Media release from Gwynn Compton
Kāpiti Coast commuter rail advocate Gwynn Compton has launched the Kāpiti-Horowhenua Commuter Rail Campaign, which has the goal of getting the Government and regional councils to invest in an ambitious and accelerated plan to extend and expand the range of commuter rail services available to people living in Kāpiti, Horowhenua, and eventually Manawatu as well. Read more »
by Peter Dunne
In a tough battle for re-election as U.S. President in 1948, Harry Truman decided the best way to defend his record was to attack those preventing him from fulfilling his agenda. So, he took to lambasting the Republican-controlled Congress as the “Know nothing, do nothing” 80th Congress whenever and wherever he spoke. The tactic worked and was a strong contributor to his stunning victory in the election. Read more »
by Ian Apperley
In my last article, I wrote about the Wellington City Council facing stasis after 120 days of being in office. The question is why? There are unintended consequences to a lack of ability to create change, and we are starting to see those. Read more »
by Conor Hill
At the Chamber of Commerce this week, National MP Chris Bishop outlined his party’s high level vision for Wellington (and NZ) transport. Frightened that the intellectual rigor mortis that afflicts that organisation might be contagious, I did not attend. And after reading reports on the speech (here, and here, and here), it sounds like it was either a bit of absurdist comedy or utter fantasy. Read more »
by Ian Apperley
It’s been 120 days since the City Council elections and progress has been lacking. Issues from the campaign trail remain live and problems unanswered. Shelly Bay, traffic congestion, ageing and collapsing infrastructure, housing, and the continued closure of buildings in the CBD due to earthquake issues…. Read more »
News from NZ Labour Party
Labour MP for Mana, Kris Faafoi, has today announced he will run as a list candidate at this year’s election in order to make way for a new Labour MP in Mana. Read more »
by Lindsay Shelton
We’re due to see the engineers’ report on the closed Central Library this month. Read more »
by Lindsay Shelton
What a difference between the Wellington and Hutt approaches to wastewater infrastructure problems. In the capital, new mayor Andy Foster has been quoted as saying it’s “appallingly bad luck” that two of his city’s major sewage pipelines collapsed within a month of each other. The new mayor of Hutt City has taken a tougher stance. Read more »
News from Wellington Regional Council
Metlink is refreshing its Wellington City bus timetables from Sunday, to improve reliability and better match customer demand with available driver and bus resources amid national driver shortages. Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter says in the lead up to these changes, 14 Tranzurban operated services that were suspended are now reinstated. Read more »
Report from RNZ
Asked about his first hundred days, Wellington’s new Mayor Andy Foster said that while the recount was a bit of a distraction, he got stuck into the job straight away, with the first decision being to appoint a new chief executive. Read more »
