What is it about National’s Tertiary Education Ministers and Helicopters?
First off, we had Anne Tolley taking the tertiary sector literally when they suggested she should take a “helicopter view” of the sector -she had them stump up for a costly ride in a chopper over Auckland.
Now, we have Steven Joyce telling the country that he would prefer fund helicopter trips for commuters between Hamilton and Auckland than to subsidise a passenger train service between the two cities.
He seemed to have borrowed Simon Power’s strategy of heavily inflating the cost to the taxpayer, so he could justify his idealogical postition against trains and for more and more roads. Joyce claimed the train would cost $15-16,000 per trip which is complete rubbish.
Power used this tactic to try to justify the closing down of Hamilton’s successful trial youth justice facility, Te Hurihanga.
Maybe they just think people can’t do maths in Hamilton. Sonething of a miscalculation, if you excuse the pun.
How many people can ride per helicopter trip?
I suspect he was being facetious , but his “ideological” opposition to trains is no different to your “ideological” support for trains.
He has probably read the Lancaster University report that said a car with four passengers travelling between two particular points in England , was cheaper and more ecologically sound than running a full train.
Unfortunately in New Zealand we dont get to full very often , making the comparison even worse
The Minister has just had to correct his answer in the House. Apparently it would cost $15 – 16,000 per year, not per trip. Try ferrying 100+ commuters a day from Hamilton to Auckland and back in a helicopter for that. Even these corrected figures are questionable.
I won’t be suprised to see a passenger train service successfully established between Hamilton and Auckland for the rugby world cup.
Mr joyce happily spends taxpayer money on a special holiday road for his and Nats constituents here in Auckland, but wont even contemplate trains?
Tracey, I hope the new road north will benefit us up here in Northland too. The present goat track is long past its ‘use by date’. Mind you I will probably never see it….too old.
Richard IF that were the reason I would be more inclined to support it, but it’s not, it’s about ease of commute/holiday for Aucklanders up your way. No offence but decisions on transport are well and truly made on population numbers, and Northland is lowish.
Sensible transport ideas are shelved before examination but holiday plans for aucklanders, that’s high up the list
Well aren’t National being all high and mighty then.
Tracey, I think you have been captured by the Auckland Regional Council Chairman’s propaganda. If you drove this section of SH1 any day of the week you would be totally frustrated by the number of trucks impeding your progress. Sure it will help on holiday weekends, but even then the traffic flow (if you can call it that) is both ways. Holiday Highway was a catchy put-down used by some with vested interests who want all money spent in Auckland. A city which in my opinion should never have removed the trams in 1957.
@Sue, don’t forget Simon Power took Alan Hubbard’s helicopter off him, maybe to ferry all these ministers around or maybe to make Joyce’s claims correct…
@Mark M, 4 people per car..? After that 4 pigs will fly backwards out my backside… 1.4 people per car, always has been always will be…
*Alan Hubbard’s helicopter company
@richard, this is not $100 million we are talking about to fix up this road it is $2 billion, which is a staggering sum of money to spend to help some people pass a few trucks.
Remember the Orewa bypass toll road was nz’s most expensive roading project and this only cost $350 million. Waterview will be getting close as that is pushing 1.5 billion.
Also why does the minister want to close the Northland – Auckland rail line for the sake of less than $10 million a year?
thanks for the clarification Sue, I didn’t think it would cost $15,000 per trip…..
From: Speech: Anne Tolley School Trustees Association
Sunday, 11 July 2010, 11:28 am
Speech: New Zealand Government
New Zealand School Trustees Association Conference
Venue: Christchurch Convention Centre
Time: 2:30pm
‘It is simply unacceptable that our schooling system allows up to one in five of our young people to go out into the world without the reading, writing and maths skills that they need.
The sector, and politicians, have been talking about addressing this so-called “tail of underachievement” for the last ten years. And nothing has changed. Right now, up to 20 per cent of our children are being failed, and if we keep doing the same things – we will continue to get the same results.’
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1007/S00178.htm
-because Trevor asked in parliament recently and Ms Tolley couldn’t remember where she said it
I’m watching the Stepford wives and I think it would be a good electorate for her
@Luke: it has the trucking lobby’s fingerprints all over it.