And now a word from our sponsor....

Vector price gouging

Denis Foot 29 August 2006

The Dompost called Denis Foot's recent letter relating to Vector over charging customers and his naming Mayors and Councillors who facilitated the sale of Capital Power, a case of "Ex-councillor berates others" but we think otherwise. Mr Foot makes a very valid point and we think it timely to remind Wellington's citizens of some political history.

"The Commission has found that Vector is significantly overcharging many of its customers, particularly in its Northern and Wellington regions and a substantial proportion of its industrial and commercial customers. At the same time, Vector is significantly undercharging particular groups of its customers, including Auckland Residential customers, who are also the principal beneficiaries of the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust (AECT), Vector’s principal shareholder." ...COMMERCE COMMISSION
Regulation of Electricity Lines Businesses
Targeted Control Regime
Intention to Declare Control
Vector Limited
9 August 2006

Here is Denis Foot's letter
The Editor
Dompost
August 28 2006

It is a bit rich for Mayor Prendergast to complain about Vector. (Dom Post 16 August Mayors slam Vector). Vector is an electricity network company, mainly owned by Aucklanders, which also owns the Wellington electricity lines.

Our electricity assets were flogged off at fire sale prices by the Wellington City Council led at the time by the privatisation cheerleaders, Fran Wilde, Mark Blumsky, Rex Nicholls and Mayor Prendergast.

Wellingtonians are now paying the penalty for that stupid decision as we are paying approximately 16% more than Aucklanders to the same company for the same electricity service.

The chickens are now coming home to roost.


Denis Foot

The Deputy Mayor Debate - Jack Ruben Responds

Dear Councillors
It is with some concern that I read of your behind the scenes ructions in the DominionPost of Friday 18th August and calls to depose the Deputy Mayor. It reminds me of a previous administration where every other day the appalling dysfunction of councillors, their inability to oversee civic affairs and their disastrous meetings were reported on in the media.

After that administration we all heaved a collective sigh of relief as it appeared the new mix of councillors had hammered out a working style for carrying out their elected job of overseeing improvements to benefit Wellingtonians without petty bickering in public.
Now it seems dysfunction threatens us once more because some councillors cannot cope with one of their number baiting them a bit more strongly than they like in, to use councillors own description, "the bear pit" of council meetings.

Now it is well known that Alick Shaw has a wide grasp of our language, masters a brief quickly and is not slow to use his flair for the dramatic to whip an opponent. However he has made a reasonable fist of the Deputy Mayorship and presumably was chosen by you for this based on those abilities.

The best we ask of you as a councillors is to recover your working style of recent years and get on with making more of the many excellent improvements instigated by the largely sensible Prendergast/Shaw administration that make Absolutely Positively Wellington an increasingly pleasure to live in.

Jack Ruben reponds

Thank you for your e-mail dated today.

As your email is somewhat similar to that received from another person not resident in our ward, I trust you will forgive me for forwarding my response to him as it will save me much time.
I take this opportunity to inform you that your email is only the second email I have received expressing similar opinions, whereas the opposite viewpoint has been conveyed to me by residents from right across the city - certainly by more than 50 people (so far) who have taken the trouble to do so.
I detect from the wording of your email that you have some idea of his personality and method of delivery of his opinions. Believe me, I am more than able to deal with any situation, but council meetings are not the venue for such behaviour.

My reply read as follows:
"Contrary to your last paragraph, the concerns about Mr. Shaw's policy and unacceptable behaviour are not engendered by some "personality-based putch". They are the culmination of 18 months of his divisive, ill-mannered, bullying conduct which a number of us are no longer prepared to tolerate.
In fact I wrote to Cllr. Shaw some time ago asking him to desist from such behaviour, but he has not. Do you want to see my email? I believe others have either written or spoken to him - or both.
We cllrs were elected to bring constructive policies to Wellington, even if we don't always agree with each other on individual policies. But we require respect and tolerance for someone else's viewpoint, not continual rude, arrogant and personal comments. Hence this latest step resultant on his totally unacceptable behaviour since his election.
I am not aware of how many council meetings you have attended this triennium, and witnessed cllr Shaw's aggressive and ill-mannered behaviour.
Perhaps you would let us all know.
I am not aware if you support his council- tenant rates policy, - in direct contradiction of the Labour Party policy on which he had just been elected. I don't imagine the Labour Party on whose 'ticket' he stood would approve either!
Nor do I know if you approve of loading more rates on the residents of Wellington, by reducing the commercial/residential differential rating.
Nor do I know if you approve of his support for destroying precious open space on the Waterfront by supporting ongoing buildings.
Nor do I know if you too support building an ugly hotel on the Outer-T, - privatising public land - permanently!
Nor do I know if you approved of him (successfully!) leading the campaign to close down the Mobile Library.
Nor do I know if you approve of cllrs Shaw, Armstrong, Ahipene-Mercer and Foster walking out of a council meeting, rather than vote to support an application for sick leave from a colleague (and fellow human being) who needed time off for her cancer treatment - chemotherapy and radiation. Is this the sort of representative you really want??
Nor do I know if you approve of his ratepayer-funded, Business Class (or was it First?) all expenses paid overseas 'jaunts' - or whatever you may choose to call them, .......etc, etc, ad nauseam!

I am replying to you out of courtesy as a Wellington City Councillor.
However, I have no doubt whatsoever that cllr Shaw will not be re-elected in
14 months time, (only scraping in by a mere 25 votes last time!!) nor will any ambitions he may have for the mayoralty be successful, - but that is not only my opinion. Time will tell.
But for the next 14 months, myself and a number of other councillors want a Deputy Mayor who will bring some dignity, cohesiveness, respect and conciliation and back to that office, not someone who has failed to live up to the expectations of very many Wellingtonians".

Save Te Raekaihau Point

Movie Fundraiser
Come and help the Save the Point Group raise funds for their legal battle against the destruction of an iconic headland on our South Coast by joining them for a glass of wine and the chance to view the movie from the Wellington Film Festival everyone is talking about, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.

This movie looks at Al Gore’s fervent crusade to halt global warming.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is one of the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization.

Where: Empire Cinema 214, The Parade Island Bay

When: Tuesday, September 12, 5.3pm for a 6pm screening
Running Time: 100 minutes

Cost: $25

Tickets available from: McCormack Studio Gallery 355, The Parade, Island Bay, or Café Zillis, 130 the Parade, Island Bay (cash or cheque only).

Then join us after the movie at Café Zillis to enjoy a Save the Point special meal offer – bookings essential (phone 383 5933).

Note Café Zillis and the McCormack Studio Galley are offering special deals for Save the Point supporters throughout September – see details on movie tickets.

A big thanks to Fat Freddy’s Drop and Cool moves and all our other supporters for their generous support of Save The Point.

Janita Craw - Educator in early childhood

Janita Craw-joint curator of
"mixed up childhood"




















From Mixed-up childhood

I was particularly struck by this
work of a prison on top of a highchair.
The message was clear.

Recent tragic deaths invoving very young
children caused a shudder through our nation.
I was at a loss to explain why such events take
place so I paid a visit to an old friend and asked
her to help me understand why little children
are coming to such dreadful ends.

Apart from being an expert on early childhood
education, Janita is the co-curator of a most
outstanding exhibition called Mixed-up Childhood
(at the Auckland Art Gallery last year).
It was a powerful and penetrating look at what
happens in the early development of childhood
and what can go wrong. Can it be that young babies
die simply because they are being punished?

Janita is adamant that the roots of adult abusive
behaviour towards children are deep within
our punitive culture.

What's happened to Wellington's media?

When I was first elected to Wellington City Council
meetings were covered by a minimun of three
reporters, but often there were more.

The main two papers were the Evening Post and
the Dominion. The Post would send one of two
regular reporters and the Dominion would send a
reporter. Sometimes both Evening Post reporters
would attend Council. Back then City Voice was also a
regular at Council and more often than not a local
reporter from one of the Community Papers would also
attend. Added to this was radio and from time to time
television would also cover Council meetings.

To spice all this up and keep the main media honest,
I launched, along with K.A. Simpson and Jim Delahunty,
the fortnightly four page Rumble, which drove the Evening
Post to distraction. It was a lampooning satirical little rag
with a level of popularity that amazed us. After three years we
parted company but we are now collaborating again.

We are doing this because the media have now almost
completely walked away from covering local government.
Often there is no reporter at Council meetings. We wonder
what influence Council's weekly full page ads are having
on the restructured Dompost and note the absence of detailed
reporting of civic affairs now that there is no longer a Wellington
focused daily. Reporting the burning issues of the day and how
the elected representative voted used to be a pre-occupation of
the dailies but not any longer.

Doing a sterling job with limited space is the wonderful weekly
Capital Times, but always a little nervous and trailing behind is
the Wellingtonian, which appears to have been a sop for the
removal of Wellington's premier paper, The Evening Post.
Community newspapers have also undergone a tabloid type
restructuring and seem confused about their identity.

To visit my website click on www.pepptalk.net