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Laidlaw must learn
Gee, some politicians won’t learn will they? The new GWRC Chairman Chris Laidlaw; reasonable at rugger, rubbish at politics, has ignored the resounding smashing voters gave his supercity proposal to...
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Why big arguments cost you more than small ones
Hutt City has announced one of the lower rate rises in the region; 2.7% for residents and a 0.6% reduction for businesses. In contrast, the Auckland Supercity rates are going up an average 10%. Looks...
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Supercity junk accounting
When we witnessed the enthusiasm of some Hawkes Bay amalgamites we thought they might know something we don’t about supercities. The first argument they mounted, this week, shows they know next to...
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Yule be right, not
Lawrence Yule-be-right supported claims by Better Hawkes Bay that $1m would be saved in staff cuts following a merger. We showed yesterday why that simplistic and optimistic accounting is bollocks. But...
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Supercity facts and dream worlds
Hawke’s Bay amalgamite Rebecca Turner is fitting the mold of rose-tinted supercity advocates. She promotes her dream world where politicians and bureaucrats in an enlarged regional government don’t...
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GWRC about to end?
Local Government Minister Paula Bennett has a new wheeze; to bring an end of regional councils. Fresh from her two-year failure to amalgamate regions, she told the Local Government NZ conference that...
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Politicians, a weird mob
When arch-amalgamation supporter, and conflicted President of Local Government, Lawrence Yule got married last week, the wedding sheet was headed with the words “Sweet Amalgamation”. It’s a strange...
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Same hype, same amalgamation
If the Hawkes Bay amalgamation proposal is different to the one dumped in Wellington, why are it’s promoters using the same reasons for supporting it? In the Wellington debate, supercity shysters...
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Dominion Post was wrong in supercity debate
The Dominion Post has failed to explain why it campaigned for 2-3 years for a supercity, against the wishes of up to 80% of its readers. In a June editorial, the Dominion Post said Fran Wilde’s...
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Best international cities are not amalgamated
A new report shows that the world’s best performing international cities have nothing to do with amalgamation. Auckland, that place we were told would be saved by amalgamating into a supercity, is...
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Researchers: Auckland supercity same as Hawkes Bay
Refuting the protestations of Hawkes Bay amalgamites, a seminar of researchers has declared that the amalgamation proposal for that region is very similar to the Auckland model. The experts say the...
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Awesome slam of uppity pollies
The high and mighty supporting amalgamation got slammed as hypocrites yesterday by Hastings district Councillor Simon Nixon. Nixon rightly pointed out that the elitists saying amalgamation provides...
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Bennett’s ginormous lie
Paula Bennett has turned down the opportunity to back up her words that she wouldn’t force communities to amalgamate. A Bill was in front of Parliament this week that would return legislation to how it...
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Auckland amalgamation increases salaries
Nearly 2000 Auckland council employees have a six-figure annual income according to figures released by Councillor Cameron Brewer. Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Jo Holmes, says the recent rates hike...
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Auckland playing field victim of amalgamation
More proof has emerged about how amalgamated councils lose touch with the community. The latest is the coach of a children’s football team on Auckland’s North Shore who mowed the long grass on a field...
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Hawkes Bay kills amalgamation
They did not ask for it, and they don’t want it: the public of Hawke’s Bay has voted 66% against amalgamation. The immediate conclusion is that amalgamation across the country is dead. Everything has...
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Amalgamation backers should apologise
The fools who started and ran the Hawke’s Bay amalgamation campaign, putting everyone to so much trouble over something they never asked for, should apologise. There was NO mass movement in the Hawke’s...
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Govt response to vote: screw you
The message from the Government following the Hawkes Bay vote against amalgamation has been that the views of the public don’t matter. Minister Paula Bennett has given two messages; that the poll was...
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Rotorua amalgamation opposed
More evidence is emerging that communities around the country are not interested in amalgamation of local authorities. Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick says a poll showing 91% of the public want to vote...
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Auckland now 2 x more inefficient
Amalgamation of Auckland was meant to save money and make delivery of services more efficient. New numbers are proving it is twice as inefficient as previously. The original seven Councils had about...
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