According to Councillor Tony Randle, Wellington City Council is unable to manage operational spending effectively and is forced to rely on bureaucrats to propose unpopular cuts while maintaining questionable expenditures. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Wellington councillor slams rate hikes, a dysfunctional council, and screwed-up priorities

Facing a proposed 15.9% rates increase, Wellington City Councillor Tony Randle explained on The Platform that councillors rely on bureaucrats to propose cuts due to restrictions on interfering with operational spending.

“They offer to cut things people want to keep, like libraries and swimming pools, but they don’t stop funding the 34 people in the climate change team,” he said.

20 December 2024

Fast-track Approvals Bill passes but Te Pāti Māori threatens applicants

The coalition government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill has passed its third reading, paving the way for rapid approval of many large development projects.

Applications under the new regime will open on 7 February 2025, a move Ministers Chris Bishop and Shane Jones call essential to solving New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, housing crisis, and energy shortages.

20 December 2024

Why do excess deaths remain high post-COVID?

Excess deaths remain elevated long after the pandemic’s peak. This raises questions for countries like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, where COVID deaths were initially low, but post-2021 excess deaths skyrocketed.

In Japan, for example, excess deaths now exceed 27%, largely driven by heart failure and circulatory diseases, yet these conditions explain only part of the overall increase.

20 December 2024

Taxpayer loss looms as SolarZero’s collapse exposes flaws in $115m public loan

The New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) bank faces a major crisis after SolarZero’s liquidation revealed its $115m public loan relied on overly optimistic revenue projections.

A $22m portion of the loan was tied to “ancillary revenues” from SolarZero’s virtual power plant (VPP), expected to sell power back to the grid. However, actual earnings fell far short, jeopardising taxpayer money.

20 December 2024

New Zealand recession stretches two years, GDP data reveals

New Zealand’s economy has been in a technical recession for two years, with quarterly GDP per capita falling consistently since late 2022.

This prolonged downturn, measured over successive quarters, may be a result of sustained economic challenges and volatility. External shocks such as COVID restrictions and global disruptions impacted GDP.

20 December 2024

Australian doctor wins landmark case over vaccine criticism

Dr William Bay, a Queensland GP who labelled COVID vaccines “the crime of the century,” regained his medical licence after a two-year suspension. Representing himself in the Queensland Supreme Court, Bay defeated legal teams from the Queensland Medical Board and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Justice Thomas Bradley condemned the regulators’ conduct as “profoundly unsatisfactory,” stating the accusations were “entirely unfounded.”

20 December 2024

Judge, celebrity doctor apologise for disrupting Winston Peters’ event

A district court judge and her reality-TV star doctor partner have apologised after crashing a New Zealand First Christmas event at Auckland’s Northern Club.

Judge Ema Aitken reportedly interrupted Winston Peters’ speech, shouting accusations of lying, while Dr David Galler allegedly blocked Peters’ exit, criticising the coalition government’s performance.