Christopher Luxon, New Zealand Prime Minister 2023

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#3194465 13-Feb-2024 07:29

GV27:

Kiwirail tells Auckland Transport that they can't provide services due to 'heat' on an overcast day that reached 25 degrees. Not even close to Auckland's hottest day. This is after months of closures and deferred services for urgent track maintenance.

And people wonder why there's so little goodwill towards the idea of using public transport in Auckland.

More to the point people wonder why the government had no faith in Kiwirail over the ferries project.

GV27

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#3194537 13-Feb-2024 09:56

https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/13/aucklands-persistent-rail-issues/

Here is a chance for Simeon Brown to show some leadership and address an actual transport issue.

There's no moral basis under which congestion charging can progress if the rail network is in this kind of state.

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#3194542 13-Feb-2024 10:04

GV27:

https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/13/aucklands-persistent-rail-issues/

Here is a chance for Simeon Brown to show some leadership and address an actual transport issue.

There's no moral basis under which congestion charging can progress if the rail network is in this kind of state.

Doesn't seem pothole-related?

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michaelmurfy

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#3194671 13-Feb-2024 13:42

Handle9:

GV27:

Kiwirail tells Auckland Transport that they can't provide services due to 'heat' on an overcast day that reached 25 degrees. Not even close to Auckland's hottest day. This is after months of closures and deferred services for urgent track maintenance.

And people wonder why there's so little goodwill towards the idea of using public transport in Auckland.

More to the point people wonder why the government had no faith in Kiwirail over the ferries project.

And yet... Wellington has had speed restrictions due to heat for a while: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/what-you-need-to-know/506560/train-delays-and-heat-restrictions-what-you-need-to-know. As soon as Auckland has it then it's a big event and front page news material.

You bring up the ferries once again over this - no, it isn't about the "no faith" part, it's because they're short sighted and discussion wasn't even had for alternatives, it was just dropped even though some work has already taken place. The fact is the govt needs to find any money they can to make up the tax cuts they're giving landlords and their mates as well as the $20 extra per fortnight the average NZ'er will make from their "tax cuts".

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#3194766 13-Feb-2024 16:17

michaelmurfy:

Handle9:

More to the point people wonder why the government had no faith in Kiwirail over the ferries project.

And yet... Wellington has had speed restrictions due to heat for a while: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/what-you-need-to-know/506560/train-delays-and-heat-restrictions-what-you-need-to-know. As soon as Auckland has it then it's a big event and front page news material.

You bring up the ferries once again over this - no, it isn't about the "no faith" part, it's because they're short sighted and discussion wasn't even had for alternatives, it was just dropped even though some work has already taken place. The fact is the govt needs to find any money they can to make up the tax cuts they're giving landlords and their mates as well as the $20 extra per fortnight the average NZ'er will make from their "tax cuts".

The government didn't "find money" for tax cuts by cancelling iRex. They declined to double the funding of the project, by $1.47 billion.

It's also worth remembering that Grant Robertson wrote to Kiwirail in 2021 expressing disappointment and concern in the project blowing out from $775 million, which is what the business case was based on, to $1.45 billion. That is less than half of what Kiwirail asked for at the end of 2023.

Saying that alternatives aren't being considered is wrong. The government has set up an advisory group to scope a revised alternative.

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#3194776 13-Feb-2024 16:34

Why would they do that? Every advisory group or study the Labour government setup has been cancelled as a waste of taxpayer money.

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#3194779 13-Feb-2024 17:05

SaltyNZ: Why would they do that? Every advisory group or study the Labour government setup has been cancelled as a waste of taxpayer money.

Because Kiwirail are incompetent to do it themselves. The cost should be fairly insignificant as it’s using existing staff (MOT and Treasury) rather than external parties.

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ezbee

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#3194793 13-Feb-2024 17:40

KiwiRAIl is only funded to a minimum for its freight operation that can save money on trackwork by going slower.

If KiwiRAIL spent its money on suburban transport upgrades 'unilaterally', then it would blow its budget.

Specific extra funding from Government or in Aucklands case (AT) etc like budgeted for say Pukekohe electrification is required.
If 'no one' is funding trackwork upgrades and maintenance to a 'higher standard' KiwiRAIL don't have funding for it.

So one would have to look at explicate allocation for upgrades and if they cover a much higher standard.

You go back to the Warehouse and complain that your 'no name' cheapest brand phone,
tablet or Chromebook is slow and sludgy compared with latest Apple offering.
They might point to the price difference.

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#3194796 13-Feb-2024 17:52

Handle9:
SaltyNZ: Why would they do that? Every advisory group or study the Labour government setup has been cancelled as a waste of taxpayer money.

Because Kiwirail are incompetent to do it themselves. The cost should be fairly insignificant as it’s using existing staff (MOT and Treasury) rather than external parties.

The IRD tax study was so close to finished they ended up releasing it anyway - but it was cancelled. The expensive bits of the Lake Onslow study were already done, it was less than a year from completion, and its cost was a drop in the bucket - but it was cancelled. Auckland Light Rail spent a ton of money on studies - National said it was all wasted spending. Studies into cycleways or similar options for the Harbour Bridge - National said it was wasted money.

So you'll forgive me for wondering why this is somehow not considered to be wasted money by the National Party. To be clear, I don't think it's wasted money either. The only difference is NAFT's attitude to it. The simplest explanation is that all the above studies were wasted money because someone else started them, and this one isn't because NAFT started it.

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#3194821 13-Feb-2024 19:37

freitasm:

Lobbyists are back at Parliament - with a new privacy measure hiding their identities | RNZ News

At the time, National's deputy leader Nicola Willis backed the swipe card ban and said there should be a "transparent, publicly accountable register of who's doing the lobbying and who they're lobbying for". She also called for a 12 month stand-down period for ministers going into lobbying after leaving Parliament.

Oh my god, so many about turns her head must be spinning. Does she know what she wants at all?

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Handle9

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#3194842 13-Feb-2024 19:51

SaltyNZ:

Handle9:

Because Kiwirail are incompetent to do it themselves. The cost should be fairly insignificant as it’s using existing staff (MOT and Treasury) rather than external parties.

The IRD tax study was so close to finished they ended up releasing it anyway - but it was cancelled. The expensive bits of the Lake Onslow study were already done, it was less than a year from completion, and its cost was a drop in the bucket - but it was cancelled. Auckland Light Rail spent a ton of money on studies - National said it was all wasted spending. Studies into cycleways or similar options for the Harbour Bridge - National said it was wasted money.

So you'll forgive me for wondering why this is somehow not considered to be wasted money by the National Party. To be clear, I don't think it's wasted money either. The only difference is NAFT's attitude to it. The simplest explanation is that all the above studies were wasted money because someone else started them, and this one isn't because NAFT started it.

I'm sure that in the next 3 years we'll see lots of bitching from the opposition about consultants and studies not accomplishing things. It's pretty standard fare for an opposition.

GV27

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#3194854 13-Feb-2024 20:41

SaltyNZ:

The IRD tax study was so close to finished they ended up releasing it anyway - but it was cancelled. The expensive bits of the Lake Onslow study were already done, it was less than a year from completion, and its cost was a drop in the bucket - but it was cancelled. Auckland Light Rail spent a ton of money on studies - National said it was all wasted spending. Studies into cycleways or similar options for the Harbour Bridge - National said it was wasted money.

The tax principles report that was so important that they didn't even consult with the public or tax professionals on what the actual principles should be, the Light Rail that took six years to deliver nothing but cost escalations and solutions that were further and further from what Auckland could afford or possibly need, and the options for the Harbour Bridge was something that Labour managed to torpedo well before the election - but not before spending an absolute assload of money?

You're really going to pick those hills to die on in the name of 'value for money'? Well... OK.

They're all classic examples of sunk cost fallacy - you're letting the fact you've already blown a bunch of money on something dictate further commitment to it, no matter how useless or garbage tier the actual underlying thing you're throwing money at is.

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#3194861 13-Feb-2024 21:43

GV27:

The tax principles report that was so important that they didn't even consult with the public or tax professionals on what the actual principles should be, the Light Rail that took six years to deliver nothing but cost escalations and solutions that were further and further from what Auckland could afford or possibly need, and the options for the Harbour Bridge was something that Labour managed to torpedo well before the election - but not before spending an absolute assload of money?

You're really going to pick those hills to die on in the name of 'value for money'? Well... OK.

They're all classic examples of sunk cost fallacy - you're letting the fact you've already blown a bunch of money on something dictate further commitment to it, no matter how useless or garbage tier the actual underlying thing you're throwing money at is.

Right, so everything National/ACT/NZ First is doing is totally the opposite and not a waste of money at all? Even the Treaty Bill? Removing Maori language from road signs (for two examples)? Is that right? Because in my opinion those things are both a pointless waste of time and money, pandering to a very small portion of the ACT base (and maybe NZ First's).

Or maybe I've misunderstood what you're saying and I've got the wrong end of the stick instead.

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#3194865 13-Feb-2024 21:52

quickymart:

GV27:

The tax principles report that was so important that they didn't even consult with the public or tax professionals on what the actual principles should be, the Light Rail that took six years to deliver nothing but cost escalations and solutions that were further and further from what Auckland could afford or possibly need, and the options for the Harbour Bridge was something that Labour managed to torpedo well before the election - but not before spending an absolute assload of money?

You're really going to pick those hills to die on in the name of 'value for money'? Well... OK.

They're all classic examples of sunk cost fallacy - you're letting the fact you've already blown a bunch of money on something dictate further commitment to it, no matter how useless or garbage tier the actual underlying thing you're throwing money at is.

Right, so everything National/ACT/NZ First is doing is totally the opposite and not a waste of money at all? Even the Treaty Bill? Removing Maori language from road signs (for two examples)? Is that right? Because in my opinion those things are both a pointless waste of time and money, pandering to a very small portion of the ACT base (and maybe NZ First's).

Or maybe I've misunderstood what you're saying and I've got the wrong end of the stick instead.

Just because this coalition is doing dumb stuff doesn't make the dumb stuff the last government did good.

The only saving grace of these work programs is they are relatively cheap but they are still dumb. As I understand it they won't be removing Maori from existing signs, just not making new ones. I could well be wrong.

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#3194869 13-Feb-2024 21:57

Three Waters cancelation/replacement is looking to be an interesting case

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/02/government-labour-blast-each-other-s-plans-as-details-emerge-of-where-three-waters-money-went.html

National appears to be going for 'voluntary' amalgamation. I can't really see how that will serve so many of the smaller locations and successfully fund them. In the end they'll need a mandated tidy up of the leftovers, or not bother as the case may be.

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