November-December 2024 Newsletter
A monthly e-Newsletter by CityWatch NZ
Welcome to the 11th Newsletter for CityWatch NZ
We are publishing one newsletter to finish 2024 and cover both November and December.
In December the Minister of Local Government, Simeon Brown, announced local government reforms for 2025, including removing the four well-beings from the Local Government Act 2002 to make councils refocus on “the basics”.
CityWatch NZ publishes an investigation into New Zealand’s city councils and their increased use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Our coverage of speed bumps in Hamilton City, past and future, continues with an article on the lasting consequences of a $1.4 million project which added raised crossings to roundabout in 2022. Councilor Andrew Bydder gives his opinion on Hamilton City Council’s plans to require those building a new supermarket to install a raised crossing on one of Hamilton’s busiest roads.
Geoff Kreegher gives a ‘money-going-down-the-drain’ financial breakdown of a month in the operation of the Te Huia train. He details the costs and revenue per passenger of this heavily-subsidised and under-utilised Hamilton-Auckland service.
Tauranga City Council faces further demands from residents to remove more ‘traffic calming’ (speed) bumps due to vibration issues impacting nearby homes. A Mount Maunganui couple achieve a win to reverse Tauranga City Council adding a flood hazard note to their property title.
The council controlled organisation (CCO) called Wellington Water received more media attention in November. Most of the attention was not positive and highlights wider concerns with the new entities being planned for many councils as part of the ‘Three Waters’ reforms.
For an international issue with local relevance, we have an update on how 15-minute city implementation is progressing in Paris, as the Mayor of the French capital moves to ban more automobiles from the city centre.
The “Stop Water Fluoridation” petition to parliament closed in November 2024 with 16,288 signatures gathered according to the Parliament website. Links are provided to a range of currently open petitions and consultations.
The next newsletter, in January 2025, will be a special edition. It will feature a review of the first full year of CityWatch NZ newsletters and outline our plans for 2025.
MINISTER SIMEON BROWN ANNOUNCES LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS
On the 16th of December 2024, the Minister for Local Government Simeon Brown announced a series of planned reforms to local government. Reforms include removing references to the “four well-beings” from the Local Government Act 2002.
The CityWatch NZ website has a summary of both the announcement and related commentary in in the media…
Local Government Act Reforms: December 2024 Media Coverage
The Local Government Minister Simeon Brown also announced establishing a bench-marking system at the Department of Internal Affairs to allow public comparison of council performance and statistics such as dept levels, debt projections, capital expenditure, rates and rates forecasts, budget balancing, and road conditions.
“The four wellbeing pillars that task councils with looking after economic wellbeing, social wellbeing, cultural wellbeing, and environmental wellbeing will be scrapped.
That was a bad idea from the last Labour Government anyway, which was so broad and meaningless it gave councils an excuse to expand their meddling into pretty much anything, because everything is a wellbeing.”
Councils forced the Govt to bring out the big stick, Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB, 17 December 2024
Former Kāpiti Coast District Councilor Gwynn Compton argued on his Local Aotearoa website that “four wellbeings” spending is not a major driver of rates increases and that council staff will “basically just change the language they use” and otherwise continue with their projects and long-term plan spending.
CITY COUNCILS AND ANPR CAMERA SURVEILLANCE
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology uses cameras and software to automatically read number plates and create databases of vehicle movements. This year CityWatch NZ has investigated the installation and use of this technology by city councils.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Technology in NZ Cities
According to New Zealand Police documentation, ANPR technologies and databases are used to track “vehicles of interest” with two primary applications, “The investigation of offences” and “intelligence analysis that can build a “pattern of life” picture of a particular vehicle(s) pattern of movements over a period of up to 12 months”. Some of this tracking can be real-time and it can also be used for retrospective (‘after the fact’) tracking.
Many larger city councils in New Zealand, use the vGrid system (provided by the company Safe City Group Limited under the brand SaferCities) to provide surveillance camera data to Police.
According to replies to CityWatch NZ’s information request to city councils, Auckland Transport and Hamilton City Council have installed the most ANPR cameras in the last five years.
Auckland Transport reported installing 500 new cameras, all with ANPR capabilities. Auckland Transport also reports that they have more than 4,870 cameras operating and connected to vGrid.
Hamilton City Council reported that they have installed 60 new ANPR cameras in the last five years and have 460 cameras feeding into the vGrid system as well as a Datacom Group Ltd system.
Tauranga City Council reported that they have installed 51 ANPR cameras and Christchurch City Council reports installing 45 ANPR cameras.
Wellington City Council and Dunedin City Council reported installing 3 ANPR cameras each. However, Dunedin City Council reports that these three cameras are used in a carpark building, not on the roads.
Other city councils did not reply to the request or stated that they had not installed ANPR cameras.
In terms of legitimate uses, a network of ANPR cameras should be very effective in tracking stolen vehicles in cities. However, privacy concerns are warranted and the New Zealand Police have been caught abusing the surveillance capability to track people for non-crime activities.
“Just one month after the Privacy Commissioner warned police to do better when it comes to number plate cameras and privacy, a detective pretended a car was stolen so they could track it.
OIA documents show police made the false report while hunting three women who travelled to Northland last October, sparking a Covid-19 lockdown.
Triggered by the stolen vehicle alert that police fed into two privately owned camera networks, automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras pinged the women's cars at least 10 times...
...Police eventually caught up with the three women in Auckland later. The women's application to travel to Northland had been approved by a government agency”
Police made false report to use ANPR cameras to track women who triggered Northland lockdown, RNZ News, 28 September 2022
HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL’S RAISED CROSSING PROJECTS
Back in 2022, Hamilton City Council installed raised crossings around a busy roundabout in the suburb of Rototuna. With a budget of $1.4 million, the project has resulted in increased congestion at this roundabout and associated roads.
Councillor Andrew Bydder’s opinion piece for this newsletter covers the plans to install raised platforms on a intersection along Wairere Drive near the Te Rapa Straight intersection. These are some of the busiest roads in Hamilton and Hamilton City Council is forcing the builders of a new Pak n Save to install these raised platforms as a condition of the resource consent. Councillor Bydder also highlights that the raised platforms are associated with a proposal to drop the speed limit by 20 km/h along that stretch of Wairere Drive.
OPINION: Speed bumps for Wairere Drive
MONTHLY COSTS AND REVENUE FOR THE TE HUIA TRAIN SERVICE
Geoff Kreegher continues his investigations into the Te Huia train with a focus on what a single month’s finances look like for the heavily-subsidised Hamilton-Auckland service. Focusing on the month of August 2024, Te Huia was operating at less than 42% of capacity for seated passengers with Kiwirail reporting that only $11.84 in revenue is reportedly generated for each one-way, passenger journey. Total operating costs for Te Huia in August 2024 were calculated at over $94 per one-way passenger journey.
TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL FACES PUSHBACK ON PAST DECISIONS
After reporting in October on the removal of one raised platform in Tauranga, the Bay of Plenty Times continues to investigate concerns around ‘traffic calming’ installations causing vibration problems for neighbouring houses in the City. In a November article, Bay of Plenty Times reporter Sandra Conchie covered the concerns of residents on Osprey Drive about what happens when large vehicles drive over the speed cushions (the smaller speed bumps with gaps). Following the removal of raised platform in Tauranga’s Matua suburb, Osprey Drive residents want Tauranga City Council to remove the speed cushions.
BOP Times Article: Welcome Bay residents call for removal of speed bump due to vibration impacts
According to Stuff, a couple with a home in Mount Maunganui have succeeded in getting a flood risk notice removed from their home’s title. The couple applied for building consent for some home alterations and the Tauranga City Council placed an “inundation hazard” note on the title using s72 of the Building Act . This hazard note was based on a 1 in 100 year flood risk generated using the extreme RCP 8.5 climate change model.
As the couple and the Tauranga City Council could not agree on the s72 risk note on the property title they took the dispute to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to make a determination and the authorities have instructed Tauranga City Council to remove the risk note
Stuff Article: Couple wins battle to get ‘inundation hazard’ note off property title
WELLINGTON WATER’S NEGATIVE MEDIA ATTENTION
Wellington Water is a council controlled organisation (CCO) involved in ‘three waters’. The CCO provides drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to the Wellington region as an entity owned by six local councils. Wellington Water has had plenty of critical media attention as covered in our summary post. These are issues of concern as the ‘Local Water Done Well’ reforms may create many new ‘three waters’ CCO entities around the country.
Wellington Water CCO: November-December 2024 Media Coverage
On Newstalk ZB, Heather du Plessis-Allan interviewed Wellington City Councillor Ben McNulty and criticised the Council’s plans to only fix about 1 kilometre of pipes a year out of a reported 237 kilometres of pipes in “a very poor condition”. In response to criticisms about the Council’s spending priorities, Councillor McNulty described Wellington Water as their “trusted advisor in terms of where the money goes”.
In early December 2024, RNZ reported on a promise from Wellington Water that leaks will be fixed within 10 days. The RNZ article pointed out that earlier this year Wellington Water had a $37.5 million “spreadsheet” blunder and claimed the entity’s Chief Executive recently “detailed how it would take 11 years to fix the backlog of broken pipes”.
RNZ also claims that Wellington Water repaired 24 kilometres of the water network last year “but there's only enough funding to mend nine kilometres this year”.
The Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant also featured in the news in November 2024 as Hutt City residents were informed the “terrible smell” emitted by the plant will not be fixed for four more years. The Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant is operated by the French transnational corporation Veolia as part of a large contract from Wellington Water. According to RNZ, locals “were told that even when the faulty equipment causing the smell at the Seaview plant is replaced there's no guarantee the stench will be completely gone”.
RNZ also reported in November that Wellington Water has put out a tender as part of its aim to install “135,000 meters in the next five or six years” and track private side leaks. In 2023, the costs for installing water meters across the Wellington region were around $2000 per meter as reported in The Post. This is a significant increase from estimates of around $1000 per meter in 2020, with Wellington Water advocating strongly for installing smart meters.
PARIS BEING TRANSFORMED INTO 15-MINUTE CITY AS MAYOR BANS MORE AUTOMOBILES
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is increasing restrictions on private vehicle travel in the French capital. In November 2024, a ban on private cars travelling through the centre of Paris was implemented. Known as the “Zone à Trafic Limité” (ZTL) which translates as “Limited Traffic Zone”, the scheme is reported to be part of a plan to halve the number of vehicle journeys travelling through a 5 square kilometer area of central Paris.
Automobile travellers will need exemptions and permits to move within the restricted zone with fines planned to be introduced mid-2025.
In the 2020 Mayoral election, Anne Hidalgo campaigned on a platform of transforming Paris into a 15-minute city, install more cycleways, and removing 60,000 car parks.
The Paris Mayor and city council have also recently voted to ban sports utility vehicles (SUVs) “…from within Paris’ perimeter, along with any marketing material that promotes their use” according to reports in the Daily Telegraph UK. These moves to ban SUVs in Paris follow a case where the driver of a Mercedes SUV is accused of murdering a cyclist in a “road rage incident”.
Further bans on older petrol and diesel vehicles travelling in Paris are reported to be scheduled for 2025 with a camera-based automatic fine system expected to start operating in 2026.
As Paris Transforms into 15-minute City, Mayor Moves to Ban More Automobiles
How it started…
“The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has made phasing out vehicles and creating a “15-minute city” a key pillar of her offering at the launch of her re-election campaign.
The Socialist politician wants to encourage more self-sufficient communities within each arrondissement of the French capital, with grocery shops, parks, cafes, sports facilities, health centres, schools and even workplaces just a walk or bike ride away.
Called the “ville du quart d’heure” – the quarter-hour city – the aim is to offer Parisians what they need on or near their doorstep to ensure an “ecological transformation” of the capital into a collection of neighbourhoods. This, she said, would reduce pollution and stress, creating socially and economically mixed districts to improve overall quality of life for residents and visitors.”
Paris mayor unveils ’15-minute city’ plan in re-election campaign, The Guardian, 07 February 2020.
How it’s going…
“The so-called “limited traffic zone” (ZTL), home to about 100,000 people and 11,000 businesses, is part of a broader push by the socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to restrict traffic and encourage cycling and public transport use across the car-clogged city. The zone covers the first, second, third and fourth arrondissements, a 5.5 sq km area that incorporates much of the historical centre of Paris and a number of its best-known monuments including the Louvre, Tuileries gardens and much of the Marais. The city centre mayor, Ariel Weil, said it was “an important step that will be implemented gradually, starting with an educational phase”. He added: “It aims both to reduce and fluidify traffic for the good of public services, safety, residents, craftsmen and retailers.”
Paris drivers warned of fines as city begins limiting traffic in parts of centre,The Guardian, 05 November 2024.
A number of other European cities have also been proposing or implementing zones with restrictions on automobile use.
“Paris’ new zone is not the first of its kind in Europe. Brussels already imposed restrictions on through traffic in 2022 as part of that car-clogged city’s wide-ranging “Good Move” mobility makeover; Amsterdam proposed similar in 2023. Madrid’s zone is focused on air pollution, limiting access to zero-emissions vehicles or drivers with a pre-booked parking space. (That policy is now facing a legal challenge.) Dublin’s introduction of so-called “bus gates” along the River Liffey, through which driving a car is banned, also blocked through traffic in the city core when introduced this year.”
Paris Traffic Ban: City Steps Up Campaign Against Car Congestion, Bloomberg, 05 November 2024.
At least the Mayor Anne Hidalgo has been reasonably transparent with voters of Paris. She campaigned in the election to make life difficult for automobile users and she is following through on her campaign promises. Contrast that with how New Zealand’s councils and local-body politicians describe what they are doing to our cities and why they are making the changes.
“STOP WATER FLUORIDATION” PETITION
The parliamentary petition from Fluoride Free New Zealand to “Stop water fluoridation“ gathered over 16,288 signatures and closed on Tuesday 19 November 2024
The petition text is copied below…
“Many qualified scientists say that exposure to the levels of fluoride in fluoridated communities causes a level of harm comparable to lead. The US National Toxicology Program’s 6-year review confirms that fluoride may lower children’s IQ. The Cochrane Review 2015, CATFISH study (2022, UK), and LOTUS study (2023, UK) show little or no benefit to teeth from fluoridated water.”
“SAVE THE CHATEAU TONGARIRO HOTEL” PETITION
The parliamentary petition from the Mayor Weston Kirton on behalf of Ruapehu District Council to “Save the Chateau Tongariro Hotel” has gathered over 12,996 signatures and is scheduled to close on Saturday 10 May 2025.
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.”
VARIOUS OPEN CONSULTATIONS, PETITIONS, AND EVENT NOTICES
PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING CALLED FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (WATER SERVICES) BILL
CLOSES SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 11.59PM NZST
This bill provides for:
arrangements for the new water services delivery system
a new economic regulation and consumer protection regime for water services
changes to the water quality regulatory framework and the water services regulator.
This is the third bill that the Government has produced as part of its “Local Water Done Well” policy programme. The first bill repealed the previous Government’s water services legislation. The second bill established the preliminary arrangements for the new water services system. This third bill establishes the enduring settings for the water services system.
Link:
PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING CALLED FOR THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (CONSENTING AND OTHER SYSTEM CHANGES) AMENDMENT BILL
CLOSES MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 11.59PM NZST
The bill would amend existing provisions in the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) relating to infrastructure and energy, housing growth, farming and the primary sector, natural hazards and emergencies, and system improvements. The bill would:
specify default maximum time frames for consent processing and establish default consent durations for renewable energy and infrastructure consents to improve process and outcome certainty for system users
make it optional for councils to implement the medium density residential standards (MDRS) and provide plan-making processes that are more flexible and support housing growth
clarify the relationship between the RMA and the Fisheries Act 1996 to balance marine protection with fishing rights
provide more tools to deal with natural hazards and emergency events to improve decision-making and efficiency
increase penalties for noncompliance, remove insurance against penalties, enable cost recovery for councils, and enable the consideration of an applicant's compliance history in consent decisions.
Link:
PETITION OF KERRY PADGET: ENSURING THE INDEFINITE CIRCULATION OF CASH IN NEW ZEALAND
CLOSES THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2024 AT 11:59 PM NZST
Link: https://petitions.parliament.nz/75c58c85-468e-4338-97e9-08dcc56f0668
“Petition request
That the House of Representatives ensure that cash remains a legal and accessible form of currency indefinitely for all goods and services.”
PETITION OF CLIVE SCHOOL: RESTORE SAFE AND RELIABLE TRANSPORT FOR THE CHILDREN OF CLIVE AND AOTEAROA
CLOSES THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2025 AT 11:59 PM NZST
Link: https://petitions.parliament.nz/e2861b65-1dac-466f-422e-08dcfdd399a4
“Petition request
That the House of Representatives undertake a review of the Ministry of Education’s criteria for school transport provision for tamariki in Aotearoa, ensuring every child has access to safe and reliable transport options when they live at a distance from their local school.”
PETITION OF WIM ROSLOOT: ALIGN ANNUAL PROPERTY RATE INCREASES WITH INFLATION
CLOSES WEDNESDAY 08 JANUARY 2025 AT 11:59PM NZST
Link: https://petitions.parliament.nz/43d99281-9261-45c9-3b6d-08dccfa5a0d4
“Petition request
That the House of Representatives introduce legislation requiring local councils to align annual increases in residential property rates with the official rate of inflation.”
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
UPCOMING ISSUES
CityWatch NZ will be focusing on the following issues into early 2025.
Smart Cities and the Smart Cities Council
Auckland Transport’s “Traffic Calming“ and Emergency Vehicles
City Council Surveillance Capabilities and the Push for Road Pricing Schemes (Congestion Charges etc)
Growing Council Debts and Other Council Finance Issues
Three Waters Reforms
The Te Huia Train between Hamilton and Auckland
We have opinion pieces arriving on many of these issues. CityWatch NZ is open to covering many different sides. If you are interested in volunteering an opinion piece or know someone who would write on these issues email content@citywatchnz.org for more information.
The following information has been posted in previous newsletters
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP CITYWATCH NZ?
We need more groups to add to our directories of Local Group Contact Details and Issue-based Group Contact Details. If you know of a local group challenging or engaging with local government or a New Zealand-wide group focused on relevant issues, send them a link to CityWatchNZ.org or ask them to email contact@citywatchnz.org. We will email them a template and ask their permission to add their group to the directory.
As the website grows, and especially as we look at creating regional sub-newsletters, we will need the help of volunteers and contractors. If you have an interest or background in editing or creating content and want to help CityWatchNZ grow, email contact@citywatchnz.org with a brief description of your skill set including whether you are interested in volunteer and/or paid contractor work.
CITYWATCHNZ.ORG WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
CityWatch NZ aims to feature articles and case studies about communities who were successful in resisting or reversing the unwanted changes imposed upon them. These should be more than just brief ‘feel good’ stories and should feature details on tactics and approaches which have been effective.
It will be helpful if people share CityWatchNZ.org content on social media. Note that Twitter (X) may not like Substack links. If you have a request for features that would help with sharing content on social media or staying up-to-date with CityWatch NZ content, email your suggestions to feedback@citywatchnz.org and we will see what we can do.
THE ‘WHAT IS TO BE DONE’ SERIES OF OPINION PIECES
CityWatch NZ is planning to post a series of ‘What is to be Done’ opinion pieces. The purpose of this series is to share a wide range of ideas to facilitate solving problems with local government and urban development in New Zealand. Given the many issues facing local government, reforms will be needed in the near future. CityWatch NZ consider it is important that well-informed discussions about underlying problems and proposed reforms take place in a public forum.
If you are interested in volunteering an opinion piece, or know of someone who can write on these issues, email content@citywatchnz.org for more information.
SUBSTACK E-NEWSLETTER
We currently email a free monthly Substack e-Newsletter summarising content from our website. We are open to feedback and suggestions to help improve the newsletter. We also plan to create a feature whereby people can subscribe to a ‘sub-Substack’ email list; for a different version of the newsletters focusing on specific regions and cities.
Aside from the monthly e-Newsletters, the Substack email list will be used for informing subscribers of time-critical issues. We will endeavor to send these ‘urgent’ emails sparingly. However, projects being rushed-through with minimal consultation is quite normal when dealing with local government.