February 2025 Newsletter
A monthly e-Newsletter by CityWatch NZ
Welcome to the 13th Newsletter for CityWatch NZ
With this being a local government election year, CityWatch NZ is helping in the fight against voter apathy with an article explaining the psychology of “learned helplessness”.
In central government news, Simeon Brown was made Minister of Health. Simon Watts is the replacement Minister of Local Government and Chris Bishop is the replacement Minister of Transport.
We have two opinion pieces on the topics of growing council debt and the lack of financial discipline within councils. In international news, we have a brief opinion piece on the beavers beating the bureaucracy in the Czech Republic.
The public consultation for reducing the speed limit on Hamilton’s busy Wairere Drive is set to close on 7 March 2025. On this issue we have two opinion pieces on how this speed reduction is linked with the plans to install a raised intersection at Karewa Place, while getting those developing a new supermarket to pay for building these additional speed bumps. We have further updates on other raised crossing issues in Hamilton City, including a win on Heaphy Terrace for those opposed to raised crossings and the blocking of busy roundabouts.
Links are provided to relevant events, in-progress petitions, and open consultations at the end of this newsletter.
FIGHTING VOTER APATHY AND OVERCOMING ‘LEARNED HELPLESSNESS‘
Local elections in New Zealand have had declining levels of voter participation for decades. City council elections generally have lower voter turnout than district council elections.
Voter apathy and learned helplessness are potential contributors to the low levels of voter turnout and lack of people engaging with local politics.
The definition of “learned helplessness” is based on behavioural psychology and is highly relevant in helping us better understand ourselves, our communities and wider democratic society. CityWatch NZ has published a brief article to explain the concept and importance of “learned helplessness”. A passive and defeatist population is not something we want at CityWatch NZ and one of our goals is turning this around.
“An American psychologist, Seligman, further developed classical conditioning, by using experiments such as electrical shocks on dogs. He coined the term ‘learned helplessness’ to describe some dogs which, after experiencing multiple electrical shocks, became defeatist. Some dogs gave up seeking an escape and stayed-put to suffer the pain anyway, even when escape was easily available for them. Later, similar experiments were conducted on humans, using loud noises. Seligman concluded that past experiences may produce extreme and long-lasting changes in our behaviour, that may appear irrational to observers. In a similar way, farm stock and dogs may avoid fences that look like an electric fence, even if not live, if they have previously experienced being shocked by one.”
Read the full article explaining the psychology of learned helplessness
What is “Learned Helplessness”?
THE CHANGING OF THE MINISTERS
In the January 2025 Cabinet reshuffle, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown was reassigned and made Minister of Health.
Simeon Brown was both Minister of Local Government and Minister of Transport. Holding these two portfolios simultaneously put him in a good position to address concerns such as fixing potholes and stopping “traffic calming” measures.
The new Minister of Local Government is Simon Watts, who can be contacted at S.Watts@ministers.govt.nz and the new Minister of Transport is Chris Bishop who can be contacted at C.Bishop@ministers.govt.nz
Minister of Local Government Reassigned in January 2025
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING AGENCY AND HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL FINANCES
Hamilton City Councillor Andrew Bydder shares his thoughts after investigating the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA).
“Councils love spending other people’s money. But if it goes on for too long, the public get annoyed at rates rises and vote out the councillors. That’s how it is supposed to work. But everything changed after the GFC. Councils discovered a magic money tree!
…The LGFA is a debt-funding alternative to banks, specifically for councils. It borrows money by issuing bonds and is able to offer councils a lower interest rate than banks. That is a big win for ratepayers and makes great sense.
What you haven’t been told is that the lower interest rate is achieved by using your house as the guarantee. If councils fail to pay the money back, your house could be sold.”
Hamilton City Councillor Andrew Bydder
OPINION: Breaking the Spending Addiction
Former Hamilton City Councillor Rob Pascoe offers his critical opinions on the recent updates to the City’s budget.
“Councillors, even more so in election year, need to be focused on outcomes that support the ratepayers and city residents.
Most ratepayers will have received and paid their first installment of the new higher rate before the October elections.
As voters we need to be aware of the recent voting behaviour of elected members to ensure those wasting city funds are appropriately censured when they present themselves for re-election.”
Former Hamilton City Councillor Rob Pascoe
OPINION: The 2025/26 HCC Budget – More of the Same and No “Fresh Thinking” (Yet) for Election Year
BEAVERS BEATING THE BUREAUCRACY
Hamilton City Councillor Andrew Bydder draws our attention to the red-tape cutting beavers in the Czech Republic who are protecting wetlands and saving the Czech government millions.
OPINION: Eager Beavers Beat Government Experts
"Beavers are able to build a dam in one night, two nights at the most. While people have to get building permits, get the building project approved, and find the money for it. But of course a digger working on his own could build it in about a week."
Zoologist Jiri Vlček, Beavers build planned dams in protected landscape area, while local officials still seeking permits, 31 January 2025
Andrew Bydder also draws our attention to the Ministry for Regulation’s new “Have you got a red tape issue you want to tell us about?” online reporting system.
You can report your New Zealand red tape issues here:
https://consultation.regulation.govt.nz/regulatory-issues/tell-us-about-a-regulatory-issue/
HAMILTON’S WAIRERE DRIVE & KAWERA PLACE INTERSECTION CHANGES
Hamilton City Council is currently consulting the public on a proposed speed limit reduction along the Te Rapa section of Wairere Drive. Despite previous consultations on the issue having 80% rejection of the proposed speed reduction, Council is determined to implement the speed reduction and make Foodstuffs pay for a raised platform intersection as a resource consent condition. Foodstuffs is wanting to build a new Pak n’ Save supermarket in Te Rapa.
CityWatch NZ contributor Geoff Kreegher provides his full submission to the public consultation. He covers the various issues with the resource consent for the new supermarket and recommends that….
Council seek a variation to amend the resource consent:
-to remove the right turn on Wairere Dr into Karewa Pl
-remove the speed reduction on the arterial road (Wairere Dr)
-remove the ‘traffic calming’ ‘raised platforms’ i.e. speed bumps.
Investigate relocating the entry into The Base to Te Kowhai E Rd this would:
-eliminate the current congestion.
-cater for the expected increase in traffic to/from Pak n Save
-render the right turn into Karewa Pl and the speed reduction unnecessary.”
OPINION: Wairere Drive Speed Reduction Submission
CityWatch NZ Editor John McDonald provides his analysis of the Committee meeting about one year ago where the Kawera Place raised platform was approved. He recommends people get involved with the current consultation and ”let Council staff and Councillors know that we want them to focus on making good decisions; not making bad decisions with positive messaging”.
Selected quotes from that March 2024 committee meeting are covered in the article, including the following…
“We have to go through with it, even though this is a major ring road, well it is the ringroad... we just have to do it...
...We don’t really have a choice.”
Committee Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary @ 13:16
“How might we, as the Council, be able to work with Pak ’n Save to, um, create a positive message and story about this?”
Deputy Chairperson, Councillor Maxine van Oosten @ 13:19
“For me it’s economic growth versus job creation...
...we got over 700 public submissions back, with 80% of them opposed to lowering the speed from 80 to 60, and that resonated with me because it is a main arterial route.”
Committee Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary @ 13:31
“I guess I am saying that, I would suggest to the public who would, when they hear of this news, that they may be dissatisfied with the outcome of the lowering of the speed, of a raised safety platform, of pedestrian lights and access. That that is a small sacrifice to pay. That this committee has unanimously gone on that journey.”
Committee Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary @ 13:32
I’m reminded of the hierarchy of decision making. When the resource consent was given, when the commissioners turned their mind to having heard the evidence, they made a decision and they put a hook in there. Um, and staff rightly, having followed the, um, ah, resource consent, said the only way we can achieve, um, the signalised crossing is by having a raised platform, and we were captured, ha ha. And, um, we have then as a consequence tried to do everything to mitigate, in a meaningful way. Ah, but the cascade of effects, um, we were somewhat hung by our own petard... right?”
Councillor Ewan Wilson @ 13:33
“I'm a little concerned that there are some members that feel, as Councillor Wilson has pointed out, that there is a choice here. Um, this is a resource consent and I am not going to take a step that’s going to put us towards a judicial review. So I am concerned about the debate from Councillor Bydder and Councillor Naidoo-Rauf. This is about growth and look it's a compromise.... And a lot of us, some of us, don’t like the idea of a safety, raised safety platform. But, uh, there is not really any choice...”
Committee Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary @ 13:45
Details of the public consultation on the Wairere Drive are copied below…
PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON WAIRERE DRIVE SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION, HAMILTON CLOSES ON FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2025
“Hamiltonians can now have their say on a proposal to reduce the speed limit on a section of Wairere Drive, between Arthur Porter Drive and Pukete Road, to enable a PAK’nSAVE supermarket to be built.
Hamilton City Council is proposing to reduce the speed from 80km/h to 60km/h to make the intersection of Wairere Drive and Karewa Place safer for those accessing the new supermarket.
As a requirement of the PAK'nSAVE's resource consent, traffic lights will be installed at this intersection to allow for a right turn into (but not out of) Karewa Place from Wairere Drive. This consultation does not revisit that decision, and no further feedback on this is being sought.”
Links:
https://haveyoursay.hamilton.govt.nz/wairere-drive-speed-limit-reduction
UPDATES ON HAMILTON’S OTHER RAISED CROSSING ISSUES
We have another win on stopping the installation of more raised crossings in Hamilton while providing safe crossing options. The new design for the Heaphy Terrace crossing has been approved for construction. The redesigned crossing will be further from the busy roundabout, not incorporate a speed bump, and be signalised with traffic lights. The new crossing design has been estimated to cost about 20% less than the previous design of a raised pedestrian crossing without traffic lights. However, the mathematics capabilities of Council staff were publicly questioned at the Council meeting, so we will need to wait and see if over $100,000 in cost savings will actually eventuate.
Hamilton’s $689,000 raised crossing design replaced with a $546,000 at-level crossing
With the Heaphy Terrace crossing expected to be built mid-2025, CityWatch NZ will publish an account of the whole saga after the completion of the crossing.
This month we also publish Don Hewison’s investigation on the situation at the Rototuna roundabout where raised crossings are causing issues many years after their installation. Don questions whether the Hamilton City Council is truly living up to their claims that “Everything we do is aimed at improving the wellbeing of Hamiltonians”. He observes that the poor design of the roundabout is forcing people to break the rules.
The design of this roundabout can now be considered as forcing a driver of a long vehicle to break the statutory requirement “A driver or person in charge of a vehicle must not stop, stand, or park the vehicle on a pedestrian crossing”. Forcing people to do the wrong thing by poor engineering, will not promote, provide, or enhance wellbeing. Who then is responsible for this – the driver (who has no other option) or council?”
Don Hewison
OPINION: Thomas Road/Hukanui Road-Horsham Downs Road Roundabout – An Investigation
OPEN CONSULTATIONS, PETITIONS, AND EVENT NOTICES
PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON HAMILTON’S NEW CENTRAL CITY RESERVOIRS
CLOSES TUESDAY 18 MARCH 2025
Community feedback is important to help shape the final design and layout of the reservoirs site, including access and landscaping considerations.
To increase the supply of drinking water and capacity for firefighting for our growing central city, we need to build two 25 million litre (ML) reservoirs. One by 2028 and the other from 2040.
Following significant technical, environmental and cultural investigation, the Ruakiwi site (next to the existing Ruakiwi Reservoir) has been identified as the best site for the new reservoirs.
Links:
https://hamilton.govt.nz/strategies-plans-and-projects/projects/central-city/central-city-reservoir
https://haveyoursay.hamilton.govt.nz/new-central-city-reservoirs
PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING CALLED FOR THE AUCKLAND COUNCIL (AUCKLAND FUTURE FUND) BILL
CLOSES TUESDAY 08 APRIL 2025
“The Auckland Future Fund was introduced as part of Auckland Council’s Long-term Plan 2024-2034. The fund is an investment vehicle that seeks to provide the council with an additional source of income. The council is assuming average annual returns of 7.24 percent per annum from the fund over the long term, after management costs. Of the projected return, 5.24 percent will be returned to the council as an annual cash distribution, with the remainder retained to provide for growth of the fund.
The Auckland Council (Auckland Future Fund) Bill seeks to provide legislative protection for the governance and operations of the fund with the intent of maintaining or increasing the real value of its capital over time.”
Link:
“SAVE THE CHATEAU TONGARIRO HOTEL” PETITION
CLOSES SUNDAY WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025 AT 11.59PM NZST
The petition can be found at this link…
https://petitions.parliament.nz/c9ffd862-08cd-46a0-5a8d-08dc72d04919
The petition text is copied below…
“The future of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel hangs in the balance, with negotiations underway and decisions pending from government officials. There is a strong desire from the local community, as well as from people across New Zealand and around the world, to see this iconic building saved. By imploring the Government to act with urgency to save the Chateau, we seek to preserve a treasured piece of our cultural heritage along with the economic prosperity and tourism excellence that it represents.”
Posting of event information, petition information, consultation viewpoints, or other content on the CityWatch NZ newsletter or website does not constitute endorsement of those views by CityWatch NZ or its editors. This section is largely based on information readers have sent to us on issues they think are important.
If there is a political/regulatory consultation, petition, or event you think might be of interest to CityWatch NZ readers, email the details to contact@citywatchnz.org