Govt takes over Auckland waterfront
September 13th, 2011 at 3:43 pm by David FarrarStuff reports:
The Government will use special powers under Rugby World Cup legislation to take control of the Auckland waterfront set aside for the celebrations during the tournament.
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully will this afternoon outline his intention to tomorrow call up reserve powers available to him under the Rugby World Cup Empowerment Bill.
It has been revealed, ahead of the announcement, that McCully has ordered Government officials to write a new plan to manage the waterfront beyond its own Fan Zone at Queen’s Wharf.
The plan, which turns responsibility from the Auckland City Council over to the Government, will expand management measures and create more space for partying.
“Some of my critics have been suggesting I should take responsibility, well I am. I am stepping in to a space that the Government has not previously occupied,” McCully told Stuff.
“We’re getting on the front foot here and showing a determination to provide a larger footprint and a wider range of measures to assist with the management of crowds and the delivery of amenities.”
About 200,000 turned out to the Auckland waterfront for the opening of the Rugby World Cup on Friday night. Only about 12,000 were allowed in the Queen’s Wharf fan zone, where there were no problems.
McCully said he felt the preparations for outside of the Queen’s Wharf area – made by the Auckland City Council’s responsible group – were “thoroughly inadequate in respect of the crowd control and amenities”.
“It would be fair to say there was not adequate provision made for toilets and for other amenities and that was a significant contributing factor to the problems,” McCully said.
“Neither were there proper arrangements for the flow and management of people which led to difficulties.”
The new Government plan was being finalised this afternoon and McCully had been advised the only way to give the new plan legal effect was via special reserve measures in the RWC Empowering Bill.
So as I understand it the Government was managing the Queen’s Wharf fan zone and the Council the rest of the waterfront, and as with any split responsibility things fall through the cracks.
I imagine the thinking of the Minister is that if the Government is going to be held responsible for what happens on the waterfront, they want to be able to manage it. Who wants to be held accountable for something they do not control?
Of course the risk is that if problems continue, the accountability will clearly be with the Government. So it is quite a ballsy move.
Hopefully any problems will be minimal, so as many fans as possible have as great a time as possible.
September 13th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
This is the only logical decision available – Loony (‘in da house’) Len and his equally hopeless Council proved once and for all that they are totally out of their depth when it comes to running anything larger than a Cub Scout stall.
We simply cannot afford another cock-up – this is a good decision all round.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Shame he can’t take over all of Auckland.
Vote:A good move but they will still get blamed for the transport when that part is still out of their hands.
September 13th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
So, the response to the entirely foreseeable clusterfuck resulting from putting Murray McCully in charge of something is to put him in charge of more stuff? This government’s really thinking outside the box…
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Oh, Milt – don’t be so negative. How could anything possibly go wrong with McCully in charge?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Worked for Sid Holland.
And wasn’t he the last Prime Minister to get more than 50% of vote?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
You’re right Milt. McCully clearly failed to be on the train carriage to stop some random twat from repeatedly hitting the e-stop button.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Capt Hindsight takes over … equipped with his barn door looking for a horse.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Crikey! Wasn’t expecting that. Is this an over-reaction, or simply micro-management on a grand scale?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
I want to see Len Bown do his Monkey Boy dance again:
Vote:
September 13th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Rick Rowling (323) Says:
September 13th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
You’re right Milt. McCully clearly failed to be on the train carriage to stop some random twat from repeatedly hitting the e-stop button
The e-stop buttons were pushed only after the the carriages had been stalled on the line for upwards of 2 hours. People were fainting and suffering from heat exhaustion.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Is this going to include some form of accountability?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
You’re right Milt. McCully clearly failed to be on the train carriage to stop some random twat from repeatedly hitting the e-stop button.
There was a train carriage at Party Central? They never mentioned that on the news…
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
This is not the brief of central Government.
It is not something they should be doing.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Andrei: look at ChristChurch, everything going so well there that it can only be an advantage of John Key takes over Auckland CBD as well.
Probably will look similar after a year of managing.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Possibly a clever political move as inevitably things are going to run a lot smoother with or without Government intervention (the weather has turned to crap for starters).
This way Govt gets the credit, but at the risk of furthering the belief that central Govt really can’t stand the Auckland Council and has no faith it’s abilities.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
Is this an over-reaction, or simply micro-management on a grand scale?
With McCully, “micro-management on a grand scale” is always the safe bet.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Haha – it didn’t take long for the usual leftards and retards to surface and start bleating about this move by McCully. Typical reactions from the same old, predictable morons – bereft of any ability to make a decision between the lot of them.
The other option was that McCully left Auckland in the hands of Lunatic Len and his Council and then we could watch the inevitable disaster unfold. Again…..
Nah – status quo just wasn’t an option, was it?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
I don’t understand how this is possible
The central government doesn’t have any staff
Are they going to get the Police and Army to run these zones?
They have no chain of command over Len Brown… they can’t use council staff.
I’m very confused
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
I’m not sure this has been thought through and suspect it will just result in another layer of managment ‘supervising’ the Auckland Council. That should allow McCully sufficient leeway to blame Brown if anything goes wrong and claim credit if it goes right.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Good move, Brown is monumentally embarrassing and clearly way out of his depth “the world is in da house” FFS. He has single handedly wrecked what was a truly magnificent opening ceremony, hope this is remembered when you can vote the clown out.
Vote:With a bit of luck the government can take over Christchurch too.
September 13th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
I am not sure how the Government can do this effectively, it does not have the administrative infra structure on tap to take this over very easily.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
How can the government manage the Council, however? They do not have the same chain of command.
Can anybody explain the mechanics of how this would work?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Another McCully cockup remember the last time he was sports minister, he got dumped
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Good. Next stop the Council building. Get the fuckwit ouda da house.
Hopefully we won’t hear from the embarrassing prick for the rest of the cup and by the time the visitors have all gone home they will forget he even existed.
I wonder if he suffered another bout of head slapping when he heard the news.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
elscorcho
Bring in the army!! We can transport everyone to the match in the LAVs. We just need to blow the dust off them and remember to charge the batteries.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
thedavincimode>We can transport everyone to the match in the LAVs. We just need to blow the dust off them and remember to charge the batteries.
Alternately, the Government could arrange for Len Brown to stand outside the train station where he could entertain the queues of people waiting for the trains to start working. They would be entertained and happy and not realise they’d been queuing for three hours and had missed the game. The entertainment would consist of three activities:
1. Brown rapping like someone’s embarrassing uncle: “in da house”, “I’m Brown and you’re in my town”, and the Monkey Dance.
Vote:2. Brown slapping his head while he wails about his own shortcomings. This is sure to raise a laugh.
3. The queuing passengers get to throw rotten fruit.
September 13th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
davidp
If this is a sighter on things to come, he might just be clipping tickets on the train.
Could anything be more embarrassing for looney Len? Maybe being bent over and getting 6 of the best on his bare arse in Elizabeth Square, but that’s about all.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
davinci, you beat me to it.
Vote:Any leftard protesters and button pushers to be ferried off to spend the night on Brown’s Island, and that includes incompedent Council Employees. Time to HTFU.
Brown is like the drunken cock that appears at the worst time at a wedding
September 13th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
“With a bit of luck the government can take over Christchurch too.”
Uh, que CERA…
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Steve
“Brown is like the drunken cock that appears at the worst time at a wedding”
Spot on – like the dickhead in that anti-boozing ad on TV
adze – very good
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Can you idiots stop making jokes and explain the mechanics to someone like me who does NOT understand
Vote:Will the Government direct the council? If so, how (under what law etc?)
Can the council refuse to obey? If they do, can they be prosecuted?
September 13th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
What everyone is forgetting is that this all stems from failed decision making by the previous labour government and the ARC, but in particular Mike Lee.
The problem is you have a suburban stadium to which 60,000 fans have to get to 30 minutes before a game and leave 30 minutes after. Auckland had the chance to build a world class stadium on the waterfront that would have solved all these problems. If the stadium was on the waterfront people will arrive all day, have lunch, shop, stay after have dinner go out, i.e. no peak traffic. The design also had provision for a concourse that could hold 150,000 people alone.
Labour said it would make the decision then palmed it off to the ARC Chairman Mike Lee who said no. Remember he was the lowest polling Councilor that was elected in the previous election but was made Chairman due to political support from his cronies, all for the want of 160 votes he got back in and screwed our chance to fix the perennial problem called Eden Park. Thanks Mike great job, its all on your head.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Last time there was a celebration this big was year 2k and the same thing happened but a bit worse i might add, traffic gridlocked by pedestrians celebrating on the street, bottles strewn over the pavement, people dancing on cars while others openly fornicated, great times.
A bit harsh to just blame the council.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
I don’t understand how this is possible
The central government doesn’t have any staff
Are they going to get the Police and Army to run these zones?
They have no chain of command over Len Brown… they can’t use council staff.
I’m very confused
So, sadly, is Murray McCully. It’s far from clear whether the legislation allows him to take over the wharves.
As far as I can make out, this is what has gone down …
There was an official process in train to expand the Auckland Council’s power to seek consents at short notice — which was apparently a problem with closing down CBD streets, among other things. Officials from central government and the council were co-operating on this.
Then, out of the blue, McCully had a brain explosion today. He held a press conference announcing as a done deal the takeover of parts of the city and two working wharves as new party zones (including one which will see a big ship unloading cars on the same day as the All Blacks-France test). He did so without briefing the Mayor of Auckland.
His next media appearance was on Checkpoint, where he backtracked furiously and attributed the decision to merely explore “seeking some consents” to “some officials”.
What the fuck is going on here?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Can you idiots stop making jokes and explain the mechanics to someone like me who does NOT understand
Will the Government direct the council? If so, how (under what law etc?)
Can the council refuse to obey? If they do, can they be prosecuted?
The answer is that what officials have been discussing is nothing like what McCully announced at his press conference. It’s a complete and utter shambles.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
The Government is now running piss ups FFS – sorry but FFS, flabbergasted.
Crowds happen, look at Canada after the Stanley Cup, look at Boston, the Auckland crowd was well behaved, less arrests than on a normal Friday night.
There wont be another crowd like that unless NZ win the final. Bloody typical small minded NZ, ……something happens, lets get fucking politicians involved,…they cause more problems than they ever solve but we run off to them time after bloody time
Just what will McCully do, seriously, what can he do? The only thing they could do is close the entire City off and thats going to happen. Politicians, FUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCK.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Banana Llama (1,099) Says:
September 13th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Last time there was a celebration this big was year 2k and the same thing happened but a bit worse i might add, traffic gridlocked by pedestrians celebrating on the street, bottles strewn over the pavement, people dancing on cars while others openly fornicated, great times.
A bit harsh to just blame the council.
Gees Banana were you old enough to remember that time long ago? That was the beginning of Clark time.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
We brighter New Zealanders living in Wellington the cultual capital,with great cafes.We laugh at Dorklanders now been ruled and run by hone key and the nats(everythings under control ,YER RIGHT), after all its good to see that you are still posting using WIFI in the stalled trains, and clogged in your cars in the never ending traffic jams. Wgtn, the real New Zealand,visit.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
The real big story is the tacit admission by the government that the totally cocked-up, undemocratic governance model forced on Aucklanders by Minister Hyde has proved a dysfunctional, ineffective, gold plated disaster. It is far worse than the previous structure, with no accountability to anyone. Some minister, sometime soon, is going to have to take the lid off and re-engineer the new Super City from scratch. Shame, National, for not reining him in.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Orewa1
Trolls begone.
Just imagine if trevor had got to build the stadium on the water front, tossers
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Can’t wait to see Key, Farrar et al try and stand by McCully now.
What a fuckup.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
This is hilarious and a total slap in the face for Len Brown.
Nothing more than Brown and his council deserve though.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
This will be an A-grade cock-up. Does anyone really think McCully has the capacity to manage this any better? Russell Brown above has it spot on. McCully got some officials to pull a plan out of thin air and has announced he will fix everything. What a debacle.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Yeah it was around the time that the Clark regime began Viking2 and they made a sheeps testicle out of the entire celebration as well, should of gone to Sydney .. then again i certainly got lucky that night.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Curse this Socialist Government and its state-takeover!
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
With a bit of luck the government can take over Christchurch too.
There’s not a hint of irony – it really is a remarkable achievement.
This is hilarious…
Oh yes, is there anything funnier than the govt taking stuff over? I expect Labour MPs are already thinking about the side-splitting “empowerment bills” they can enact once they’re back in charge. Oh, how we’ll all laugh! Good times!
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
How will they do it?
Sack the Council and the Mayor and put in a commissioner.
Hold a new election after the RWC is over.
Easy peasy!
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Even McCully has admitted that he is not doing anything. The government’s control will be through the Auckland Festival Trust, the people who are currently in charge anyway.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Psycho Milt makes a good point. Not sure how likely it is, but the CERA and this could embolden Labour in future governments to overreach. And yeah, we’ll be laughing then…
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
memo to Len.
Oh, you weren’t advised in advance that you had been fired because
of your obvious incompetence being reveald for all to see.
Well thats not right, and it’s not fair.
Then….if it’s not right and it’s not fair.
It must be the left side of a niggers arse.
Correct Len ?
Kin loser.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Suck it up milkenmild and others of your ilk.
Vote:Your hero, Len has exposed you and all your mates as not competant to run
the proverbial piss up at the brewery.
Please don’t embarrass yourself further.
Len failed just short of making us an international laughing stock
September 13th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Fuck.
Vote:It just occurred to me,
Len might still not have risen to his level of incompentency.
What else can he fuck up ?
September 13th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
bereal
Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that McCully is not gong to Auckland to personally close the roads and set up the portaloos. Let’s also assume that wasn’t Brown’s job either.
So who is running the show? Auckland Festival Trust apparently. What has McCully’s actions today done to ensure they will do anything this weekend that they haven’t already planned to do?
Apparently all McCully is gong to do is authorise some road closures and use of land without the usual statutory notifications. Bold indeed.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
“undemocratic governance model forced on Aucklanders by Minister Hyde has proved a dysfunctional
It is not Rodney Hide’s fault that Aucklanders voted a thief and and a lying crook as mayor.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
mikenmild
Vote:left side of a niggers arse.
get it ?
hard work tonight mate ?
no help ?
even you must be sick to your guts.
what a total FAIL for your side.
September 13th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
MikeM
Vote:Face it mate.
McCully has done you like a dogs dinner.
Outsmarted, outeverythinged you.
Game ,set , match.
you must be gutted.
September 13th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
More Nanny State from the Key government.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
This move has risk control written all over it. In fact it is just the kind of action that someone used to making ruthless successful split second decisions would take.
Is it any wonder that the opposition is at a loss about how to deal with a Government and its leader who play the game with a different set of rules than the ones that they are used to. Underneath that smiling countenance John Key is more ruthless and clever than Helen Clark and the bad news for the few remaining Labour supporters is that he is coming to an election booth near them in a few weeks time.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Comes the moment…comes the man.
With all this govt has had to endure since taking the reins off the incompetents, this event does not phase them, nor stop them from taking the brave actions required.
We salute you JK.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Lofty – Is that the Royal “we”?
And as for “Comes the hour” – what the hell have they been doing for the last 3 years? Playing tiddlywinks?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
To all the people so down on Len Brown, what exactly, please enumerate, has he done wrong?
He advised people to take the train. So did John Key.
Anything else?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I hate to say it lads, but I told you so.
For months I said that the RWC would turn out to be a national embarrassment, time and time again this nations proves we are not capable of running a piss up in a brewery.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Yes Nick it is the royal we.
They have ben taking the shit sandwich served them slowly 1 day at a time.
I would rather have a steady and reliable govt than that bunch of liars and thugs that held the reins last time. Even if it is all not happening as fast as some would like.
Don’t ya think??
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
BB I agree that committees are not capable in NZ to organise a f..k in a Bangkok brothel. there is way too much tribal politics across all types of organisation in this country. The appointment of a RWC commissioner who had encompassing powers as an individual would have been the way to go.
NZ has many individual high acheivers capable of sorting this type of event, and with enough forward vision to have seen this pile of shit coming.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Well, your Royal Highness, we are indeed honoured.
The only people eating shit sandwiches as far as I can see are us poor bloody ratepayers and taxpayers. There’s no chance of the Government taking any responsibility for this clusterfuck. Never seen a buck passed so fast in my life. Is that what you meant by steady and reliable Government?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Fuck this blog has taken a swing to the left, collective guilt, socialists proclaiming to speak for all and glee at government interference in local and private affairs.
No wonder we can’t run a piss up in a brewery.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Goff said tonight that the Government should have moved to rectify the problems earlier.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
To all the people so down on Len Brown, what exactly, please enumerate, has he done wrong?
It’s all perfectly clear, Berend. Len Brown declared a wharf to be Party Central, despite a wharf being a long, narrow space with only one entrance/exit. He then told the nation it was our patriotic duty to all try to get onto this wharf on opening night. It’s just our good luck that the sensible John Key and Murray McCully, who would never come up with stupid ideas like these ones that Len Brown inflicted on us, are here to prevent Len’s terrible folly from damaging our international reputation. How lucky we are to have such competent figures available to steer us through this terrible crisis.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Nick my boy settle down theres a good lad.
Sure as dollars to donuts there will never be a govt elected that will satisfy all peoples.
I am merely trying to make the point that I would rather have this current bunch in charge overall, than the previous amalgam of liars, thieves, and thugs.
That is all.
You may rise Sir Nick.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
“They created the supercity, not Auckland, and if it’s not working to their liking then they should have a look at themselves.”
What the fuck do we pay Len Brown for? Oh that’s right. To give himself pay rises.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
“What the fuck do we pay Len Brown for?”
So he can afford to buy a Chris mas ham with his own money.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Yes Psycho Milt we are indeed lucky. 1st time in a long time I have agreed with you.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Len has to go; he has failed to provide the decisive leadership that was anticipated by the super city concept in that the Mayor was given extra powers and the facility to build his own executive team. He and his team were supposed to plan and organize events such as this without the involvement of Government in the detailed logistics. They assured McCully (and us all) that all planning and organization had been carried out in line with Government expectations and contingencies allowed for.
Vote:My own take is that after seeing video of the crowds in Queen street on Friday night the Govt realized that we have just dodged a bullet; thousands of frustrated ( and some intoxicated) people milling around with no entertainment and no facilities; a recipe for a riot. And some of us still remember the riots in Upper Queen street after the rock concert was terminated way back then.
The specifics re the wharf, distance of Eden Park etc. etc. are irrelevant; it was the planning and organization (that did not take into account the limitations) that was faulty. And that includes the transport debacle.
September 13th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
It seems a bit of a pointless fight over who is to blame for Friday’s debacle. A lot of commenters here seem to think Brown is to blame. That’d be fair if other parties had predicted what would happen only for Brown to reject their advice. I’m pretty sure that, par for the course, no one will carry the can. The transport operators and event managers will say they delivered what they were asked to do. The event planners will say they have only organised what they were asked to do. The council will say they have delivered what the government asked them to do and the government will say that the operational details were left to Auckland.
People arguing to the contrary will probably be doing so because it suits them politically to bag either the government or the council.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Hey mikenmild you working O/T tonight??
The wolf in sheeps clothing continues to howl in it’s bleating tone.
Yawn. 2455 comments that add up to jack shit!
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
I’ll try to be kind to Len and suggest he was OK as mayor of a minor city but this job is too big for him.
Vote:On Campbell Live tonight he looked like a frightened rabbit and burbled a string of meaningless words like ‘focussed’ over and over.
It’s hardly fair to pick on him but he said he was the man and he was really only a boy.
September 13th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
OK MM tell us where the buck stops because Len has told us repeatedly that as the elected leader of Auckland City the buck stops with him. And this has been dramatically acknowledged by the Govt. who have judged him to be an epic fail. It is not about politics, it is about competence. And yes Brown did reject the advice that the numbers coming to town would exceed 150,000 (Michael Barnett told him). I repeat again that the Mayor of Auckland City is not your usual common garden provincial Mayor; he has been given powers akin the the Lord Mayor of London (or Sydney) and is expected to do use his powerful position to get things done in Auckland without the Govt. having to come in and fix things up.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
As BeaB says.
Also who the hell wanted this dammed super shity anyway? not like i will ever give my consent for such a monstrosity.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
elscorcho
“Can you idiots stop making jokes”
Why?
trout
“My own take is that after seeing video of the crowds in Queen street … thousands of frustrated ( and some intoxicated) people milling around with no entertainment and no facilities; a recipe for a riot. And some of us still remember the riots in Upper Queen street after the rock concert was terminated way back then.”
A very good point trout.
All the more pertinent given that Dave Dobbyn was performing live on this occasion also. Fortunately, this time around he didn’t exhort the crowd to “kill the pigs”.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Nanny State weighs in – and the Kiwiblog Right nods and approves.
ROFLMAO
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
trout>And this has been dramatically acknowledged by the Govt. who have judged him to be an epic fail.
Aucklanders seem to like their local leaders to be epic embarrassing failures. Tim Shadbolt melted down in spectacular fashion. Dick Hubbard was the ineffectual puppet of his deputy. Andrew Williams was a weak bladdered blustering drunkard. And Brown has gone from being a corrupt suburban mayor handing out huge contracts to his cronies, to a head-slapping monkey-dancing lune who can’t seem to stop himself shouting out the geek equivalent of rap lyrics like a confused 14 year old.
On the other hand, those of us in Wellington have generally competent mayors who manage to avoid public urination and explaining away their head slapping as being a Maori custom. What is it about Aucklanders that they want to make their city a laughing stock?
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Chuck Bird
“It is not Rodney Hide’s fault that Aucklanders voted a thief and and a lying crook as mayor.”
No it isn’t Chuck. But it is his fault that he put them in the position where they inevitably would. The predictable protagonists were Mayor Piddle Pants (no show), Banksie (no public appeal beyond his precinct) and the head slapping Mr Fiddle with a walloping support base. Hard to see that coming!
But then Rodney probably didn’t think that he would get the arse and his party would be taken over by someone who wasn’t even a member, or that a bunch of list MPs who were exiting Parliament would vote in favour of overturning one of the fundamental tenets of our legal system; namely the obligation of the prosecution to make its case.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
I dunno Davidp what makes you think half of Aucklanders even bother to vote at local elections? LMAO at advice from Wellington if it isn’t someone from Tauranga or Cambridge i piss on them.
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Bit late guys, from now on there won’t be any family events- just a few late night piss-ups huddled about the big screens. Good to see the govt pulling out all stops to help something that really matters!
Vote:September 13th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
From what I’ve read, around 2,000 people were late to the opening ceremony.
At the risk of being blunt. So fucking what?
Refund their tickets and move on. The other 58,000 people had a hell of a great time.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 6:33 am
Two things that sum this up this morning.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10751566
And “taxpayers gunna be shafted again.
$2m price tag on getting city’s World Cup trains to run properly
By Bernard Orsman
5:30 AM Wednesday Sep 14, 2011
A price tag of about $2 million has been put on fixing Auckland’s public transport for the rest of the Rugby World Cup tournament.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Don’t think there can be any disagreement that Len Brown and his Council team cocked this up – big time.
Seems to me that the problem lies with the idiots who thought that only 12,000 people would turn up to a free concert complete with big screens to watch the opening ceremony and the first game from the bottom of Queen Street. Predictions prior to the game (IIRC by Martin Sneddon) suggested that around 100,000 would front – out of a population of 1.4 million (and that isn’t counting the share of the reported 90,000 visitors in the country who were in Auckland at the time). Funny that.
This was a total cock-up waiting to happen – and it did.
And status quo (hoping that Brown et al would somehow fix it), just wasn’t an option. At least McCully has stood up and said “I’ll sort it”. Len Brown wouldn’t even front for a radio interview with Mike Hosking on NewstalkZB this morning – he sent deputy mayor Penny Hulse instead. And her excuse was that we are 10 weeks out from an election and National somehow wanted to embarrass the Labour Council in Auckland.
Haha – sorry, Penny. No need to do that – Len was outstanding in that role already.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 9:33 am
Unfortunately it’s easy to see how many things were wrong with this post the event. I didn’t hear anyone commenting on the potential issues prior to the event.
Either way, I don’t want a Labour or National government fucking around in areas that should be controlled by local governments, regardless of how incompetent that local government is. Central government should not be involved at all unless it’s specifically requested on the part of the local authority.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 9:42 am
lefty
Vote:Fair point. Apart from estimates of the crowds, did anyone say that the event facilities or planning would be inadequate? I should have thought such a claim might have been reported.
September 14th, 2011 at 10:05 am
McCully’s nickname is Muzza – often wondered why – now clarified – short for Mussolini !!
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 10:05 am
lefty
I would ordinarily agree with you, but in this case, the issue is one of national significance if a central government objective is to promote NZ as an event destination. You can debate whether that is a sensible aspiration, but accepting that it exists, then there is too much at stake to allow these bungles to impact on a goal that is perceived to be in the national interest. We dodged a bullet on this one – by all accounts Quay St was a frightening place to be on Friday and it wouldn’t have taken much to have turned it into a tragedy. That kind of bad news travels fast and when it arrives on the other side of the world, it might not necessarily be in a form that bears any resemblance to reality.
You might feel comfortable with NZ’s international reputation being left in the hands of Len Brown but I’m not. He was, according to reports, warned about problems that were encountered but chose to ignore warnings and advice. Putting the idiocy of his singing, rapping and predisposition to getting down and homey to one side, he has a consistent record of not just being untruthful, but of adopting flights of fancy to bolster his own image in a way that in actual fact, reflects an inability to deal with practical reality. I would not put him in charge of a credit card let alone an issue of public safety and NZ’s reputation.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 10:54 am
@thedavincimode: I can understand the argument that NZ’s reputation is on the line here, and certainly things could have been worse (they can always be worse, after all) and it’s to everyone’s credit that they weren’t – even the drunk idiots fortunately had enough sense not to cause further damage than they did. However, I still see no benefit to the Government stepping in and attempting to override the local authority.
What would your reaction be if the political persuasions were reversed, however unlikely you may invision that to be (i.e. Labour were in government and Banks was mayor of Auckland yet the same result occurred) Would you be supporting the government stepping into Auckland’s affairs in the same manner as has occurred here?
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 11:10 am
aquataur 10:05 am
At least the Trains will run on time!
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 11:45 am
lefty
The real answer is apolitical. If local government has demonstrated an inability to deal with an issue of national significance and central government has the powers to deal with it, considers that it can, then it is entirely appropriate for central government to step in. This is not without precedent eg Cunners with Hawke’s Bay Health and Smith with ECAN. Look at what has happened with ECAN, an organisation riddled with lefties and melons and a dysfunctional relationship with the community; output on consent processing has tripled under the commisioners. Decisions are being made.
In this case, central Government is vested with special powers to just get thngs down. You can debate whether that’s good, but that is the difference here. Were it not for those powers, then central government would presumably have no power other than of persuasion, in which case, there could have been no takeover effected. Perhaps these powers were enacted with Len Brown in mind.
However, at a political level, I don’t believe your alternative scenario would arise. When I look at the parties involved I see Brown – more interested in creating a spectacle of himself and taking credit for the efforts of other, and Lee and Williams, a couple of Labour party hacks with no credentials involved in Auckland Transport. Lee is best know for his failed sally into event management and presenting ratepayers with a $2m bill for promoting the LA Galaxy Game, pfaffing around and grandstanding over party central when Banks was mayor and his relentless self-promotion at that time, and Williams for being a party hack, he of the ‘H’ fee mission, generally trying to rummage around in Key’s underpants drawer to no effect, grovelling to Owen Glen for cash, asking for a job from Glen and being turned down, and then shitting all over Glen, a substantial donor to his party, when the Peters business came to light. None of these people present with credentials suggesting the ability to make quality decisions. The toilet roll business plan for the rail loop from Brown & Lee is a useful indicator of their commerical acumen, as is Williams inability to get himself employed other than on the old mates basis. If the decision-makers really were warned about issues and ignored them, then only supports the perception I’ve painted.
These are not quality people and do not inspire confidence. Moreover, this morning we hear that building consent processing has been suspended for the six weeks of the cup. Just remarkable.
On the other hand, Banks is an intelligent and successful businessman who, by virtue of that success, would appear to be capable of making quality decisions. I think he has issues with his public persona but his success infers that he is more than capable when dealing with issues behind the scenes. His mayoralty was not characterised by serial political grandstanding. Instead he gave all the appearance of someone who was more focussed on getting things done and who was prepared, when needed, to roll up his sleeves and get involved; something that all good CEOs need to be prepared to do at certain times, without necessarily being of the inclination to take over and micro-manage everything.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 11:50 am
I think we can all agree that the size of the crowd far exceeded anyone’s expectations, and there were considerable shortcomings with transport and crowd control.
However, right from 10:30pm on Friday Len Brown acknowledged this, apologised, accepted responsibility and promised to sort it out. Until yesterday afternoon, he was in constant contact with the Government. He talked to Steven Joyce, who said this in Parliament yesterday just hours before McCully’s press conference :
And then right out of the blue comes this completely arrogant, rude behaviour from McCully, which ensures the issue remains on page 1 of the Herald, rather than page 5. How the hell does this help our reputation with the RWC?
@thedavincimode – I’m struggling to think of a single thing Banks achieved for Auckland during his two terms as Mayor. Doesn’t stop him having a crack at Len though:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10751633
Almost laughably, Banks says:
As Mayor at the time, should he not have said something? Hindsight is a wonderful thing, innit?
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Ha ha that’s good. Brown bad, Banks good. Why? Because davinci like Banks’s politics. Case closed, eh? You’re not Paul Goldsmith are you?
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
mikeymunter
Is that what I said? Was there anything I said that isn’t true? Do you have some first-hand insight that contradicts my perception? You actually have complete faith and confidence in Brown, Lee and Williams?
Please share.
campit
Ditto. Read the first paragraph.
And back at you anyway. Its not as if the looney Brown doesn’t need a few faithful to help fly his flag.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Its going to be seriously funny when the situation proves to be no better.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully’s decision to intervene and take control of the Auckland waterfront is an entirely predictable reaction to the debacle that occurred last Friday.
Vote:Despite assurances from Auckland City Council officials charged with organising the event, serious miscalculations of the crowd size resulted in transport and facility failures.
Mr Shale Chambers of Auckland City Council claimed on TV1′s Breakfast this morning that planning was in place for a crowd of 150,000, and that the actual crowd size of 200,000 + had created unaticipated logistical challenges.
He also said that the Auckland Council was a ‘ victim of it’s own success”. This statement however failed to mollify a “ropable” Murray McCully who witnessed the debacle first hand while attending festivities at Party Central on Queens Wharf.
Michael Barnett, C.E.O. of Auckland Chamber of Commerce and C.E.O. of the Cloud Venue, accurately predicted a crowd of 120,000-150,000, but his advice was not heeded. Elected Auckland City Councillor Cameron Brewer also late last week flagged a larger than expected crowd but was also ignored by officials.
Also Ports Of Auckland spokeswomen Catherine Etheredge said that the companies offer to make portions of Bledisloe and Captain Cook Wharf available was declined by officials.
Media outlets and commentators are attributing the failure to a disconnect between Mayor Len Brown and the National led government.
Although there may be substance to that allegation, blame for this debacle can only be sheeted home to officials whom naively planned to entertain a crowd in the vicinity of 50,000 – 100,000; a serious miscalculation.
A comparative study of past international events has uncovered that in the Mumbai Commonwealth Games,the Beijing Olympics and that F.I.F.A World Cup in South Africa, governments similarly intervened under urgency to resolve logistic problems.
As a result of those Government interventions all of the above events were spared the humilation of failure on the world satge and were sucessfully concluded without further mishap.
In conclusion, despite the hiccups, the WRC was launched successfully and credit must be paid to the organisers who made the opening ceremony a spectacular and world class event.
September 14th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
“Auckland Transport’s report says it had been assured FRENCH OWNED contractor Veolia Transport, who runs Auckland’s rail network, had addressed customer concerns after last month’s Bledisloe Cup test.
The report says it was clear those measures were not put in place.”
Well that says it all – not content with trying to shag us on the field the French are now shagging us off the field as well
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Anyone from Auckland in this house? Anyone who actually went? I was there, right in the thick of the crowd. It wasn’t like some riot or disaster actually happened. Some people missed a game. Big deal, they should have left earlier. Quay St was crowded. That was exciting, and represented that Aucklanders support the RWC. The mood was basically extremely positive, because the crowd was the biggest fuck-off thing we’ve ever seen happen in this country, as is the entire tournament.
Personally I’m going to make up my own mind about whether this is a disaster or an embarrassment. Currently, the only thing that’s embarrassing is all the whinging, and the very bizarre decision to invoke extraordinary powers by the Government, just to organize a pissup, on the pretext of an entertainment having unexpected levels of support.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
agreed Ben Wilson
get over yourselves! It was a fantastic night with a few hiccups. Nothing else except perhaps the final is going to be as huge so it just looks like point-scoring by the Nats for whom the rest of the RWC should run smoothly.
Vote:Why all the hassling of Len Brown when John Key’s slurring and uninspiring speech was waaaaaaaaaaay more embarrassing….
September 14th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
But we like John and hate Len. It’s the Kiwiblog equivalent of beer goggles.
Anyway, big ups for Canada. A minor upset, good to see.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
But we like John and hate Len. It’s the Kiwiblog equivalent of beer goggles.
Not all all mm.
I don’t like Len when I’m sober, either.
Not cause he’s a lefty but cause he’s an idiot. AND he’s a lefty.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
I bet most people here have very little to do with Auckland Transport.
I have quite a lot to do with them unfortunately. Why? Because I redeveloped a commercial property in Papakura, South Auckland of course!
Huh? You say? I built some balconies over the footpath (as part of an existing canopy) and now Auckland Transport want me to pay them an annual rent for the use of the airspace!
They have no legal right to do so but are trying to bully me into it. For the full story, see here: http://www.duganotherhole.com. Look for the DavoTriesAgain category.
So I was really happy to see these arrogant arseholes stripped of their job of running the trains etc. Something about a piss up and a brewery.
Vote:September 14th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
“So I was really happy to see these arrogant arseholes stripped of their job of running the trains etc.”
Except, of course they aren’t. Murray isn’t trying to fix the trains. He just needs more space for party central because his boss picked a venue that is way to small.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 7:58 am
swan
They didn’t pick a venue that was too small. It happens to be a venue where all Auckland public transport converges – ferries, buses, trains (when they ever run) which is perfectly sensible.
The down and funky mayor then decided he wouldn’t need the extra space offered on an adjoining wharf (Captain Cook I recall), thereby reducing space available. There is shitloads of space in that area. It just wasn’t used when it could have been.
Then to cap it all off, the idiot decided to install a movie theatre in Quay Street so as to create a crowd precisely in the middle of the area where the public tranport patrons required egress. A master stroke of fuckwitism.
Result: fiasco.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 10:30 am
So you think the answer to a venue too small by a factor of ten, is a second, smaller, non-contiguous space, and a wharf to boot. Yeah maybe not. Of course Auckland council could have had a main fanzone elsewhere, eg Aotea, but, ex ante, that may have seemed a bit disjointed to have two separate fan zones. And the proof being in the pudding, that’s not what is now proposed anyway.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 11:54 am
From my visit to Queen’s Wharf during some games last night, I can’t accept that it is too small. The place practically had tumbleweed flying across it. I think the one-off event of extreme crowding in that area will not happen again, and the “seizure” will be as pointless as it is arrogant.
It was also not a particularly nice place to visit – the only reason I would visit again would be if there was some entertainment event on there, preferably near to a big game that isn’t the All Blacks. For AB games I will be at someone’s house, drinking nice beer out of a glass, eating nice food sitting down, and talking to company that isn’t random drunk strangers, without having to shout over the sound of inane commentary. This is available to anyone in the country who likes rugby, and such parties can be fun even to people who have no interest in it at all.
I’m going to some games, too. That is an experience I will most likely never have another chance for. Sinking piss in a big barn is something I can do 24/7 in Auckland, just by visiting the Sky Tower casino.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Ben, why did they limit it to 12000 people then? That was the maximumallowed number on the wharf.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Get to the Wellington fan zone, it’s awesome! Outside screen, good range of food and drink, links through to Civic Square and the Town Hall, where another big screen operates. Very family-friendly.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
>Ben, why did they limit it to 12000 people then? That was the maximumallowed number on the wharf.
With that many there, it would be crowded. Seems sensible to me. I just don’t expect to see any more crowds like that. What is the appeal, really? Every bar for 1000km has the rugby on, and most of them sell more beers than Heineken, let you drink it from a glass, sell some spirits and wine in glasses, have seating that is comfortable, many have food available. And that’s just for people who want to watch the game in a bar, rather than in a house, where they don’t have to worry about how to get there or home, or who is going to look after the kids.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Mikenmild, thats probably because the council (i.e. the experts in event management), were allowed to plan without interference. Ironic given the beehive location. Having said that I had a great time downtown on friday. This week, we’er rocking The tron, which I suspect will trump all comers
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce, is trying to blame the Auckland City Council for last Friday’s fiasco.
Just to remind people;
The rail system in Auckland is run by Veolia Railway Auckland. This is a private company contracted by the Auckland Transport Agency (ATA). The ATA has seven Directors – five of whom are central government appointees. ATA is therefore a ‘creature’ of central government.
Rail in Auckland is therefore a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) between Veolia and central government.
Auckland Council plays very little part of this arrangement.
Steve Joyce should stop buck-passing and blaming the Council. Transport is fairly and squarely his responsibility. That is what he is paid $249,100 to run properly.
Then of course we have 200 courageous police officers who were way out of their depth trying to control a crowd of 200,000+. Last time I heard, the NZ police report to the Commissioner of Police (Peter Marshall), who, in turn, reports to the Minister of Police (Judith “Crusher” Collins). The police don’t report to the mayor of Auckland.
As for “Party Central” – that was John “Smile & Wave” Key’s Big Idea from the Get Go. I recall considerable reservations about this plan, not the least from pub/bar/restaurant owners in Auckland who were pee’d off that the crowds would be at Queen’s Wharf, taking business away from them.
Ironic, huh? A National/ACT government instigating policies that result in businesses LOSING money. Nice one, Dear Leader.
And then we have Murray McCully. *facepalm*
The Rt. Hon. M. McCully, the Minister for the RWC. It’s not just a titular title, people; the RWC is a nationwide event and not just Auckland-based. Hence why McCully was given the Ministerial role to oversee organisation. If the Buck doesn’t Stop with him, then who? The fricken tea lady?! (Bloody communist tea ladies!!!)
Suck it up, people. As right wingers love to tell the rest of us: Take some RESPONSIBILITY!
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Francis_x – Jeez you write some crap.
Whilst you correctly state “The rail system in Auckland is run by Veolia Railway Auckland. This is a private company contracted by the Auckland Transport Agency (ATA)” you them jump on ATA because of the actions of their own contractor. But in jumping on ATA, I note you leave out the fact that two of the directors are your beloved Mike Lee and former Labour Party President Mike Williams. But maybe you knew that anyway…. and just left it out because it didn’t suit your story.
In this case, it is patently obvious that Veolia couldn’t cope – if ever you wanted proof of this, consider the statement today by their Chairman Graeme Sibery when he told Mike Hosking (NewstalkZB) that commuters should use buses this weekend if they wanted to be sure they could make the game on time. Buses! Nice one….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10751963
So sorry, if you want to play the blame game,then look no further than the morons who run Auckland Council – they have been proven beyond doubt to be lacking in the commercial basics to run Auckland City.
Transportation is THEIR responsibility. McCully doesn’t run the buses in Auckland. Nor Wellington. Nor New Plymouth. That is the business of the local Council. So if you want to apportion ‘blame’ please stick to the facts and you will see where any ‘blame’ really lies… Thats why Minister McCully has stepped in and even your idol Phil Goff has conceded that this was the right thing to do….
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
swan
Are you just being wilfully fuckwitted? Can you not get your tiny little pea brain around the fact that they set up a stage/screen that gathered a crowd right at the point of egress from public transport. That has nothing to do with Captain Cook wharf. The effect was the same as if you were to completely block the motorway.
From what I saw a few months ago, there is bucketloads of space between Captain Cook and the western end of so-called party central at the Wynyard/tank farm end of the waterfront. The people that I’ve spoken to who were actually there are all of the view that if some fuckwit hadn’t decided to block the access at that critical point in with a screen and a crowd that gathered to watch it, there would not have been a problem. Captain Cook would merely have proved spillover capacity which would have eased some of the problem, but was not a solution to the fuckwitted placement of the blockage that fucked the whole thing up in the first place.
It wasn’t you was it, given that you appear to be too fucking stupid to comprehend the consequnces of blocking that access?
Can I put it terms that even you can understand. If somebody completely blocked your front door, and you had no other doors or woindows, you wouldn’t be able to get from your hall to your front step.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
You obviously werent down there so I will explain it to you. The Quay St screens were at the bottom of Albert St, so a block from Britomart, and they blocked about a third of the corridor. Queens Wharf, AKA Party Central is right next to Britomart and the Ferry terminal.
But those are just details. Party Central is the reason everyone was there. The issue is the wider strategy of having the Central Auckland fanzone in a place not designed for large public events. Unlike Aotea Square, or the Domain.
Vote:September 15th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Well Swann, I guess you weren’t there when that crowd blocked the entire corridor from Britomart/Ferry Building to Princes Wharf.
I’ve also been to Aotea Square and from memory, its just a wee bit smaller than the area encompassing Captain Cook, Queens, Princes and Wynyard Wharves, Quay St, the Viaduct Basin and the tank farm. But those are just details, just like the fact that Aotea Square was designed as a roof on an undergound carpark, and the Domain does not have rail, bus and ferry connections that service what is now Auckland city. Or have things changed since I was last there?
My recollection of the last time that Aotea Square was used for a large public event was that Dave Dobbyn suggested the crowd kill the pigs and a riot ensued. Given that he was performing again, Aotea Square might have been perceived as not only far too small, but as a bit high risk. Good idea in at least one respect though. If Len hadn’t been off to the game in his council limo he could have just nipped out the back door of the council building to get down and homey at a sausage sizzle. A couple of raps and a song. “Party at da Council House”. He be down wid dat. He da man!
Vote: