Category: arts and culture
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Time to end Guy Fawkes?
Guy Fawkes day is fast approaching. It is that day of the year when we celebrate an act of terrorism that occurred on the other side of the world involving a direct attack on a democratic institution by burning fires and letting off combustible devices that scare domestic animals and threaten widespread fire. You may…
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Auckland Council’s emergency budget
The Emergency Budget consultation is now under way. Auckland Council’s budget consultation documents suggest there is no business as usual option for Auckland Council. And they are correct. But I am worried that the draft focusses entirely on financial matters and ignores the community and environmental repercussions of what is clearly an austerity budget. The…
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Then they came for public art
Two recent stories caught my attention. Apparently the barbarians in power in the United States and in Australia want to undermine and destroy public art. First in the USA the Trump Administration wishes to destroy the ability of the Federal Government to provide any public art. From Eve L Ewing at the New York Times:…
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December Chair’s report – what the Board wants to achieve this term.
At the inaugural meeting I set out eleven matters that I wanted the board to focus on this term. I thought I should repeat the list and then report on what is happening. These included: Climate change. Every decision we make should have a climate change filter applied to it. The marine environment. Our streams…