Friday, May 26th, 2006

Comments of ARC parks chairman out of line

ARC parks chairman Sandra Coney has added to the gathering storm over the ARC by the use of ratepayer's money to fund a belated objection to a building consent approved by the Environment Court. (A2, NZ Herald, 25/5/2006)

"The politics of envy is driving Ms Coney and her ARC associates by continuing to oppose the consent given to Mr Rae Ah Chee to build his retirement house at Pakiri," said Alasdair Thompson, chief executive of the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern).

"This comes hot on the heels of ARC chairman Mike Lee's objection to the special zoning sought for a canal village at Clevedon.

"It's another case of councillors abusing the powers of the ARC to carry out their personal agendas; councils must follow due process, and councillors should not descend to deceit and undemocratic behaviour.

"Ms Coney's attitude to Mr Ah Chee is anti-success and anti-development.

"Her derogatory description of the plan as a 'trophy house' shows she is unable to think of a serious environmental objection to it.

"The Environment Court is no pushover in environmental matters and it has approved the subdivision and the house being built on it.

"A former ARC Councillor has drawn our attention to a survey by the council, which won an international award, and which clearly showed the region has an abundance of green space per person and will have for decades to come. It seems the ARC has quickly forgotten it.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

Budget 2013 Comment: Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup Pattrick Smellie: Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters... Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed. More>>

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

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Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

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• Greenpeace NZ - Oil Companies Lacking ‘Expertise’ and ‘Financial Ability’ Set to Be Handed Drilling Permits
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