The Prime Minister’s performance on Q+A this morning (Sunday 31 July) must have had her comms people on the edge of their seats, nails in teeth, waiting for the worst. What makes her gaffes so concerning is that she didn’t know she made them. Unfortunately, neither did her interviewer. Jack asked about co-governance of the …
Continue reading “Prime Minister Ardern on 3 Waters – misleading or mis-led?”
While NZ is scrapping over the illusion of 50/50 iwi/council ‘control’ of the three waters entities, the real issues of control are flying well below the radar. With just a week left to submit on the Three Waters Entities Bill, we need to put the co-governance debate to one side and start questioning the corporatisation …
In case you missed it, the ‘Reform of Just About Everything’ is underway – including the inter-dependent reforms of Resource Management, 3 Waters, and Local Government. Unfortunately, these pieces of work are being progressed all-at-once, rather than in a logical sequence and it’s impossible to tell how the multiple pieces of new legislation will work …
Continue reading “Centralising water services – who’s really calling the shots?”
In October 2019 Council staff signed a development agreement with Australian developer Ninety-Four Feet and Augusta Capital to develop the Lakeview site in the Queenstown Town Centre. In signing the deal QLDC became a property developer and took on a level of financial risk that I am increasingly uncomfortable with – not least because we …
What follows is a collection of thoughts based on my understanding and what matters to me at this point in time. Don’t take it as gospel, don’t place too much weight on it (I’m no expert). I’ve written this because you have a right to know what I’m thinking. If I need to make corrections …
Continue reading “Ladies Mile re-zoning – inevitable or not?”
Airports, growth and visitor levies have been debated to death (by boredom) this election, but we’ve forgotten to ‘have it out’ over perhaps the most important issue of all: our local democracy is heading down a very slippery slope and it’s time we dared to talk about it. Some of you might think that process …
With Queenstown Airport Corporation gunning for a massive expansion, it’s time for Queenstown Lakes District Council to wake up and assert some control over the CCTO’s spending. Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) has lined up its ducks nicely. Thanks to the Council, the company has doubled its landholding. It’s also obtained Requiring Authority status under the …
It was a case of community 2, Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) nil, today in Queenstown’s Council Chambers. Item 1 was Queenstown Airport Corporation’s Statement of Intent (SOI) – the SOI sets the objectives for the Airport Corporation, 75.01% of which is owned by QLDC. Council Chambers was bursting at the seams and anticipation was high. …
Niki Gladding QLDC Councillor