So we got there in the end. Rugby fans get their fan-zone. Auckland gets a cruise ship terminal. And Mike Lee stood up for Aucklanders who didn’t want to see both sheds bowled to make way for a semi-temporary structure on the Queens Wharf.
Murray McCully’s trantrum (I don’t know what Mike Lee has been smoking, Auckland local government is a train wreck, the sooner we get the super city the better) is exposed for what it was: the wailings of a Minister who hasn’t given his portfolio the attention it deserves, and who wasn’t able to stitch together a deal. The Prime Minister’s threats to explore other venues for the party-zone came to nothing.
In the long run I hope Queens Wharf will be the site of a stunning development for the people of Auckland, as part of a waterfront master plan developed by the Auckland Council.
The Prime Ministers threats , Phil, came to nothing because flip flop lee flopped again and some sanity prevailed.
The whole sharade by ARC was great advert for Super City .
mark m, what exactly is the difference between the compromise proposal the ARC tabled last week that provoked the McCully dummy spitting, and what was announced today?
PM’s threats came to nothing because no one believed the PM would follow through. Heavy lifting requiring a degree of unpopularity you see.
Last week ARC voted to retain Shed 10 and keep the slug (largely to appease McCully it seems).
Today the government announces that Shed 10 will be retained and the slug will be built.
Sounds like an ARC victory to me!
Expensive slug.
People seem to have forgotten that the slug was TEMPORARY, alot of money and then the glorified tent would be removed.
Shit, put up a huge marquis, for hire, that’s what they do on the outer oval at Eden Park on big match days…
I dont always agree with Mr Lee but I applaud that council continuing to consider actions democratically and being open to changing their minds. McCully represents this government well, they find democracy darned annoying and inconvenient.
“The Government will spend $9.6 million to build a new temporary “cloud” structure – dubbed the “slug” by others – and the Auckland Regional Council will spend $4 million upgrading the century-old Shed 10.”
What I dont believe is how the popular press seems to have taken the view that everything is ARC’s fault and most have turned it into a personal attack on Mike Lee.
Murray McCully’s personal view of Aucklands waterfront should not matter one bit, it should be for the people of Auckland to decide.
Interestingly this is one issue where Aucklands council worked well together, just McCully didnt play ball.
Labour needs to figure out how to take advantages of the nat muck-ups in future and ensure we expose the govt for what they are.
Luke, McCully caved, and I dont get how the media ar eportraying it as anything else.
Agreed
MSM are determined to make National look good. Frankly atrocious. Need a way to counter their influence and get independent information out there.
@Loota: bringing them under the eye of the Commerce Act instead of the Press Council is one possible step. The Press Council was formed long before the era of public-listed media conglomerates.