Having picked up a Jonesie Award nomination yesterday,
it’s clearer than ever that Auckland Council needs to pump
the breaks on its $1.3 million “AT Local” ride-sharing
trial, says the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance.
Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson Jo Holmes
says, “The Jonesie Awards recognise the worst in
government waste. It’s unsurprising the Devonport ride-share scheme was
acknowledged, given that for each Uber-style trip,
passengers pay $2.50, while ratepayers pay a subsidy of $41
on average.”
“The service was intended to reduce
congestion, but a survey has shown that it’s primarily
used by former cyclists, walkers, and bus users. The Council
needs to pull the plug on this trial, which has cost
ratepayers over $1,000,000 and achieved next to
nothing.”
“The Orakei Local Board also received
a Jonesie nomination for its gardening grants for wealthy
homeowners and Tinder lessons for the elderly. Had Phil Goff
taken his 2016 pledge to cut wasteful spending seriously,
none of these programmes would have ever been
introduced.”
If you're using Scoop for work, your organisation needs to pay a small license fee with Scoop Pro. We think that's fair, because your organisation is benefiting from using our news resources. In return, we'll also give your team access to pro news tools and keep Scoop free for personal use, because public access to news is important!
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else... More
Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More
Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More
Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More
Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More