Island Life: I am curious. Yellow?
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Is there anything else we'd be looking for in a supermayor? Just sayin'.
A willingness to do whatever Robyn Gallagher tells them.
Tom can be my mayoress.
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I believe the title is "first bitch". :)
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Sorry, we need Robyn in Wellington.
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I'm confused as to why the City Council should be involved with providing the Cruise Ship terminal
Mike, it's just standard corporate welfare so that the relevant industry doesn't have to pay its way. Tourists bring money in, but for some reason it's ratepayers who should foot the bill rather than the tourism industry (and the sports one in this case).
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hey - you nominated ME last time!
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sorry...
Tom Beard: knows his urban design. Knows his bars.
Is there anything else we'd be looking for in a supermayor? Just sayin'then as above...
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Does anyone think Princess Wharf works as a public space? Then why are we replicating it?
And what is it in the Wellington water that makes politicians go - "Wa-HEY, have I got a GREAT IDEA for Auckland!..."?
And why do they only give us two weeks to think about it?
And why do these great ideas fall outside of any co-ordinated, well thought-through plan for Auckland?
And why is it that we need a "Party Central"? What's wrong with the bars and precincts we already have? - let's spread the love (and spending) amongst the excellent bars and restaurants already in existence and needing the dosh, rather than open up a new area, with new bars and restaurants that will suck the business away from the existing operators and then be a wasteland when the RWC is finished.
FFS - here we go again. Around the world, leaders build edifices to art and architecture and triumphs and history (and, admittedly, to themselves a bit too much). Here we build edifices to sport and partying. Does anyone else see a tragic lack of vision happening here?
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This just in... "magic spaces".
Sow's ear, anyone...?
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Yep, I can see how putting some expensive paving around that eyesore is going to make it magic.
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Honestly a wharf makes a sucky open space - once you've walked down and back once well that's it - it's better than a bit red fence - at least you get a view.
But really you want something more people scaled, you want to be able to touch the water, launch your canoe or yacht (or come ashore for a coffee before heading back) - but it's a deep water port so you can't very well go paddling - a wharf probably is OK for party central (so long as there are policemen with big nets somewhere) or cruise ships but it takes some imagination to knock it down and turn it into something more human (and please not a SF style "Fisherman's Wharf" tourist trap)
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Frustratingly it's not that there aren't people with vision involved with the council. Here's an example, not that it'll ever get built...
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The city development general manager, John Duthie, said the two cargo sheds were "magic spaces", full of exposed kauri, totara and matai native timber and steel beams.
I have a 'magic space' under my house, too, full of old timber off-cuts, concrete lumps and bits of foam insulation and pink batts.
I thinks there's possibly an old pair of heavy-duty rubber workmans gloves as well.
Something for everyone! Come round for a drink! Taxpayer funded, of course.
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Think back to the 1990 Commonwealth Games fans swamping the city while the Round the World yachts sailed in. The whole town was a huge party. We certainly didn't need a $100,000,000 suck-up to the business interests surrounding the tourism or local government ministers at the time to keep the international guests interested. The most popular move at the time was the arrival of tuk-tuk's and rickshaws. The tourism industry is getting hundreds of millions in returns from the RWC anyway - maybe the overseas-owned cruise ship operators should pay for their new cruise ship centre in partnership with NZ.
I went to the 40 Below party. I thought I'd check National out and had a constructive conversation with Tim Groser for about an hour before I got a bit too drunk and left. Their moves to take over Auckland's local government and then privatise our infrastructure are going well. The new "Party Central" will be for sale in a couple of years along with the rest of the Ports of Auckland. We should build Otahuhu residents the $22.1 million swimming pool and library complex they have been waiting decades for instead. It would do more to solve the city's problems than a "party central" designed by John Key's mates ever could. -
Has anybody actually MET John Duthie? Why is this man in charge of City Development?
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hey - you nominated ME last time!
We need to have at least two candidates to avoid the impression that PAS is rigging this thing.
(Although we are.)
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Here's an example, not that it'll ever get built...
Wow - that's great! Here's hoping...
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We need to have at least two candidates to avoid the impression that PAS is rigging this thing.
(Although we are.)Oh. Okay.
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While I am in favour of the opening up of the waterfront, I'm confused as to why the City Council should be involved with providing the Cruise Ship terminal (or have I got that wrong?).
Because the city council wants the cruise ships to come to their city. Same way city councils get financially involved in airports.
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But in Auckland the airport is owned by a private company - which is why it has to be about the suckiest airport on the pla et - designed to keep people away from planes and to not get through customs
If NACT were really true to form this would only be done privately - rather than as a party for the boys
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(but somehow rugby economics are different)
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Because the city council wants the cruise ships to come to their city.
As opposed to all those other New Zealand cities with liner terminals, you mean?
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Auckland doesn't even get in the top 5 suckiest airports on the planet. Even amongst ones I've been to:
1. LAX
2. JFK
3. LHR
4. CDG
5. LGW(Interesting that no developing country airports make the top 5, either. All the ones I've been to have at least some redeeming features, even DEL & NBO).
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all those other New Zealand cities with liner terminals
Whisper it quietly, but they don't actually need one. Cruise ships happily tie up alongside the cargo wharves at Tauranga and Wellington. Some of the smaller ones visit places like Milford Sound and the Bay of Islands and use launches to take people ashore.
Also, I suspect most cruise liners would want to stop in Auckland so that passengers can transfer through the airport.
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But in Auckland the airport is owned by a private company - which is why it has to be about the suckiest airport on the pla et - designed to keep people away from planes and to not get through customs
But Auckland airport is partly publicly owned by local city councils.
Cruise ships provide benefits to the local region when they visit? Why wouldn't the local city council want to provide facilities - either directly, or via owning a company that provides them? The fringe benefits are quite large, and if a private company isn't going to take it up, why shouldn't a council?
Or are we adopting Rodney Hide's line that city councils should only do 'core' activities, and libraries?
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I suspect most cruise liners would want to stop in Auckland so that passengers can transfer through the airport.
Correct - there is a huge change-over of passengers when the ships are in Auckland, evidenced by the hotel bookings over those days and the number of tourists wheeling their suitcases up and down Albert St.
So, imho, better facilities are needed. There are occasions when there is more than one ship in town at a time, but only one can berth at Princes Wharf. You end up with queues of passengers along side the cargo sheds waiting to clear Customs/Immigration and embark. Not a great look, or start to the voyage.
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