Showing posts with label Local Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Local Politics. Show all posts

Nov 7, 2008

Welly Slip Up?

If you were running a supposedly prestigious awards evening would you allow the owner of a couple of brothels to present the award in the Youth category???

We guess it is in keeping with today's Boobs on Bikes Parade and the opening of the Capital's first sex expo.........................

Nov 6, 2008

Winnie Has Won

Yes, Winnie Laban tonight won the Government section of the Wellingtonian of the Year Awards.

Winnie has had a tough year with her fight against cancer. She has continued to work hard for her constituency and New Zealand. She wants to make this a better place. It is a great shame she has not been a Minister inside Cabinet. Cabinet could have done with her wisdom.

Well done Winnie. We think you will hold Mana.

Oct 3, 2008

Workers' Party Takes Over Another Union

Jasmine Freemantle to led VUWSA in 2009
Workers' Party member Jasmine Freemantle was elected President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) for 2009 last night.
Freemantle was elected by a comfortable majority over her Labour Party rival Sonny Thomas, after a heated campaign that fuelled the highest voter turn out in a VUWSA election since the early 1990s.


Who is the sweet smelling Jasmine's partner??? None other that Tramways Union Chief Nick Kelly!!!

The peoples' flag is deepest red, it shroudeth Nick and Jasmine's bed..

Sep 30, 2008

Rename Roar Prawn Raw Porn

Look at this, a male run blog would be condemned. And it is not the first time! Whaleoil was for his girls with guns series. Shame on you Raw Porn for your use of nudity to boost your ratings.

WCC Lays Facts Bare

Roar Prawn may be upset by this


Clarification re nudity on Wellington beaches

Today's Dominion Post story, headed 'Capital's beaches open to nudists', is somewhat misleading. Wellington's beaches aren't 'open to nudists' despite the fact the City Council has removed and replaced an old bylaw relating to the requirement to wear suitable bathing costumes on beaches and other public places in the city.

Under the Local Government Act 2001, Wellington City Council, along with all other local authorities, is required to review and update its bylaws - especially if they contain complicated wording that's difficult to understand, or if they no longer are relevant.

Earlier this year the Council reviewed a number of bylaws - including the old Harbour, Beaches and Foreshore Bylaw - which, in part, required all persons over 8 years of age who were on, or swam at, a beach to wear a swimsuit or clothes. The wording of the old bylaw was 'clunky' and not really suitable for the 21st century.

The review was a fully public process and included extensive public consultation in April - and then submissions to Council meetings before the final decision on the bylaws was made in June.

Admittedly a review of bylaws is not something that usually excites the community greatly - but we received no submissions relating to beach nudity.

The removal of the old bylaw does not mean that people can freely remove all their clothes on any city beach.

If someone removes all their clothes on Oriental Bay beach, for example, and then offends other beach users, the Police could be called and could require the person to put their clothes back on. The Summary Offences Act can be used by the Police to enforce this.

Nudity is really not an issue on beaches in Wellington City - and we're not expecting a sudden rampant increase in nudity as a result of the withdrawal of the bylaw. Generally, for example, people do not go fully nude on Oriental Bay beach.

It is quite well known that the isolated north-eastern end of Breaker Bay Beach, on the South Coast, is Wellington's 'unofficial' nude beach. Because it takes a long and arduous walk through soft sand to get to the beach, relatively few people go there and so people generally are free to sunbathe nude without causing trouble.

For further details please contact:
Richard MacLean, City Council Communications, tel 04 801 3578 or 021 227 8180.

No Need To Travel To Kapiti: Nudists Welcome In Wellington And Not Just On The Beaches

What will this do for Oriental Bay property prices? Will the residents be able to cope?

Shock news today that nudists are welcome on Wellington beaches too, including Oriental Bay. But things get better - there is no bylaw stopping people going nude anywhere in the city!

This summer could become a real eye-opener with nudists legally allowed to strut their stuff on Wellington beaches, including the golden sands of Oriental Bay.
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council had "quietly got rid of" an old bylaw that required beach-goers over the age of eight to wear swimming togs or clothes.
"There is a bit of topless sunbathing on Oriental Bay Beach but generally people tend to keep their swimming kit on when on busy beaches.
"So the old bylaw was of no use and was not enforced by council staff. We don't have apparel enforcement officers."
The move means the council has no bylaws on its books that expressly prohibit nudity - not just on beaches but anywhere in the city.

Sep 26, 2008

Poneke On The Bus Dispute

Poneke has a very interesting post up today based on feedback he has received from a Go Wellington driver. The comments on Union Boss Nick Kelly are most revealing

The general public also need to get all their facts straight as the media and the union hasn’t been putting the correct facts out there. I voted in favour of the deal and think the rest of the driving staff are idiots, especially since they look up to Nick Kelly.
Nick Kelly has never done anything for them. He doesn’t even try to get to know them. He comes in for his break at 11am and you never see him until 3pm when he goes out again. Never stops to talk to anyone. He’s only in it for his own personal gain. I for one will be resigning from the Tramways Union. Phil Griffiths
[the former union secretary, who died in June] would have never let it all pan out the way it ended up panning out at such an early stage.

Remember that the Standard and Frogblog both supported the Tramways Union action.

Sep 25, 2008

New Record

3,655 unique visits today. We thought that Winston's many lies was good for readership! But Nick Kelly Communist Union Boss is pretty good also. If you have not viewed the video we linked to earlier today you should. This certainly circulated around town and surprise, surprise by 5pm the two parties were back at the table, with the focus on a solution for Wellington workers, as opposed to world revolution. We are now more hopeful of an outcome!

Shame on the Labour Party and Green Party for supporting this dangerous twat! If you have not watched the video you should (down the bottom of the page).

Nick Kelly - Union Boss

We have managed to track down that video we recall seeing last year when Nick Kelly was standing for Mayor. It is down the bottom of this page. It is well worth a viewing. Do you believe that this guy is really fighting for the best interests of the average bus driver or do you think he has a wider agenda? Remember, The Standard has endorsed the current strike being led by Nick Kelly.

The Greens are also supportive.

Labour Supports Strike

The Communist instigated bus strike that is causing chaos in Wellington seems to be endorsed by the Labour Party. The official Labour Party Blog - The Standard has this blast from the past.

We thought that official Labour policy was to focus on raising productivity, not blackmail, to raise wages


Wellington bus drivers are striking this morning and good on them. I was happy to find my own way to work today. The company, GO Wellington, is claiming the drivers claim of 12% is too much in “these economic times”
But talk of percentages is nothing but a red herring when the basic truth is these drivers are paid less than $13 an hour for a skilled and stressful job. After tax that means about 20 hours of work a week just to rent an average room in Wellington and two hours just to buy a kilo block of cheese. An adult movie ticket? Another two hours. A tank of petrol for an average car? Another ten hours.
As we’ve
said again and again we have a problem with low wages in New Zealand and tax cuts are not going to help that. What is going to help that is raising wages and it’s good to see Wellington bus drivers doing what they can to make that happen because under the current market-driven labour-laws nobody else will.

How many drivers are actually on $13 an hour?

What do Annette King and Grant Robertson think about this?

Sep 24, 2008

Why We Don't Like Communists

They try and collectivise, then they use the collectivisation to screw us.

This is just what is happening right now on the buses.

Those out of Wellington may not know that we are currently being held ransom by the Tramways Union. Buses stopped working today on the morning commute. Even school children were left stranded by these arseholes. And guess who heads this union? This from Poneke

Militant Workers Party activist Nick Kelly has become the new president of the Wellington Tramways Union, the union representing Go Wellington bus drivers.
Nick joined Go Wellington as a bus driver last year. His little-publicised ascension to the union leadership this month is very likely associated with the escalation in the pay dispute between Go Wellington and its drivers, which saw drivers take industrial action in today’s morning peak hour and the company responding by announcing it would lock out the drivers from 5.30am tomorrow.
Nick is an idealistic young man who has been associated with radical causes for years. In 2001 he was sacked as Labour MP Paul Swain’s electorate chair for protesting against a free trade deal.
“I joined Labour when I was 14 years old, naively believing it to be a left-wing party,”
he wrote in an article published on Scoop the following year.
In 2006 he was president of the Victoria University Students Association. When he was defeated in his bid for re-election, he accused the Labour government of mounting a conspiracy against him. When he stood for the Wellington mayoralty last year, he said the Workers Party goal was “to help build the socialist left and fight to end the capitalist system.”


There was some good video up on this little prick Kelly from the last Mayoralty race unfortunately it seems to have been taken down. it was frightening stuff, except for those who thought he was joking....

Sep 15, 2008

Nudists To Flock To Kapiti Coast

Front page news in the Dominion Post. Opinion poll results? The contuing damage being done by Saarah Palin to the Democrats? No. News that the Kapiti Coast, from Raumati beach to Otaki beach is about to become one of the world's longest nudist beaches. Lewd behavior - undefined - will not be tolerated however. This might be reference to the goings on at the well names Peka Peka beach over the past 10 years or so. The draft bylaw allowing all this will shortly be going out for public consultation. Should make for interesting times.....

Sep 12, 2008

Nasty Socialist Legislation A Backward Step For Consumers And The Economy

Several bus operators seem to share our concern over the nasty socialist transport legislation that was passed with the support of parties who should know better. From this morning's NZ Herald

But NZ Bus, which has taken over the former Stagecoach fleets in both Auckland and Wellington, says businesses will become less willing to invest in public transport because the legislation will allow the authority - or regional councils in other centres - to do away with commercial services and take "unfettered" control.
"This is a backward step for the travelling public," said chief executive Bruce Emson.
"Should we lose control of our business, there will be no incentive to innovate or invest."
He said operators would be obliged to focus on the lowest-cost provision of the lowest-standard service as defined by regional authorities, making it harder to persuade New Zealanders to get out of their cars.
"All investment in better services, new technologies and buses would be at the expense of ratepayers or not happen at all."
Bus and Coach Association chief executive Raewyn Bleakley said many members were very concerned about their future.
"I have been in touch with most of the large operators throughout the country today and it's clear they will all be looking carefully at investing in new capital and taking business risks in the uncertain environment they now face," she said.

Sep 11, 2008

Strong Support For Snapper Card In Dominion Post Poll

It was good to see 75% of those who voted in the Domnion Post poll have positive feelings about the Snapper card. We continue to use a card regularly to pay the bus fare and to buy coffee, lunch, the paper etc. Far more convenient than EFTPOS for small transactions. Just a swipe, no pin required.

Sep 10, 2008

Nationalisation Of Auckland Transport

We at The Hive have been concerned about the near passage of the Public Transport Management Act. This is nasty socialist legislation and amazingly some media reports are suggesting that ACT is supporting its passage. We are not nearly as concerned as Infratil, however. Lloyd Morrison expresses his views in this morning's NZ Herald

Some Auckland commentators and politicians want a return to complete public control of public transport.
They seem to believe that the requirement for private operators to make a profit is intrinsically wrong, and that local authorities, relieved of any need to deliver a return on money invested, could deliver better, lower-cost services.
The proponents of public control of public transport will have a hard time winning support from anyone who remembers the run-down municipal bus services that used to be on offer to Aucklanders.
The model of centralised control was changed because it did not work. The current revisiting of this model is getting in the way of service improvements as Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), NZ Bus, and everyone else in the industry focuses resources on the Public Transport Amendment Bill which is Government's response to agitation for more public control.
The debate today should be about efficiency, not rehashing the philosophy of centralised ownership. We consider that a long-term private investor, accountable both to regional authorities and to shareholders, has the greatest incentive to deliver attractive, efficient services.

Sep 7, 2008

What Will A Super Auckland Mean For Wellington?

Does it make sense for Auckland to be rationalised from seven city and regional councils to one and Wellington left with nine councils? No. Look forward to a super council in Wellington also. And as rate payers look forward to millions in savings.

We actually have a super Wellington it in the Regional Council. It does transport, it does water, it does economic development. It won't take to much to transfer the rest. Lets hope Fran Wilde stays on for a term to see through implementation of this essential reform.

Prepare For The Super-City

The Sunday Star Times is today reporting the following

AUCKLAND IS likely to become a single super-city under the biggest shake-up of local government in two decades.
A decision on the future of the region's seven city and district councils and one regional council is due on December 1, but is widely expected to be delayed until April or May.
Top-level sources within local government say the most likely outcome of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance is a single unitary authority with 20 community councils, as a way of ending rivalries within the region.
The country's longest-serving mayor, Sir Barry Curtis, is believed to be in line for a job as a temporary commissioner during 2010 and 2011 to oversee the transition.


We are strong supporters of this concept.

Therewas a very interesting item on Christ Laidlaw's programme this morning on Auckland's urban planning and form and what has gone wrong. Well worth a listen.

Sep 6, 2008

To The Point

Comment from page B4 of today's Dominion Post

"So the mayor of Lower Hutt admires Winston Peters' "brand of courage" (letters Sept 2). God save the citizens of Lower Hutt and thank God i'm not one of them."

W G Clayton, Parararaumu

We agree.

Sep 4, 2008

Wellington Gets Two RWC Quarter Finals

Good news for Wellington today. And well done Kerry Prendergast and WCC for your good work on this

Wellington is set to be named today as the venue for two quarterfinals at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The decision, which was to be rubber-stamped by the International Rugby Board in Dublin last night, will give a huge boost to the city, bringing about $24 million into the region.
But it could cost the New Zealand Rugby Union about $10 million in lost gate revenue because Wellington's Westpac Stadium and AMI Stadium in Christchurch, venue for the other two quarterfinals, are smaller than Auckland's Eden Park.
There were bids from five cities for the quarterfinals, the others being Hamilton, North Shore and Auckland. The semifinals and final, and possibly the playoff for third, will be at Eden Park.

Sep 3, 2008

Huge Support For Transmission Gully

From Stuff this morning

The improved Transmission Gully route appears to have huge support, with nearly 90 per cent of the almost 2400 submitters giving it the green light.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said yesterday that it had received 2360 submissions on the preferred route, announced two months ago after two years of investigations and geotechnical studies.
Submissions on the route closed last week and staff are now analysing each one, with minor changes to the route expected before a final plan is taken to the Transport Agency's board at the end of the year.
They offer unequivocal support for the cheaper, environmentally friendly route, with 88.5 per cent of submitters saying they support the proposal and another 4.2 per cent saying they "don't mind".
Slightly more than 7 per cent - or 173 submissions - oppose it.
"It's nice to see that people agree with the work we have done," project manager Rob Whight said. "We've asked them `do you agree?' and they've come back and overwhelming said `yes'."