Auckland City swings in behind transport recommendations to Government

Tonight the Auckland City Council unanimously supported the core recommendations of the Chief Executives’ report to the region’s eight councils evaluating the Government’s transport funding and governance proposals, announced on 12 December.

“Auckland City councillors from both sides of the political spectrum are singing largely from the same song sheet when it comes to funding and completing our transport network with urgency,” said Auckland City Mayor John Banks.

“Furthermore, councils from across the region over the coming week are likely to follow, putting their weight in behind this report’s sound and sensible recommendations.

“We are committed to working closely with the Government to move the transport package forward. We must get the right mechanisms to do the right job and with urgency.”

Auckland City Council strongly supports the recommendation to introduce new funding mechanisms such as road pricing to help bridge the remaining 40 per cent funding gap. As well, the implementation of the extra 5c per litre in fuel tax should be brought forward.

The Auckland City Council also supports the need to get on and build the network while the regional land transport strategy and the respective district plans are being updated, not after.

Councillors echoed the CEOs’ concerns over the proposed new governance structure, strongly supporting the functions of key government agencies Transit and Trackco being integrated into ARTA (the new Auckland Regional Transport Authority).

“The imminent ratification of the chief executives’ report by the region’s city and district councils will send a strong unified message to Wellington on how best to complete Auckland’s motorway network with integrated public transport over the next decade.

“The Auckland City Council is one of the first out of the blocks to put our hands up in support of the chief executives’ recommendations. For the sake of the region’s future prosperity, I look forward to the other local territorial authorities coming in behind with their support,” said Mr Banks.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>