Everybody likes an award. Oscars, Turners, Pritzkers, Bookers, Emmys, Tonys, Baftas, Goftas, Tuis and Taites. The Guardian has just reported on one many of you were probably unaware of, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Library of the Year Award. The prize is not given for most books issued, most efficient overdues collection or best shushing technique, but is in fact an architecture…
Oh dear. That’s awkward. Twas a weekend of weird events and catastrophes. First we had one fifth of our Navy hit a snag – searching for an undersea reef – “I’ve found it Captain!!” and then sink. Ooops. A $100,000,000 oops, it seems. I mean, to lose a ship in battle is one thing, but to lose a fifth of the entire Navy during peacetime is…
Say what you like about Bishop (and I do), but he is fast. Very fast in fact, and not really caring about the ethics or the details, he has announced a massive Fast Track List of proposed projects from around the country, but especially aimed at around Auckland of course. Masses and masses of housing projects, and roads, up there, but of course we are interested…
The Luxon-lead government continues its attack on anything that the Labour Party ever managed to do, with the release today of news about the Kainga Ora housing projects. Most of them, it seems, have been killed off. “Brakes put on more than 370 Kāinga Ora housing developments nationally”. While they are spread out around Aotearoa, most are in Auckland, while in Wellington they note the following…
There’s been a lot of talk about the death of Wellington ever since John Key opened his cat-flap back in 2013. “Wellington is dying” he said, but facing a media backlash, he promptly back-tracked and did an about-face, instead claiming that central Gov did not know how to help make it better. Since then we have had the conundrum of multiple left-leaning Mayors leading an ostensibly…
This is what the Council were discussing last week Te Ngākau Update Council Briefing – September 2024 Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience – Key Approaches: 1. Elevate critical building infrastructure above current and future floodplains 2. Retention and detention solutions that are floodable to provide storagecapacity enabling controlled release into green infrastructure system. 3. Decrease runoff and flooding through nature-based solutions for infiltration and purification, such…
Five and a half BILLION on potholes. There, I’ve said it again. Barmy. The Minister looks like a schoolboy and appears to have an obsession with cars and potholes. Stuff says: “It earmarked $5.5bn specifically for potholes – a significant increase compared to spending in the previous program – alongside $8.6 billion to state highway and local road improvements, $6.4 billion for public transport, and $4.6…
What a curious government we have at present, full of balls, bald heads and bravado, but not much in the brains department. There are many possible instances that come to mind that could illustrate that well, but this week’s announcement that NZ is now going to import gas to burn to make electricity, is one of the more bizarre and stupid recent announcements. Our great esteemed…
Following on from the last post (different tune to the Last Post, if you know what I mean), as promised, I went along to Parliament to listen to MP Chris Penk speak. And several other people spoke too – not the Fish, unfortunately – but the general gist of this is the launching of a Timeline for the launching of a national carbon database. Bit of…
Like many of you, I woke early on Saturday morning to watch the start of the Olympic Games in Paris. Sunny pink sky down here in Nouvelle Zelande, dreary grey skies and rain on le Rive Gauche of le Seine – but still, what a fantastic way to open an Olympic Games. Le Froggies have one-upped le Poms, je pense… For me, the most wonderful part…