils make 'cycle-lanes' (hardly anyone cycles in NZ, you just about cannot get a job if you don't have transport - cars work), or in my town they made a set of very fancy toilets, that even trapped the wheelchair users inside, but I digress.
When Clark brought in the '4 wellbeings', suddenly the councillors become ultra-creative property developers (with no experience, also known as a kakistocracy) and they have project management teams to oversee the 'social development' or 'community wellbeing' project. Add to that the 'green' projects that recycled waste instead of sending it to a sewer and treatment plants (a treatment plant in the basement), or incorporated toxic waste into the concrete, to gain 'credits'. What about that project where they used chopped-up cartyres as playground surfaces? NVM about that. Kids love playing on dirty old rubber (My kids aboided those places like the plague, just saying, they preferred beach-sand, on the beach)
So NZ's government is making the councils go back to basics.
The statistics they are using are: that rates went up more dramatically after Helen Clark brought in the 'four well-beings'.
Ratepayers want water, rubbish collection and potholes fixed. Keep the library going. Keep the pools safe - that sort of thing.
NOT statues, architecturally designed toilets, cycle lanes instead of parking, cafe-zones for 'vibrancy'; viewing platforms in the middle of a town with a view of rusty iron roofs, etc. etc.
The Union Jack is most commonly seen in New Zealand when a member of the royal family, or another distinguished British guest, is visiting. However, I am not aware that this is the case. Government and official events can display such a military/naval ceremonial flag: To show respect for the British monarch and the UK-New Zealand relationship.
They've been in office for over a year now, and they are still just tinkering around the edges. The goddamn councils have been bumping rates (annual property based local taxes) by 3x-8x the rate of inflation for years. My rates have almost triplets over 9 years.
We have mayors in office who have support from less than 20% of their constituents at local elections.
And they spend our money on shit like drag Queen story hour for kids in libraries, or rainbow pedestrian crossings, or on refurbishing their offices. But they don't collect the trash, they don't maintain the roads, they impose idiotic local traffic speed limits, I dream up restrictions on land based on fake climate change science.
In NZ, councils are the operational arm of the deep state. And they are funded by homeowners money.
This is a pathetic, weak ass, lame effort by our WEF loving cuckservative government.
Yes, I agree, and I maintain that this initiative is directly challenging all the vanity projects that councils have spent the ever-increasing ratepayers money on. They get themselves in debt, and then HAVE TO raise the rates. For example, I mentioned the architecturally designed, and challenging to build, toilet block that trapped wheelchair-users inside, because the council didn't bother to run the plans past the Building Team (so annoying and it's only for the council -we'll save money this way). Any competent processor would have picked up the lack of wheelchair turning-space issue from plans. The peeps upstairs didn't think that some fancy toilets needed any supervision. After all, they spent a fortune on the architect, and their building-mate. And why did it have to be so fancy? The thought was that fancy amaze-balls toilets would encourage tourists to stop for a while - maybe they'd partake in the vibrant lunch-bars and stationary shops. They also cut down an avenue of plane trees to put the concrete sea around the toilets (good work for the roading team during Covid, yeah?), and reduced the lanes of traffic so that it would 'slow down' the tourists. Social engineering at its finest, with propaganda about 'reaching for the stars' or something. Hardly inviting, and very annoying to the locals, who went out of business due to the roadworks. An ordinary toilet-block (which they demolished, because graffiti costs sooo much to remove) would have continued to serve customers using those shops. Just saying.
Oh what about the council carpark building in Tauranga? A clued-up inspector found that all sorts of regulations had been broken including an alarming lack of reinforcing steel and bracing, and ordered it removed. It was hubris, and stupidity, that led to that disaster of a multi-million dollar money-pit.
But then, councils were never meant to be property developers and they certainly are not trained to assess bids from contractors - it takes a dipoma in quantity surveying - so the elected members pick their mates, who may be in over their heads, or seeking to make a few short-cuts, as no inspector will pick up what they are up to. No-one told the ratepayers that they must vote for a quantity surveyor, or a even building inspector, LOL. So the privilege of building infrastructure should be taken away from Local councils. As you say, councils must pick up rubbish, maintain parks, pick up stray dogs, fix local roads etc. Very boring compared to commissioning shiny new buildings or green, inclusive playgrounds.
But, I get what you are saying about Luxon the WEF-baby.
This announcement is huge.
How many times have we scratched our heads when councils make 'cycle-lanes' (hardly anyone cycles in NZ, you just about cannot get a job if you don't have transport - cars work), or in my town they made a set of very fancy toilets, that even trapped the wheelchair users inside, but I digress.
When Clark brought in the '4 wellbeings', suddenly the councillors become ultra-creative property developers (with no experience, also known as a kakistocracy) and they have project management teams to oversee the 'social development' or 'community wellbeing' project. Add to that the 'green' projects that recycled waste instead of sending it to a sewer and treatment plants (a treatment plant in the basement), or incorporated toxic waste into the concrete, to gain 'credits'. What about that project where they used chopped-up cartyres as playground surfaces? NVM about that. Kids love playing on dirty old rubber (My kids aboided those places like the plague, just saying, they preferred beach-sand, on the beach)
So NZ's government is making the councils go back to basics.
The statistics they are using are: that rates went up more dramatically after Helen Clark brought in the 'four well-beings'.
Ratepayers want water, rubbish collection and potholes fixed. Keep the library going. Keep the pools safe - that sort of thing.
NOT statues, architecturally designed toilets, cycle lanes instead of parking, cafe-zones for 'vibrancy'; viewing platforms in the middle of a town with a view of rusty iron roofs, etc. etc.
Note also the Union Jack with tassles.
The Union Jack is most commonly seen in New Zealand when a member of the royal family, or another distinguished British guest, is visiting. However, I am not aware that this is the case. Government and official events can display such a military/naval ceremonial flag: To show respect for the British monarch and the UK-New Zealand relationship.