Wellington ratepayers have reportedly paid more than $550,000 on the upgrade of a 32m laneway to accommodate a new designer bike rack and two extra motorbike parks.
Work to install the bike rack in Wellington's Shell Lane, off The Terrace was carried out earlier this year - in addition to extra upgrades around the area, new security cameras and new motorbike parks.
ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks the 'wasteful' spending on part of the council.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Very sober senior political correspondence with US Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, good afternoon, heathern.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
What is going on with this ethnic priority in hawks Bay?
I thought we knocked this nonsense on the head.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well, yes, that story that I broke last year about
page Wingless, Yes, and that was based on ethnic priority
for Maldi and Pacific Islanders. Now they stopped that, and
we were pleased to hear that, because healthcare should never
be based on ethnic grounds. But in Hawke's Bay, fourteen
(00:30):
to twenty four year olds were recently receiving free GP services.
Now from the first of September, the rule is being
changed to base it on race, so at the top
priority when young people go to the doctor, now if
(00:53):
they're Maldy and or Pacific, then they will get free healthcare,
whereas the red of eighteen to twenty four year olds
will have to pay for their health care. Now, initially
it was changed last year sorry and yeah, last year
in May to give everyone everyone at that age group
free healthcare. But now it's being narrowed down to Pacific
(01:16):
and Maldi and they've listed a number of conditions that
would attract free health care. But I talked to the
ministers off of Shane Retty because look, this government never.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Backs this sort of Did he sign off on it?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
No, he didn't, and the office seemed to be unaware
of it. Health New Zealand has been spoken to about
it now and they Health New Zealand put out a
statement a while ago, and they haven't seemed to not
ruling it out for the rest of the country free
health care for Maldi and PACIFICA.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Well, hold on, are you telling me they are not
ruling out the fact that they're going to roll out ever,
they might roll it out further.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
But I think when the Minister's office sees this and
gets on to them, if.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
We take Shane Ritti's office at their word that they
did not sign off on this, and one of two
things is happening here with Health New Zealand. Either these
guys have gone rogue and they are doing things they
know this government doesn't want done. Or number two, they're
just so big and bloated as a bureaucracy that stuff
that is not supposed to happen is still happening. Because
I'm numpty in an office and hawks Bay is passing
(02:27):
it on.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, they will be saying, they'll claim that Health New Zealand.
They're doing it on need because more Maldi and Pacifica
are in greater need than what I understand.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
The argument, well, why are they doing something that is
in direct it is directly opposed to what this government wants.
Why are they doing that?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, who knows? I mean, you know, these authorities tend
to operate on their own.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So then have they gone rogue or are they just
so big they've lost track of all.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I think they've lost track of what's going on in
the health system and what is expected of them by
the government.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
In Wellington, that's my viewer is shesh Okay, what about
this bike rack and Wellington? Have you seen it?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I couldn't believe it. I saw the headline and I've
got to say the Old Taxpayers Union has done a
bit of work on this. But I saw the headline
five hundred and sixty three thousand dollars and I saw
bike rack and I thought, oh, they mean bike track,
so it's not a rack. It's a track, But no,
it's for a rack. Unbelievable. Twenty four bikes can be
(03:31):
parked in this rack opposite the council offices on the
Terrace in Wellington, so.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
They are looking after themselves.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I must have a lot of cyclists in the Wellington
City Council and that comes after And you may remember
this controversy a couple of weeks ago. But an eighty
four thousand dollars bike rack that's never used, that was
near the Frieburg Pool I think, so that was never used,
Like the Taxpayer Union has said that ratepayers have to
know about this particular bike rack costing more than well
(04:06):
almost six hundred thousand dollars. Are there special hidden features
like does it come with a red carpet, heated floors
or a bike wash? Very?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So this is just a bike shed. Well that's literally
all it is. It's just is it even three walls?
I think it might be three glass walls in a
roof and a bunch of racks if the rain comes
in from the front, which in Wellington undoubtedly it will do.
Those bikes are can be where anyway?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well absolutely, I mean it's just it was somewhere to
put your bikes, I suppose, but it's ridiculous and I've
got to say it wasn't signed off by the whole council.
I've talked around the council today done on the same
as there's fury in the council and it's even been
suggested to me it's time that a commissioner was called
in to take over the Wellington Sea. Can I just
(04:52):
remind this is by the people themselves, from within them.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Can I just remind you, though, that when Chris Luxon
stood there at that conference in Wellington and told them
to rain in their spending, they all responded.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But that we already are well, I tell you on
that vein, I know what your saw has just come
out the South Taranaki District Council. It's new cultural center
has blown out from a starting point of eight million
dollars to twenty million dollars. Now the locals in South
Taranaki are up for an eleven percent rate rise. So
(05:24):
these vanity projects that Chris Luson was talking about, he's
bang on, and no doubt you'll see more of these
exposed as time goes on.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
No, look, the councils are reigning in their spending.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I don't know if it's the story. If I now
they haven't got it sent to spare. They've really cut
back right back.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
To the monthly because they were planning on putting a
garden on the roof of the bike crack, and they've
cut that back to say it's a pretty for cyclists,
you want to pretty for Wellington timing, it's a belt
like that, Barry, thank you very much. I think we're
all going to have to have a cup of tea
after what you've just told us. Barry Soper, Senior political correspondent.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
For more from Hither, Dupless and Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd B from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Very sober senior political correspondence with US Barry.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, good afternoon, heathern.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
What is going on with this ethnic priority in hawks Bay?
I thought we knocked this nonsense on the head.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well, yes, that story that I broke last year about
page Wingless, Yes, and that was based on ethnic priority
for Maldi and Pacific Islanders. Now they stopped that, and
we were pleased to hear that, because healthcare should never
be based on ethnic grounds. But in Hawke's Bay, fourteen
(00:30):
to twenty four year olds were recently receiving free GP services.
Now from the first of September, the rule is being
changed to base it on race, so at the top
priority when young people go to the doctor, now if
(00:53):
they're Maldy and or Pacific, then they will get free healthcare,
whereas the red of eighteen to twenty four year olds
will have to pay for their health care. Now, initially
it was changed last year sorry and yeah, last year
in May to give everyone everyone at that age group
free healthcare. But now it's being narrowed down to Pacific
(01:16):
and Maldi and they've listed a number of conditions that
would attract free health care. But I talked to the
ministers off of Shane Retty because look, this government never.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Backs this sort of Did he sign off on it?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
No, he didn't, and the office seemed to be unaware
of it. Health New Zealand has been spoken to about
it now and they Health New Zealand put out a
statement a while ago, and they haven't seemed to not
ruling it out for the rest of the country free
health care for Maldi and PACIFICA.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Well, hold on, are you telling me they are not
ruling out the fact that they're going to roll out ever,
they might roll it out further.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
But I think when the Minister's office sees this and
gets on to them, if.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
We take Shane Ritti's office at their word that they
did not sign off on this, and one of two
things is happening here with Health New Zealand. Either these
guys have gone rogue and they are doing things they
know this government doesn't want done. Or number two, they're
just so big and bloated as a bureaucracy that stuff
that is not supposed to happen is still happening. Because
I'm numpty in an office and hawks Bay is passing
(02:27):
it on.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, they will be saying, they'll claim that Health New Zealand.
They're doing it on need because more Maldi and Pacifica
are in greater need than what I understand.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
The argument, well, why are they doing something that is
in direct it is directly opposed to what this government wants.
Why are they doing that?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, who knows? I mean, you know, these authorities tend
to operate on their own.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So then have they gone rogue or are they just
so big they've lost track of all.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I think they've lost track of what's going on in
the health system and what is expected of them by
the government.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
In Wellington, that's my viewer is shesh Okay, what about
this bike rack and Wellington? Have you seen it?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I couldn't believe it. I saw the headline and I've
got to say the Old Taxpayers Union has done a
bit of work on this. But I saw the headline
five hundred and sixty three thousand dollars and I saw
bike rack and I thought, oh, they mean bike track,
so it's not a rack. It's a track, But no,
it's for a rack. Unbelievable. Twenty four bikes can be
(03:31):
parked in this rack opposite the council offices on the
Terrace in Wellington, so.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
They are looking after themselves.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I must have a lot of cyclists in the Wellington
City Council and that comes after And you may remember
this controversy a couple of weeks ago. But an eighty
four thousand dollars bike rack that's never used, that was
near the Frieburg Pool I think, so that was never used,
Like the Taxpayer Union has said that ratepayers have to
know about this particular bike rack costing more than well
(04:06):
almost six hundred thousand dollars. Are there special hidden features
like does it come with a red carpet, heated floors
or a bike wash? Very?
Speaker 1 (04:16):
So this is just a bike shed. Well that's literally
all it is. It's just is it even three walls?
I think it might be three glass walls in a
roof and a bunch of racks if the rain comes
in from the front, which in Wellington undoubtedly it will do.
Those bikes are can be where anyway?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well absolutely, I mean it's just it was somewhere to
put your bikes, I suppose, but it's ridiculous and I've
got to say it wasn't signed off by the whole council.
I've talked around the council today done on the same
as there's fury in the council and it's even been
suggested to me it's time that a commissioner was called
in to take over the Wellington Sea. Can I just
(04:52):
remind this is by the people themselves, from within them.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Can I just remind you, though, that when Chris Luxon
stood there at that conference in Wellington and told them
to rain in their spending, they all responded.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
But that we already are well, I tell you on
that vein, I know what your saw has just come
out the South Taranaki District Council. It's new cultural center
has blown out from a starting point of eight million
dollars to twenty million dollars. Now the locals in South
Taranaki are up for an eleven percent rate rise. So
(05:24):
these vanity projects that Chris Luson was talking about, he's
bang on, and no doubt you'll see more of these
exposed as time goes on.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
No, look, the councils are reigning in their spending.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I don't know if it's the story. If I now
they haven't got it sent to spare. They've really cut
back right back.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
To the monthly because they were planning on putting a
garden on the roof of the bike crack, and they've
cut that back to say it's a pretty for cyclists,
you want to pretty for Wellington timing, it's a belt
like that, Barry, thank you very much. I think we're
all going to have to have a cup of tea
after what you've just told us. Barry Soper, Senior political correspondent.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
For more from Hither, Dupless and Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd B from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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