Month: September 2016
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The great Mayoral candidate social media face-off
We are now into the final two weeks of what been a very interesting local government campaign. The voting papers have been delivered and are being returned at a reasonable rate. Currently the rate of return is well ahead of where it was at the same time during the last election campaign. If this continues…
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Oil drilling in Maui’s dolphins habitat up for consultation again.
The yearly block offer for areas the oil industry may want to drill in is again open for consulation. The process has become a yearly flash point for opposition to off shore oil drilling. The offered area includes part of the Tasman Sea about 25 kilometres off the west Coast of the Waitakere Ranges. Theoretically we…
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The Unitary Plan is heading to the High Court
Auckland Council has passed the Unitary Plan. But now the appeal and review processes kick in. As at the end of the statutory mandated timeline there were 105 appeals or applications for review filed. One of them has been filed by the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society. It relates to the decision of the Hearings Panel…
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Should politics be kept out of Local Government?
I always thought this was an absurd proposition. Because like it or not Local Government is deeply political. Keeping politics out of politics may appeal to some but it is never going to happen. I am proudly standing as a Labour Party candidate this year. This is the first time that I have actually had…
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Dear Victoria Crone – about your climate change views …
Victoria Crone wants to be Mayor of the Super City. Her prospects do not appear good. She has two other right wing candidates in Mark Thomas and John Palino who occupy her end of the political spectrum and she is up against the might and experience of the Phil Goff campaign. Opinion polls suggest that…