Wood dumps emissions reduction as priority for next transport plan after NZ Herald leads with emphasis on swapping Waka Kotahi's road repair money for cycle lanes; Road repairs now #1
Again, we keep voting for the same parties Red or Blue and expect a different result. Election cycle after election cycle we seem to believe that this will be the government that will respond and be brave! That will make decisions to benefit all our citizens.....never comes really....so we have to look at ourselves...why do WE as a majority keep voting either of them in? There are other colours on a our ballot papers.
We don’t know what they would do with there newly given power but we do know the status quo isn’t working...
I'm starting to think Hipkins is a bit fucking useless: First priority was a chin-wag with the Chamber of Commerce; running scared of his own party's most aspirational policies; and (for example, on RNZ this morning) increasingly sounding like an apologist for big consulting firms... At least Ardern pretended to be progressive!
I don't disagree with you in principle. But, as one of the most powerful people in an absolute majority party, he has done fuck-all except handed hundreds and hundreds of millions to consultants. He was Minister of Public Service for the facile pay freeze; objectively made our entire education system more dysfunctional; was more-embarrassing-than-anything-else in Health; and barely got his legs under the desk in Policing.
The hard reality is that National and Act currently have more real influence on policy, due to outrage-manufacture, than Hipkins does.
And on the roads. What creates more potholes: more bikes or more Ford Rangers? Therefore, is it cheaper for roading to increase bikes or ICE vehicles? What uses more space for parking? If there were fewer vehicles would there be more parks? "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong". Hencken (I think about 1912).
Fortunately the cost of EVs is dropping to close to the cost of ICE vehicles.
Unfortunately that just means Ford Ranger Man will upgrade from ICE to EV, and smugly pontificate about how climate conscious he is whilst still being Ford Ranger Man.
The serious road damage is from trucks. It’s important not to reduce the arguments to 4wds and bikes. Yes Ranger women and men can be Neolithic but let’s pin the tail on big business that’s behind real destruction of our lives and society.
An “ideological approach” he says, while the proverbial house is on fire. “You see sir, it is my opponents who are guilty of ideology, while I deal in hard facts always.” The fire creeps up Mr Brown’s Chair and singes his clothes. “Why are we fighting fires when we should be building more houses?” splutters Mr Brown as he chokes on smoke and fumes. “Mr Speaker, National will cease this wastefulness spent on fighting fires.”
It is election year, the touting for votes has begun and it is already obvious that FPP mentality and a Lab/Nat middle voter straitjacket is blocking vision and silencing any real progressive debate. Even with MMP It was always going to take a lot more of us to move from the centre to dislodge the status quo, but unless we do Ford Ranger Man will always win and we will be a dinosaur nation living in our own echo chamber. I find this really disheartening.
Where is the Climate Change Minister's reaction? When Chris Hipkins is now saying that climate change is a key consideration in all govt decisions (I thought it had been already?) yet the Climate Change Minister remains outside cabinet and muted, despite saying on Q&A only last Sunday he was re-energised to 'do better', 'to demand more action' from his govt partner. None of this makes any sense from any side - it is insane behaviour within our planetary emergency context.
Bernard, seeing the ratings next to the Wellington and Auckland councils reminds me - can you please do an explainer on the ratings agencies, and why their ratings are so important for our political economy? Perhaps you or someone else can point me to it if it's already been done (I think The Detail may have covered it last year?). Thanks.
yes, I have mental image of Ford Ranger Man waiting impatiently at a damaged intersection with a Chris to the left and and a Chris to the right... which way is he and are we going to go... sigh... while I'm ever hopeful that Raf Manji might offer another way... I'm not seeing much likelihood of that
A bit of historical background also, it’s not just that the NZTA has a hypothecated fund set up 20 years ago. A hypothecated fund was the original basis of the National Roads Board in 1953. It’s not a new policy, it’s essentially always been the way NZ has run roading.
I love they way you have independently coined the term ford ranger man. Its always been a thing with our family when ever we have been driving in NZ or on a bicycle its always the RANGER driver sitting on your tail or sounding the horn or yelling at you to get off the road. It has to be one of the only vehicles, driven by people so much a product of our education system that to remember what their car is called they need to have it literally spelt out to them in massive capital letters on the rear. Even using small caps wasn't sufficient. To be a true RANGER driver you need to shout. Or as the marketing slogan tells us .. "Live the RANGER life" The longevity of this lifestyle however may be limited as from what I can see to fully embrace the RANGER life you generally have to be obese, male and over 40. Also given the state of our health system chances are ?... Granted, my observation of RANGER drivers are limited to those moments at the traffic lights, there I am on that green paint bicycle stopping area, sharing it with RANGER mans' snow tyers, RANGER man glances to his right, surprised by my high vis, in his cab, Heather du Plessis-Allan (drive) is doing her speele again on ZB, Its something about cycle ways and government spending, the council is removing car parks. RANGER man looks at me and mutters to him self. "F@#ing cyclists". and so the cycle continues....
It feels disingenuous to claim economics as a reason to not prioritise action on climate change when climate change is clearly here and now with a large economic impact (clue .... Cyclone Gabrielle....). One could pretend in the 21st century that parliament was elected to collaborate for the highest good of all New Zealanders, unfortunately this is not a fairy tale with a happy ending.
Well why isn’t any ets used to transition here? Without infrastructure it can’t be done and cars do indeed run into cyclists. The time to walk 4 kids to school means usually mothers lose paid work time. We can’t actually have public transport without roads or rail either. I think many of us to stop wasting time build great roads with rail interregional y, provide walkways and cycle ways plus low emissions modern and safe public transport in towns which will probably mean big delivery and transfer facilities away from towns. So industrial activities aren’t in highly built up areas where people work, play and live and need to be taken back for peoples use. The sailing option should be the investment option with all of the above just catching up. Most of us are quite happy to be isolated from the “rat race”. Truth be told and we have air travel to move between most regions as individual citizens. So plenty of options if people have enough income and Government services are safe and accessible.
I think the other bugs lessons, seemingly unforeseen ?!? is the inter web doesn’t work and isn’t safe so Government needs to renationalise power (also a fail), post and go back to Government agencies and services in every town.
This is so depressing.
The Maharey vs Campbell issue only further confirms Ian Powell's assertion in Newsroom, that the government was wanting to find a way to get rid of Campbell and he handed them his head on a plate. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/pro/ian-powell-the-long-political-game-behind-the-sacking-of-rob-campbell?
Again, we keep voting for the same parties Red or Blue and expect a different result. Election cycle after election cycle we seem to believe that this will be the government that will respond and be brave! That will make decisions to benefit all our citizens.....never comes really....so we have to look at ourselves...why do WE as a majority keep voting either of them in? There are other colours on a our ballot papers.
We don’t know what they would do with there newly given power but we do know the status quo isn’t working...
Hi Barry
You mean the pale, stale red and pale, stale blue?
Why WE keep voting for them is because the majority are sheeple.
I call it the purple reign
I'm starting to think Hipkins is a bit fucking useless: First priority was a chin-wag with the Chamber of Commerce; running scared of his own party's most aspirational policies; and (for example, on RNZ this morning) increasingly sounding like an apologist for big consulting firms... At least Ardern pretended to be progressive!
Politics is the art of the possible. Hipkins knows there's no policy if Lab are out of government.
I don't disagree with you in principle. But, as one of the most powerful people in an absolute majority party, he has done fuck-all except handed hundreds and hundreds of millions to consultants. He was Minister of Public Service for the facile pay freeze; objectively made our entire education system more dysfunctional; was more-embarrassing-than-anything-else in Health; and barely got his legs under the desk in Policing.
The hard reality is that National and Act currently have more real influence on policy, due to outrage-manufacture, than Hipkins does.
And on the roads. What creates more potholes: more bikes or more Ford Rangers? Therefore, is it cheaper for roading to increase bikes or ICE vehicles? What uses more space for parking? If there were fewer vehicles would there be more parks? "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong". Hencken (I think about 1912).
Hi Richard
Fortunately the cost of EVs is dropping to close to the cost of ICE vehicles.
Unfortunately that just means Ford Ranger Man will upgrade from ICE to EV, and smugly pontificate about how climate conscious he is whilst still being Ford Ranger Man.
The serious road damage is from trucks. It’s important not to reduce the arguments to 4wds and bikes. Yes Ranger women and men can be Neolithic but let’s pin the tail on big business that’s behind real destruction of our lives and society.
An “ideological approach” he says, while the proverbial house is on fire. “You see sir, it is my opponents who are guilty of ideology, while I deal in hard facts always.” The fire creeps up Mr Brown’s Chair and singes his clothes. “Why are we fighting fires when we should be building more houses?” splutters Mr Brown as he chokes on smoke and fumes. “Mr Speaker, National will cease this wastefulness spent on fighting fires.”
Satire and reality are easily confused sometimes.
It is election year, the touting for votes has begun and it is already obvious that FPP mentality and a Lab/Nat middle voter straitjacket is blocking vision and silencing any real progressive debate. Even with MMP It was always going to take a lot more of us to move from the centre to dislodge the status quo, but unless we do Ford Ranger Man will always win and we will be a dinosaur nation living in our own echo chamber. I find this really disheartening.
Where is the Climate Change Minister's reaction? When Chris Hipkins is now saying that climate change is a key consideration in all govt decisions (I thought it had been already?) yet the Climate Change Minister remains outside cabinet and muted, despite saying on Q&A only last Sunday he was re-energised to 'do better', 'to demand more action' from his govt partner. None of this makes any sense from any side - it is insane behaviour within our planetary emergency context.
Is anyone really surprised?
Bernard, seeing the ratings next to the Wellington and Auckland councils reminds me - can you please do an explainer on the ratings agencies, and why their ratings are so important for our political economy? Perhaps you or someone else can point me to it if it's already been done (I think The Detail may have covered it last year?). Thanks.
yes, I have mental image of Ford Ranger Man waiting impatiently at a damaged intersection with a Chris to the left and and a Chris to the right... which way is he and are we going to go... sigh... while I'm ever hopeful that Raf Manji might offer another way... I'm not seeing much likelihood of that
Would a derelict roundabout perhaps be more apt?
yes, agreed... we always end up going around to the same place asking how we got there anyway
We have Chris Hipkins and Chris Luxon - the two Chris's. Is the plural pronounced as Crisis?
Listening to the audio--
A bit of historical background also, it’s not just that the NZTA has a hypothecated fund set up 20 years ago. A hypothecated fund was the original basis of the National Roads Board in 1953. It’s not a new policy, it’s essentially always been the way NZ has run roading.
I love they way you have independently coined the term ford ranger man. Its always been a thing with our family when ever we have been driving in NZ or on a bicycle its always the RANGER driver sitting on your tail or sounding the horn or yelling at you to get off the road. It has to be one of the only vehicles, driven by people so much a product of our education system that to remember what their car is called they need to have it literally spelt out to them in massive capital letters on the rear. Even using small caps wasn't sufficient. To be a true RANGER driver you need to shout. Or as the marketing slogan tells us .. "Live the RANGER life" The longevity of this lifestyle however may be limited as from what I can see to fully embrace the RANGER life you generally have to be obese, male and over 40. Also given the state of our health system chances are ?... Granted, my observation of RANGER drivers are limited to those moments at the traffic lights, there I am on that green paint bicycle stopping area, sharing it with RANGER mans' snow tyers, RANGER man glances to his right, surprised by my high vis, in his cab, Heather du Plessis-Allan (drive) is doing her speele again on ZB, Its something about cycle ways and government spending, the council is removing car parks. RANGER man looks at me and mutters to him self. "F@#ing cyclists". and so the cycle continues....
It feels disingenuous to claim economics as a reason to not prioritise action on climate change when climate change is clearly here and now with a large economic impact (clue .... Cyclone Gabrielle....). One could pretend in the 21st century that parliament was elected to collaborate for the highest good of all New Zealanders, unfortunately this is not a fairy tale with a happy ending.
Well why isn’t any ets used to transition here? Without infrastructure it can’t be done and cars do indeed run into cyclists. The time to walk 4 kids to school means usually mothers lose paid work time. We can’t actually have public transport without roads or rail either. I think many of us to stop wasting time build great roads with rail interregional y, provide walkways and cycle ways plus low emissions modern and safe public transport in towns which will probably mean big delivery and transfer facilities away from towns. So industrial activities aren’t in highly built up areas where people work, play and live and need to be taken back for peoples use. The sailing option should be the investment option with all of the above just catching up. Most of us are quite happy to be isolated from the “rat race”. Truth be told and we have air travel to move between most regions as individual citizens. So plenty of options if people have enough income and Government services are safe and accessible.
I think the other bugs lessons, seemingly unforeseen ?!? is the inter web doesn’t work and isn’t safe so Government needs to renationalise power (also a fail), post and go back to Government agencies and services in every town.
Thanks for reminding me of how most people are completely out of touch with reality.