Wednesday, 5 October 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 03 days to go before polls close.

Public Gallary at last council meeting. Two candidates (Tokoroa ward foreground , Mayoral centre, and experienced local government staff member far side) take in the final historic meeting of a four term 12 year Mayor.

Letter to the editor. Election Advertising (south waikato news p.6 October 5th 2016)

Leighton Collins wrote, "Once again it does not look good when a Mayor favours one candidate over the others" and stated "This candidate should be barred from the election because of unfair advantage over the other Mayoral Candidates"

Seems to me an election spending issue. $1 per page going to 22,500 residents seems to put a candidate over the $19,000 limit if you add in the signs and car fuel. A John Banks and Kim Dot com moment in South Waikato post election. 

Leighton Collins is calling for "...I consider that this is a blatant form of advertising." And "I consider that that particular member should be withdrawn from the Mayoral elections."

Wow strong stuff happening with two days of campaigning before all signs before come down Friday. 




Sunday, 2 October 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 04

22,500 residents in South Waikato with 10,066 rateableproperties 

Will the new Mayor add 6,000 new 18-35 year old residents? (18-35 year olds Who are tax payers for the next 40 years and rate payers for life?)

Will the new Mayor preside over increasing to 28,500 residents and 28,066 rateable properties?

That is an increase of 18,000 new ratable properties.

You choose

Saturday, 1 October 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 05 Days to go till close of polls next Saturday

How will the new mayor open the meeting?

Here is a typical opening for the past 12 years http://youtu.be/C1hHNy8akc0

"... as we discuss all those..."


Be upstanding for the prayer.

What came out at the last meeting is the chambers is a public place and the risk and audit committee invited councilors to go into the special counsellors lounge to discuss private matters.

The staff have a staff room down stairs.

So let the submitters and the members of the public have the meeting room with the elected members and the CEO. It has become a feeding frenzy for staff members at the brakes as staff have become accustom to tucking into the members lunch allowance and crowding out the public.

This staff scrum of entitlement has led to a false sense of security by elected members. 

So I hope the prayer is updated the Prayer said in the House of Parliament in Wellington.

It seems the elected members and staff over lunch are "discussing all those..."
Well the ones that are public excluded.

Time for a change on this one. The CEO can decide to eat with his staff in a separate room or eat with the elected members and the community in a public room or join the concilors in the Councilor lounge. But not invite his staff to dine at the exclusion of the public.

That is where I think we get the mandate to destroy the building of the love soup kitchen. 

With that building now seeking atonement for its distraction the eating arrangements of the CEO must now change too so that we do not see a repeat of the destructive impatience because things are too much trouble. 

How will council conduct business under the new Mayor?

The last council and final meeting of the old concil on 29 September 2016 in Tokoroa Chambers was presented a Waikato Tourism summary. (I was asked how mush did our council pay to this group along with the other 12 or so council in the Waikato region. Under $100,000 perhaps?)

(Click here to see the summary of tourism in waikato region -->) http://youtu.be/F34W9ZuPcf8


And trade training awards recognised in full council on 29 September 2016



One commentator has said that before the 12 persons would have taken apprenticeships with local business. Now a tertiary provider charges tuition fees and students go into debt with student loans for living costs and the course with not guarantee of a job at the end of it. The commentator also asked why $200,000 of council funds was benefiting outside the district organisations treasury organisation and also saving local businesses from paying wages to train 12 students per year in apprentiships in a 22,500 population distinct. ($10 per person in the district set up cost)

For similar money the swimming  pools could be $0.10 cents entry for all local residents with a library card and teaching learn to swim 24/7 classes. Learn to swim better would open up more job opportunities on the river and sea that surround New Zealand, and save lives in the process.

Teaching good reading and math skills in the library are far more core council business, in improving job opportunities,  than limiting access to alcohol and gambling. A drunk broke youth population who can't swim and are illiterate and enumerate are what the council has on its hands. Council by raising the pool prices 33% in 2010 and delaying the free internet at the library (and turning off wifi after hours at the library) and limiting the access to the Internet is in part having youth smash school Windows. 

Core business of council must be done well and leave it to the community to organising better training opportunities with central government help. Our rates and fees are paid to develop 18,000 new sections so that our 18-65 year olds can get on the property ladder, out of debt, and use the collateral of a house and land to fund business development. Council needs to front run the New Zealand housing crisis and make our district rich again. That is vision.

The New mayor and 26 possible deputy mayoral candidates what you say!

This blog is an example to each new council on what can be done. 

Councillors Start a blog day one to communicate with the community. It's free and it's fun. This is an example to you all on how to use the internet to improve local council. And the public can feed back to you like some of you have done with my invite to the Tirau Hall for a deputy mayor debate.



Thursday, 29 September 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 05 Days to go till close of polls

Be ready for new apps on smart phones for council notices

This video had communications manager presenting to full council for money.
http://youtu.be/OEF0xWYhMs4 ( <--- click here for video to play)

And the air port delays, for the international model park, mount like a constipated geriatric.
The saying "kick for touch" comes to mind as Mayor Sinclair runs the clock out on that last chance for a delisted airfield.  A summer of increased revenue for council from the community assets, the airfield, as delisting the airfield still let's locals take off and land full sized aircraft and delisting the airfield  makes it legal for 14,000 Tokoroa residents to open a drone, as a gift, and fly in the local council parks, like you can in Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo, and the other proactive councils that see the future and educate the young, and embrace the new technology of drone flying as a career path where some pilots of the models get paid more than the Mayor at $150,000 pa.
Here is the interview with the proponent of the International Model park before the full council meeting unfolded to see the staff obfuscate to the clear direction from  governance at last meeting chaired by Herman Van Roojien to get on with it. Annual leave taken, redundant second opinions sought, the mayor happy to stand and be called out knowing he had run the clock out on a protential Mayoral Candidate and thus starving the oxygen from the air of competition with his endorsed candidate. (What happened to the rank and station being independent when in office as Mayor or President of the United States)

(Click here to play video ->) 
http://youtu.be/n0DJ3kYJWAI
Interview over airfield above.

If this happens to one promoting such a simple jobs creation and skills aquisition idea then what would happen with the past council with setting up a 200 person Abattoir? 

Cr Thomas Lee asked at the meeting for reason that these 200 jobs from the drive trust money, $24 million, did not go ahead. CEO cited "Public access" as a reason it fell over, among other reasons, and wanted it hushed.

I hope none of the sitting Councilors apply for the Management position created when the $24,000,000 of the Drive Trust gets merged with the South Waikato Investment fund trust that will happen over the next four month. 

We, as a community in South Waikato, would not want to see a hedge of council funds for a back door golden parachute if any of the elected members are not elected at this round of local body elections. 

If you feel strongly about no councilors taking up this management position to promote the Distict and create jobs then please write to the new mayor of south waikato district council and voice your concerns.

We do not want to see perceived contingency planning, by some elected members, taking priority over public benefits like delisting the airport do we. 

I have drafted my letter. 

Titled transparency. 

The video footage of the meeting is to keep elected members accountable and it is elected members job to keep the CEO accountable. 

A break down with staff on any matter directly reflects on elected members 100%. 

No wriggle room. 

100%. 

It is up to the CEO to protect his hide and if any room left after this then the hide of the community. 

And it is elected members to take that advice but if elected members find the CEO misleads council and does not stop staff misleading then elected members must make consequences for the CEO.

Council, in its decisions, then and always is 100% responsibility for CEO's actions. (Like demolition of the east bowling club and selling the I beam left over. Show the resolution from council that mandates the distraction of the east bowling club that the CEO acted upon. You have seen the video of the report of the CEO back to a bewildered Cr Thomas Lee fielding members information request as to why the A frame was destroyed too)

Responsibility rests with elected members.

The sanction, of dismissing the CEO, is the ultimate sanction elected members only have. The reigns to pull up a wayward staff is that should happen over the east bowling club or any other matter the community brings to the table like spraying weeds and nicely planted trees.

 The ultimate remedy, for elected members, to gather control, over the CEO, is to reenforce that the CEO only act on resolution from full council to that affect. Where was it that a community building, in east bowling club, was to be demolished just days before the parties moved them to new sites. 

Has the council been misled over the airfield? 

Mr Simpson makes an eloquent case for council being miss lead on many points of fact over a long period of time about the airfield. 

You be the judge. 

Public opinion. 

Elections and ballot box is your way to get accountability for the CEO actions and staff. 

Will we have an international model park this summer? 

Ask the new mayor!

Only elect members who take 100% responsibility for what happens out of council.

Those that say they rely on the advice of staff are wrong. (The staff advice the CEO and the CEO advises the full council only. Spending the responsibility to 150 council staff and 47 cars is why the east bowling club got squashed and the love soup kitchen got frog marched off by the scruff of the neck from the sports and event centre car park. 

Show us the elected members resolution to do this. Their is not. So why did it happen. Don't like it then don't elect. 

The next mayor first order of business may be to take the cost of the love soup kitchen building and the A frame out of the CEO pay over the next three years. Why should the community suffer the loss when the CEO was totally responsible for the demolition decision. Because if you can not find a resolution from full council to say demolish it was a unilateral decision.

And the Councilors of the new elected body must make recompense of the love soup kitchen the number one agenda item.

If heads are going to roll then day one is the best time.

Justice must be done and seen to be done. One head rolling means 149 keep theirs.

No heads rolling means all 150 take not responsibility for any actions taken outside council resolution and that is what we have with love soup.

Elected members can move onto the international model park at the airfield agenda number two.

When I say heads roll I mean the coins are pushed across the table to pay for the damage done. (A group of youth smashed school Windows in the weekend reported by south waikato news and a few $1,000 damage. The CEO destroyed $200,000 worth of buildings without a resolution from council to do so and love soup are homeless feeding the homeless and that included smashing all the windows of love soup east bowling club). So pay up to keep your job is my public submission. We all ,are mistakes and these youth are no different from the CEO. They have families to go home to at night. Individually we can be compassionate but justice must not be. The rule of law applies to all. Whoever breaks a glass window deliberately with ill intent must be held to account. And pay a small atonement by rolling coins from one side of the table to the other side for the aggrieved party to capture.

Let the new elected council take full responsibility for the loss of love soup and honour the pledges made by the then mayor and then deputy mayor on behalf of the council. 


Audit and risk committee chair (left) will be back next term and advise on setting this agenda concerning the CEO (right).

In the last week lets get the four mayoral candidates weighing into this matter and the 26 potential deputy mayors taking a position in this matter. Email them now for a reply and forward them to me for feed back. This can be treated as a hypothetical exercise if you like and the opinions above are my honest opinions with the limited facts I have to hand. Full council will have the power to get at the full suit of facts. I am asking for more information (community information request if you like). And elected members to champion it and deliberate and decide. But it must first be an agreed agenda item put up by the new Mayor. So ask them now. Voting closes at the end of the day Saturday week. 

Seems from these staff comments and elected members support that the love soup kitchen was in the way of the sports and event centre (watch quick minute video on enterence 2017 here-->)http://youtu.be/QeSW9gg5Xgo

South Waikato 2016 Election special 06.5 Days to go till close of polls

http://youtu.be/hBB8ZeZrWsY (click here to watch the full presentation video)


Terry Fergusson takes time out of his day to reset council priorities.

An hour of interview before the handover a Terry filled in "between the two ferns" and we talked about art for arts sake and Bruce Simpson (the fifth mayoral Candiate) and talked about "science for science sake" and I summed it up as "politics for politics sake"

Three of the four mayoral candidates were in the room. Jarrad Gallagher was absent.

I hope this does not breach copyright Terry but by putting this on permanent loan, to give back what Tokoroa has given the Bushman's son, we are reminded that it is about relationships between people that capture what is the essence of life.
I think I played cricket with your nephew looking at the resemblance of this photo and the penny dropping to the name.

The highlight was asking Marin if it would be okay if the council's guest who was donating a million dollar painting suit had a cup of tea and then asking Terry "would you like a cup of tea?" "I am parched" he replied. Then opening the door and passing the guest into hands of the Thomas Lee and one other.


Three Mayoral Candiates (Alan Blair (left), Tracey Deane (middle), and (right) withdraw candidate Bruce Simpson, as Terry Fergusson takes his seat after presenting his art work.

The handshake initiation.

It was the last meeting of full council for this term. One of the three mayoral Candiates in the room (Alan Blair, Tracey Dean, and Jenny Shattock) will be Mayor in a week. (I could be wrong)


And council business video over $24 million now central government is not going to amalgamate outside of Auckland city.  http://youtu.be/ERKkAAxXb04




Compliments to candidate Kim (in fore ground next to Mayoral Candidate for attending the final meeting of full council for the year.

 Alan Blair reads agenda from back of the room next to two new staff members.

Staff

Elected members being independently chaired in the Audit and Risk committee.

Auditors report delivered.

Mayoral candidate and two Tokoroa ward candidates. 


Again lovely art work

Interview before the presentation

Wednesday, 28 September 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 06 Days to go till close of polls

Video of Leith Place with the clock http://youtu.be/pgrUbjICMyc
Clock stopped at 12 noon or midnight or it was staged to be that time by council staff.

Why is the clock stopped at 12 when it is eleven minutes passed eight am on Wednesday 28th September 2016 (0811hr)


Where to find the press to ask this question?
 
Now council meeting starts in 4 hours time in the Tokoroa upstairs council chambers open to the public. It is your rate take and the vote is taken in that chamber.

I will give an update to this blog when more information comes in. But it is your clock that has stopped and I want to know where to go on line to find out about the clock?

And the fail of the week on the internet put this into perspective http://youtu.be/2KloC60eR_4

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

South Waikato 2016 Election special 07 Days to go till close of polls

Council meeting tomorrow (Thursday 29th) here is some of the agenda http://www.southwaikato.govt.nz/our-council/agenda-and-minutes/Documents/Community%20and%20Assets%20PUBLIC%20Agenda%20-%2029%20September%202016.pdf


So calling all candidates. 

Do any of the Mayoral nominees want to do an interview "between two ferns" style.

Here is how Hillary Clinton interview went on 22 September 2016


I met with a another 80 year old today and asked about the election. He said he voted by post before he even realised that Jarrad Gallagher was running.


This tells me that waiting to polling day is a good idea as is attending council meeting from the public gallery.



I hope to see you there. I will aim to be there around 9 am for interviews.

I will being two ferns:-)!

Highlights from the minute

6. Reports
6.1 Mayoral Report

His Worship advised that he and the Chief Executive recently hosted a visit from Malcolm Alexander, the Chief Executive from LGNZ. Malcolm Alexander was shown various economic initiatives around the district. Mr Alexander commented that he was very impressed with the Road Rail Terminal and the Waiariki Training Institute and also commented that he liked the positive feeling in Tokoroa.

Productive on-going meetings have been held with Raukawa. These are primarily to do with the management and co-governance of Te Waihou.

His Worship met with Michael West a local policeman about recognising the amount of family violence and his desire to start co-ordinating a community response to family violence.

Council made a submission to the LGNZ amendment bill and His Worship attended the hearing in Auckland on the 22nd of August. The submission was well received. The select process is now over and it will come back into the house in November.

16/197 Resolved His Worship / Cr Lee

That Report No 2016–385431 Mayoral Report August 2016 be received. 

8. Public Excluded—Resolution to Exclude the Public

The Public Excluded meeting is to be held at the conclusion of the Audit & Risk committee meeting.

Section 48, Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

16/200 Resolved Cr Van Rooijen / Cr Shattock

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting.

The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under section 48 (1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows: 


Document Information

Report To: Meeting Date: Author: Author Title: Report Date:

Purpose of Report

Council
Thursday, 29 September 2016 N Sinclair
Mayor
Tuesday, 20 September 2016

page11image4424

This report is for information purposes only.
To inform Councillors of appointments and fund allocations undertaken during the month.

Background

The issues discussed in this report are aligned with the Council vision, community outcomes and Council policies but are currently not included in the Council Strategy.

Wednesday 31 August

Met with Henry Clothier

Saturday 3 September

Attended Jim Higgins Memorial Plaque Unveiling at Lake Moananui

Monday 5 September

Met with Jo Manthey & Rachel Jackson

Tuesday 6 September

Attended Waihou Co-Governance meeting at Raukawa

Wednesday 7 September

Attended South Waikato Social Sector Trial Transition meeting

Thursday 8 September

Chaired Council meeting
Attended Audit & Risk Committee meeting
Attended Corporate & Regulatory Committee meeting

Friday 9 September

Attended Raukawa FM's 25th Anniversary

Saturday 10 September

Attended Cook Island Dance
Council - 29 September 2016 - Agenda Public 11

Met with Janice and Dean from University of Waikato re Pathways to Excellence Programme Attended Camping Group meeting with WINZ
Met with Amanda Hema re Trade Training

Wednesday 21 September

Attended Grants Allocation/Creative Communities Scheme Hearings Attended South Waikato Social Sector Trial Advisory meeting Attended South Waikato Achievement Centre AGM

Thursday 22 September

Attended LGNZ Zone 2 meeting in Whakatane

Mayoral Funding:

Tokoroa Amateur Swimming Club SWPIC
St Pauls Methodist Church
Putāruru College

Tokoroa High School
Forest View High School
Te Wharekura O Te Kaokaoroa O

Paterere

Swimming programme ADH children National Cook Islands Dance Competition Project for elderly
Senior Prizegiving
Senior Prizegiving
Senior Prizegiving
Senior Prizegiving

$440.00 $500.00 $400.00 $200.00 $200.00 $200.00 $200.00 


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