Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger joined John MacDonald for their regular catchup.
The Mayor gives his thoughts on whether Orana Wildlife Park is in trouble, and how he feels about the council funding for it now.
And, what is the cost to council for the use of road cones in Christchurch? And will he be standing for Mayor in next year's local elections?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm for our regular catch up the crisis may of
film majorfl morning. But how you doing very well? Right?
Shortly we'll come to whether you're going to stand again
or not next year. But first of all, a run
a park. It's been a lot of media coverage this
week about a run apart. Where is the council at
in relation to what has been reported this week and
(00:34):
its recent financial commitment to a run a park?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yep, what we did we in the long term plan
said that we'd give some money to a run a park.
Not quite sure how much it is, but it's over
three years and the local community Board gave fifty thousand
dollars so that they could do a financial review exactly
the same as we did with Faery Meat Historic Park.
So that's happening. The terms of reference for that review
(00:57):
are being done at the moment, so as soon as
they get the terms of reference, they'll do the review
and everywhere. If they change or whatever they do, then
we'll give them the money.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So that review like a feasibility so is that is
the funding on the basis of what that review finds. Okay,
So at the moment, the Council has not given or
not approved further funding.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
We've approved it on the basis on the.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Basis off, but there's no money in the bank could
run apart from the council yet.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, And to be fair, I don't think after what's
happened on the TV in the last couple of days,
and to be honest, I think the TV instead of
runn out of runway with that it's sort of starting
to wear a bit thin. But it wouldn't have changed
the outcome for what the council has done, for what
we see on to you, like we'd seen that earlier,
it wouldn't have changed.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Are you preempting the feasibility report?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
But we would have still given that put the money
aside for them.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Right, So the feasibility report is about the finances of
the place. It's not the running of the place, correct,
that's up to them. Do you think there needs to
be a look at how the place has been run
on the basis of this attention.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I'm sure get looked at. But mp I have been
in there and they seem to be happy that came
out this morning and the other thing which is good,
whether it was going to happen or not, is they're
now doing quarterly updates rather than yearly. So that's going
to keep everyone on their toes out there. So it's good.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
When did the quarterly reports start? Is that in relation
to the future funding?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
No? No, no, sorry sorry m P I, I can't
go out.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah yeah, ok, quarterly.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, but our staff have and always have been in
constant but contact with staff out there quite often.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
All right, let's look at I gather you're in Auckland
yesterday and saw Wayne Brown. It gave you a copy
of this road cone.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Report to Yes, I actually I asked, I asked for
it and that I got it, but I now find
out that it's online.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Let me just do so if you're listening to this
and think, what's this road cone report I'm talking to
Phil about. It's a report by Deloitte. Yeah, and it
looked into whether or not there's a bit of a
rought going on by these companies that provide traffic management services,
and it basically yes, the answer is yes, there is
(03:13):
a rout going on that quite often these temporary traffic
solutions as they call them, are kept in place long
after they're needed, right.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Absolutely, but you've got to be careful that the traffic
management companies are only doing what the law sees, and
the law sees this, so that needs to be changed.
We've got to be in a lot more common sense.
If you're in a suburban area, you don't need the
whole nine yards traffic cone department. And you're quite right.
Nothing pisses people laugh more than going past a job
(03:42):
and the traffic management's all up there and nothing is happening.
That really gets up people's nose.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Because there was that issue on the Columbo Street over bridge.
Wasn't there by Morehouse, remember that there was some work
being done there and we talked about it. We did
in a catch up. We did work being done there
and it was supposed to be well particular amount of time.
But the cones and the closure, the partial closure, yes,
reduced lane was in place for months.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Replacing a water mate. There's a tunnel under the railway
lines here and it was at at the city end
of the tunnel was very deep and not flash so
we changed that and made it.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Are you of the view that because there's been some
local body politicians, I think further south more towards the
target and OTAGO have talked about requiring the temporary traffic
management measures to be taken away if there's no work happening.
Would you be in favor of that?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Absolutely? As long as it's safe, you've got to do it.
You know. One of the things I can tell you,
the traffic management sometimes on our job is a thick
end of forty percent of the project cost. Now, if
we weren't being so pedantic because of the rules, we'd
have more money left to do the job we're actually doing,
replacing a water main or doing a road or something
(04:54):
like that. But the cost is just getting gobbled up.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I mean, you and I know that when it comes
to rules, it's interpretation of rules that can affect the
outcome absolutely. So when a job is done, let's say
you've got a contract to do it a road repair
for the for the city council, who who determines what
the law is saying and how that is going to
play on a particular.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Job that the contractor the matter who it is, puts
in a thing called a traffic management plan. It goes
to our people who look at it and go right, well,
the law says you've got to have a cone every
two inches down the road, which is actually bollocks in
my opinion. But that's the same rule for every road,
even if it's a little quite street with two or
three cars down it compared and that that's where the
(05:39):
doe is getting gobbled up.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You what's the rule you don't like that you referred
to as being a load of bollocked? What's the rule?
The requirement everywhere the how close the cones need to be.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
It's not just said to every two inches, but there
is a there is a this is how far they
have to be in certain areas. So really, I reckon
there's possibly more money as far as margin goes, being
made out of the traffic management on some jobs than
what the margin is on the job itself.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Right, So how often do you think that once when
your traffic people look at what's proposed by the contractors,
they push back and say, no, you're you're over egging
it there. This is not required.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Now, well, I don't think we do, because from what
I understand, the contractors coming and say this is what
we're doing, because it's become a cottage industry. Not necessarily
the roading contractor, but there are of the drainish contractor
that are specialized traffic management people and there's a lot
of expense to do all these things.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So what are you going to what are you gonna
do about it?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
The if you, I'll get you a copy of the
thing from Wayne and it's got proposals on how it
can be made better. And because it's it's out of control.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, but you is not just you, but as the council,
are you going to turn around and tell your staff
hoolom and it pushed back on the stuff because they're
overcooking it.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
You have got to do now what You've got to
be careful of. No one wants to see anyone injured,
so you've got to be careful how far you pushed back.
I was lucky enough to be in America last year
and here they are doing some roadworks and I've got
three cones in the middle of the monthway that's the
other side of the pendulum. You don't need to go
that far. But no one wants to see anyone get hurt.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
All right.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I know that you had a holiday recently and you
went somewhere very nice where you probably did a lot
of lying around them and reading books.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Was very good for my wife. She needed the bread.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Break, and you had time to think, are you standing
next year for mayor?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I'm I'm very busy at the moment. I'm really enjoying
the job, right, I'm really enjoying it. There's still a
hell of a lot to do, and I will be
contemplating it first thing next year. I'll just say that's when.
That's when I'm If I'm going to do anything, that's
when I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Not an overwhelming yes no.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
What was not an overwhelming no is what would.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It be between now and the start of next year.
That determines if.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
It's a no. We're just head down getting getting a
lot of stuff done. We've just come up for air
after the long term plan, and now the next thing
coming in front of us is the all of the
GPS stuff for transport, because we pushed a lot of
roading stuff out until we.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Know what the funding is.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
What the funding is, and that's you know, I'm not
good at a lot of things, but I do know
about roading and drainage and that sort of thing. So
I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
That, all right. So somewhere late January next to year,
we'll probably have our first catch up of the year.
Will that be when you will tell us what you're doing?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Probably? Yep? Yes, yes, not probably yes, that's when I'll
tell you. You'll tell one way or another, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm for our regular catch up the crisis may of
film majorfl morning. But how you doing very well? Right?
Shortly we'll come to whether you're going to stand again
or not next year. But first of all, a run
a park. It's been a lot of media coverage this
week about a run apart. Where is the council at
in relation to what has been reported this week and
(00:34):
its recent financial commitment to a run a park?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yep, what we did we in the long term plan
said that we'd give some money to a run a park.
Not quite sure how much it is, but it's over
three years and the local community Board gave fifty thousand
dollars so that they could do a financial review exactly
the same as we did with Faery Meat Historic Park.
So that's happening. The terms of reference for that review
(00:57):
are being done at the moment, so as soon as
they get the terms of reference, they'll do the review
and everywhere. If they change or whatever they do, then
we'll give them the money.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So that review like a feasibility so is that is
the funding on the basis of what that review finds. Okay,
So at the moment, the Council has not given or
not approved further funding.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
We've approved it on the basis on the.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Basis off, but there's no money in the bank could
run apart from the council yet.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, And to be fair, I don't think after what's
happened on the TV in the last couple of days,
and to be honest, I think the TV instead of
runn out of runway with that it's sort of starting
to wear a bit thin. But it wouldn't have changed
the outcome for what the council has done, for what
we see on to you, like we'd seen that earlier,
it wouldn't have changed.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Are you preempting the feasibility report?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
But we would have still given that put the money
aside for them.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Right, So the feasibility report is about the finances of
the place. It's not the running of the place, correct,
that's up to them. Do you think there needs to
be a look at how the place has been run
on the basis of this attention.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I'm sure get looked at. But mp I have been
in there and they seem to be happy that came
out this morning and the other thing which is good,
whether it was going to happen or not, is they're
now doing quarterly updates rather than yearly. So that's going
to keep everyone on their toes out there. So it's good.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
When did the quarterly reports start? Is that in relation
to the future funding?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
No? No, no, sorry sorry m P I, I can't
go out.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah yeah, ok, quarterly.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, but our staff have and always have been in
constant but contact with staff out there quite often.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
All right, let's look at I gather you're in Auckland
yesterday and saw Wayne Brown. It gave you a copy
of this road cone.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Report to Yes, I actually I asked, I asked for
it and that I got it, but I now find
out that it's online.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Let me just do so if you're listening to this
and think, what's this road cone report I'm talking to
Phil about. It's a report by Deloitte. Yeah, and it
looked into whether or not there's a bit of a
rought going on by these companies that provide traffic management services,
and it basically yes, the answer is yes, there is
(03:13):
a rout going on that quite often these temporary traffic
solutions as they call them, are kept in place long
after they're needed, right.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Absolutely, but you've got to be careful that the traffic
management companies are only doing what the law sees, and
the law sees this, so that needs to be changed.
We've got to be in a lot more common sense.
If you're in a suburban area, you don't need the
whole nine yards traffic cone department. And you're quite right.
Nothing pisses people laugh more than going past a job
(03:42):
and the traffic management's all up there and nothing is happening.
That really gets up people's nose.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Because there was that issue on the Columbo Street over bridge.
Wasn't there by Morehouse, remember that there was some work
being done there and we talked about it. We did
in a catch up. We did work being done there
and it was supposed to be well particular amount of time.
But the cones and the closure, the partial closure, yes,
reduced lane was in place for months.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Replacing a water mate. There's a tunnel under the railway
lines here and it was at at the city end
of the tunnel was very deep and not flash so
we changed that and made it.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Are you of the view that because there's been some
local body politicians, I think further south more towards the
target and OTAGO have talked about requiring the temporary traffic
management measures to be taken away if there's no work happening.
Would you be in favor of that?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Absolutely? As long as it's safe, you've got to do it.
You know. One of the things I can tell you,
the traffic management sometimes on our job is a thick
end of forty percent of the project cost. Now, if
we weren't being so pedantic because of the rules, we'd
have more money left to do the job we're actually doing,
replacing a water main or doing a road or something
(04:54):
like that. But the cost is just getting gobbled up.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I mean, you and I know that when it comes
to rules, it's interpretation of rules that can affect the
outcome absolutely. So when a job is done, let's say
you've got a contract to do it a road repair
for the for the city council, who who determines what
the law is saying and how that is going to
play on a particular.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Job that the contractor the matter who it is, puts
in a thing called a traffic management plan. It goes
to our people who look at it and go right, well,
the law says you've got to have a cone every
two inches down the road, which is actually bollocks in
my opinion. But that's the same rule for every road,
even if it's a little quite street with two or
three cars down it compared and that that's where the
(05:39):
doe is getting gobbled up.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
You what's the rule you don't like that you referred
to as being a load of bollocked? What's the rule?
The requirement everywhere the how close the cones need to be.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
It's not just said to every two inches, but there
is a there is a this is how far they
have to be in certain areas. So really, I reckon
there's possibly more money as far as margin goes, being
made out of the traffic management on some jobs than
what the margin is on the job itself.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Right, So how often do you think that once when
your traffic people look at what's proposed by the contractors,
they push back and say, no, you're you're over egging
it there. This is not required.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Now, well, I don't think we do, because from what
I understand, the contractors coming and say this is what
we're doing, because it's become a cottage industry. Not necessarily
the roading contractor, but there are of the drainish contractor
that are specialized traffic management people and there's a lot
of expense to do all these things.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So what are you going to what are you gonna
do about it?
Speaker 3 (06:42):
The if you, I'll get you a copy of the
thing from Wayne and it's got proposals on how it
can be made better. And because it's it's out of control.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, but you is not just you, but as the council,
are you going to turn around and tell your staff
hoolom and it pushed back on the stuff because they're
overcooking it.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
You have got to do now what You've got to
be careful of. No one wants to see anyone injured,
so you've got to be careful how far you pushed back.
I was lucky enough to be in America last year
and here they are doing some roadworks and I've got
three cones in the middle of the monthway that's the
other side of the pendulum. You don't need to go
that far. But no one wants to see anyone get hurt.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
All right.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I know that you had a holiday recently and you
went somewhere very nice where you probably did a lot
of lying around them and reading books.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Was very good for my wife. She needed the bread.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Break, and you had time to think, are you standing
next year for mayor?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I'm I'm very busy at the moment. I'm really enjoying
the job, right, I'm really enjoying it. There's still a
hell of a lot to do, and I will be
contemplating it first thing next year. I'll just say that's when.
That's when I'm If I'm going to do anything, that's
when I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Not an overwhelming yes no.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
What was not an overwhelming no is what would.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It be between now and the start of next year.
That determines if.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
It's a no. We're just head down getting getting a
lot of stuff done. We've just come up for air
after the long term plan, and now the next thing
coming in front of us is the all of the
GPS stuff for transport, because we pushed a lot of
roading stuff out until we.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Know what the funding is.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
What the funding is, and that's you know, I'm not
good at a lot of things, but I do know
about roading and drainage and that sort of thing. So
I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
That, all right. So somewhere late January next to year,
we'll probably have our first catch up of the year.
Will that be when you will tell us what you're doing?
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Probably? Yep? Yes, yes, not probably yes, that's when I'll
tell you. You'll tell one way or another, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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