May 20, 2009
Watching the Hastings Council deal with money issues is a painful ordeal. Fortunately, for all parties, ratepayers rarely witness the gruesome process. Yesterday, the HDC’s Finance & Monitoring Committee met for a bit over four hours. That’s another name for the full Council, only with the Finance Chair, Wayne Bradshaw, running the meeting instead of [...]
May 18, 2009
BayBuzz gets lots of “moral support” — emails, phone calls, letters, comments on the street. But goodwill doesn’t pay the bills! Printing, delivery charges, website hosting … you get the picture. Even with thousands of hours of donated writing and reporting, hard cash is required. BayBuzz needs friends … friends with checkbooks. You can support [...]
May 18, 2009
The May BayBuzz Digest focuses on the “Other Economy” — the 60% of the Hawke’s Bay economy that does not live off our precious land … and is not constrained by water supply and suitably productive soil, or threatened by climate change or contagious disease. Four articles deal with this topic: My piece, The Other [...]
May 14, 2009
Here are two examples of how Councillors can either face up to a controversial issue, or avoid taking a public stand. Example #1 is from a recent radio commentary by Regional Councillor Kevin Rose. He was talking about confronting NZ’s drinking problem, and there was no particular obligation on his part to tackle this hot [...]
May 12, 2009
On Tuesday the HB Regional Council made a watershed decision on improving its management of the Tukituki. Some Councillors led; others were hauled along in the wake … but they all got there! The steps that were approved (see full recommendations here) will not solve all the problems of the Tuki. In fact, stronger measures [...]
May 10, 2009
In a Rotorua speech last week, Environment Minister Nick Smith outlined his further “Phase 2″ plans for “reforming” the Resource Management Act (RMA), the current linchpin of NZ’s environmental planning. Here’s the official media release. The proposed changes under consideration in the fast-tracked “Phase 1″ have drawn significant criticism from environmentalists, some councils around the [...]
May 8, 2009
Health Minister Tony Ryall dictated new health priorities for the country’s twenty-one district health boards today. New targets include: Shorter emergency department stays Better access to elective surgery Shorter waits for cancer treatment Increased immunisation Better help for smokers to quit Better diabetes and cardiovascular services Targets deleted: Improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and reducing [...]
- Andrew Reyngoud on DAM(N)! A half-billion dollar water storage scheme
- Margaret Donnelly on WATER. What's all the fuss about?
- Elizabeth Sisson on 'Dump Council' campaign
- Paul Bailey on Cows in Karamu Stream
- Rob Pharazyn on Cows in Karamu Stream
- John J Harrison on 5 mayors in HB ... 'Yeah right' says Tui
- Anne Parker on Let's get Council meetings online
- Stuart Nash on 5 mayors in HB ... 'Yeah right' says Tui
- Kylie Fowler on Let's get Council meetings online
- Paul Bailey on Let's get Council meetings online
- ‘Dump Council’ campaign
- Cows in Karamu Stream
- Questions for HB ‘regional study’ director
- Let’s get Council meetings online
- 5 mayors in HB … ‘Yeah right’ says Tui
- Crucial Environment Court hearing underway
- Regional Council warns on pollution standards
- Democracy in action?
- 1+1+1 = 3 hours
- Councils’ reorganization survey results
