Putting the skids under buses
All aboard! Next stop, short-termism.
In a week which gave us some evidence that New Zealand governments can think beyond the three-year electoral cycle, thanks to the release of a draft National Infrastructure Plan, buses have managed to bring us back to earth.
The Otago Regional Council has been stuck between a rock and a hard place over lifting bus fares for passengers in Dunedin and Queenstown. Its hardest decision was whether to follow the road the government is steering regional councils down — to get rid of free bus fares for children.
In the end, the council had little choice but to go in the direction laid out by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Despite opposition from some councillors, 5 to 18-year-olds will now pay $1.50 per trip while single adult fares will rise from $2 to $2.50.
Cr Michael Laws, who voted against the adoption of the council's regional public transport plan 2025-35, voiced the concerns many parents will have, that at $1.50 a trip for only one child, that extra $600 a year may be another significant burden for a struggling household.
Insisting on children becoming fare-paying customers was at odds with Associate Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour's anti-truancy "crusade", Cr Laws said.
PHOTO: ODT FILES
It certainly is the case that the council has been railroaded into the fare hikes by the government. Their arms have been twisted by the not-so-subtle threat that to be eligible for central co-funding of public transport, they must align themselves with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport and NZTA's fares and funding policy direction.
While the previous Labour government and the Green Party have been big supporters of public transport, and low or no fares for children, the coalition has been slowly but surely turning that approach around. We have also seen it in the loss of financial support for cycling and pedestrian initiatives, and in money being more freely available for major roading projects (not to mention higher speed limits).
What the government is actually doing is putting things in reverse when it comes to a cleaner, green future for New Zealand. The council, and others around the country, are now in a very difficult position, because if patronage falls as a consequence of these changes, then that's not an encouraging sign for the future of that service.
The cleft stick faced by the regional council is that it could have carried on without the fare increases, but that would have cost ratepayers several hundreds of thousands of dollars in higher rates bills.
Council staff told councillors ahead of the vote it was a "tricky balance" for them this time, trying to take into account elected representatives' expectations and those of the community and government. While there was "strong public support" for free children's fares, there was "strong opposition" from NZTA.
Cr Andrew Noone, the co-chairman of the public and active transport committee, made it obvious to colleagues they had little choice. It had been made "pretty clear there could well be implications to existing services" if the council didn't increase passenger revenue.
Chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson articulated her concerns about the unfairness of the position the government had put the council in.
ORC one of the best-performing authorities when it came to raising money from public transport, but that success remained unrewarded: "Instead we are penalised and threatened with removal of current services and that's simply not OK," she said.
Councillors agreed to write to Mr Seymour, Education Minister Erica Stanford and Transport Minister Chris Bishop in an attempt to explain that children's bus fares could backfire and affect attendance at school.
We are of the view that scrapping free buses for children and increasing fares for adults is the kind of step backwards which those concerned about the country's future would go to great lengths to avoid.
However, we appreciate the invidious position the regional council is in and understand why it made the decision it did.
The pressure on bus fares from the coalition would be concerning enough on its own, without the wider amplifying anti-regional council views that some, most notably thwarted Resources Minister Shane Jones, are expressing.
Little wonder the council, and its contemporaries across the nation, will be opting to take a cautious approach.
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Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Putting the skids under buses
All aboard! Next stop, short-termism. In a week which gave us some evidence that New Zealand governments can think beyond the three-year electoral cycle, thanks to the release of a draft National Infrastructure Plan, buses have managed to bring us back to earth. The Otago Regional Council has been stuck between a rock and a hard place over lifting bus fares for passengers in Dunedin and Queenstown. Its hardest decision was whether to follow the road the government is steering regional councils down — to get rid of free bus fares for children. In the end, the council had little choice but to go in the direction laid out by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Despite opposition from some councillors, 5 to 18-year-olds will now pay $1.50 per trip while single adult fares will rise from $2 to $2.50. Cr Michael Laws, who voted against the adoption of the council's regional public transport plan 2025-35, voiced the concerns many parents will have, that at $1.50 a trip for only one child, that extra $600 a year may be another significant burden for a struggling household. Insisting on children becoming fare-paying customers was at odds with Associate Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour's anti-truancy "crusade", Cr Laws said. PHOTO: ODT FILES It certainly is the case that the council has been railroaded into the fare hikes by the government. Their arms have been twisted by the not-so-subtle threat that to be eligible for central co-funding of public transport, they must align themselves with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport and NZTA's fares and funding policy direction. While the previous Labour government and the Green Party have been big supporters of public transport, and low or no fares for children, the coalition has been slowly but surely turning that approach around. We have also seen it in the loss of financial support for cycling and pedestrian initiatives, and in money being more freely available for major roading projects (not to mention higher speed limits). What the government is actually doing is putting things in reverse when it comes to a cleaner, green future for New Zealand. The council, and others around the country, are now in a very difficult position, because if patronage falls as a consequence of these changes, then that's not an encouraging sign for the future of that service. The cleft stick faced by the regional council is that it could have carried on without the fare increases, but that would have cost ratepayers several hundreds of thousands of dollars in higher rates bills. Council staff told councillors ahead of the vote it was a "tricky balance" for them this time, trying to take into account elected representatives' expectations and those of the community and government. While there was "strong public support" for free children's fares, there was "strong opposition" from NZTA. Cr Andrew Noone, the co-chairman of the public and active transport committee, made it obvious to colleagues they had little choice. It had been made "pretty clear there could well be implications to existing services" if the council didn't increase passenger revenue. Chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson articulated her concerns about the unfairness of the position the government had put the council in. ORC one of the best-performing authorities when it came to raising money from public transport, but that success remained unrewarded: "Instead we are penalised and threatened with removal of current services and that's simply not OK," she said. Councillors agreed to write to Mr Seymour, Education Minister Erica Stanford and Transport Minister Chris Bishop in an attempt to explain that children's bus fares could backfire and affect attendance at school. We are of the view that scrapping free buses for children and increasing fares for adults is the kind of step backwards which those concerned about the country's future would go to great lengths to avoid. However, we appreciate the invidious position the regional council is in and understand why it made the decision it did. The pressure on bus fares from the coalition would be concerning enough on its own, without the wider amplifying anti-regional council views that some, most notably thwarted Resources Minister Shane Jones, are expressing. Little wonder the council, and its contemporaries across the nation, will be opting to take a cautious approach.
Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
The secret diary of . . . David Seymour
There's a lot on the agenda for David Seymour. PHOTO: RNZ MONDAY — Attend my first press conference as deputy prime minister and speak solemnly about international affairs to strengthen the perception I am a world statesman worthy of respect. — Name some worthy academic no-one has ever heard of and hold them to ridicule. — RSVP to the birthday party for a child of an influential donor from the Atlas Project. TUESDAY — Take credit for the budget cuts to Radio New Zealand to strengthen the perception that Act is a powerful enemy of state-funded left-wing propaganda that attacks Act at every opportunity and gives Labour, the Greens and old scribble face a free ride. — Increase state funding of Act's comms department. — Confirm that I will be happy to play pin the tail on the donkey at the Atlas Project birthday party. WEDNESDAY — Ridicule Labour MP Willie Jackson for his comments that the Regulatory Standards Bill is set up for my mates from powerful corporations who are following their manifest destiny to despoil the countryside in exchange for massive profits which ought not be subject to tax. — Meet mates for a drink. — Draw a line in the sand and decline an invitation to actually play the donkey that gets a tail pinned to it at the Atlas Project birthday party. THURSDAY — Give Act's comms department the hard word to find someone who has made ridiculing remarks about me so I can whine and complain about it to strengthen the perception I am constantly under attack by the intelligentsia. — Find a way to undermine Luxon. — Find a way to undermine someone who votes Green and hugs trees. — Find a way to undermine someone who can be described as a Māori fanatic. — Find a way to undermine someone who performs selfless acts for the betterment of society and gives hope to families doing it hard but who is associated with Labour. FRIDAY — Seek private medical treatment for multiple puncture wounds inflicted by rich little brats wielding really sharp pins who seemed to take great pleasure in pinning a donkey's tail all over my body at the Atlas Project birthday party. Their parents seemed to enjoy it too. I can still hear their mocking laughter. By Steve Braunias
RNZ News
a day ago
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MPs pay tribute to Takutai Tarsh Kemp
Wreaths on the House seat of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith MPs woke on Thursday morning to the sad news that one of their contemporaries, the MP for Tāmaki Makarau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp had died on Wednesday evening aged just 50. The first term MP for Te Pāti Māori had taken leave from her Parliamentary duties last year after being diagnosed with kidney disease, but had been back at Parliament just a week prior to her death. As a mark of respect, the sitting day on Thursday adjourned early for the week. Before adjourning, the House was able to hear tributes from colleagues, who offered memories, condolences, reflections, and eulogies. The first three speeches - from National's Tama Potaka, Labour's Peeni Henare, and The Green's Teanau Tuiono - were almost entirely in te reo Māori. Labour Party MP, Peeni Henare during Parliament's obituaries for fallen Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith Tuiono, chose to split his call with his colleague, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, who said. "That smile and sense of humour and the warmth of Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp will never leave us. She was a thoughtful, kind person who lived her values through her service. …In moments like this, I think that we are all gravely reminded of how fragile life is, but how the great stabiliser can indeed be love and integrity. Moe mai rā e te tuahine." Act Leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour was next to speak. "She was a true representative, and in her brief time in Parliament, she made a firm impression. She left no doubt about what she was here to do and who she was here to serve, and she did that even while facing and battling a chronic illness." New Zealand First MP, Shane Jones during Parliament's obituaries for fallen Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith This is the second death of an MP in as many years, with the Greens' Efeso Collins passing away in February of last year. New Zealand First's Shane Jones, acknowledged this and shared his perspective that in sobering moments such as a death, we're reminded what politics is ultimately about. "Yes, politics is a contest, but at the base of politics is the pursuit of humanity, and today we respect the contribution that this woman has made to our nation in the various pathways her life has taken her down. Perhaps, as reflective of her personality, I can say nothing better than what is outlined in Romans: 'Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.' Farewell, Takutai." Labour's Willie Jackson was the last to speak before the House adjourned early, perhaps lifting spirits a bit with lighthearted anecdotes that were also quite genuine reflections about how, in Māori politics, an enduring whanaungatanga or connection remains, even through political disagreement. "She was such a vivacious, passionate woman ... I was listening to Tama Potaka and that last committee we did - Tama was fronting it, and we were giving it to Tama Potaka at the Select Committee, and she had the last kōrero," he said. Labour Party MP, Willie Jackson during Parliament's obituaries for fallen Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith "It was very, very clear what she felt about her relation Tama, in the National Government, and Audrey Young put that in the Herald this morning. I thought that was fabulous ... because in many ways, as the minister knows, that sort of sums up Māori politics. We just can go to war sometimes. Tama can be terrible to myself and Peeni Henare, you know-terrible-and Shane Jones, and particularly Winston Peters. You know, we can destroy each other. We can destroy each other, and then, you wouldn't think it was the same people-we'll be having a cup of tea and a kai out the back at the marae. It's the nature of Māori politics. "When I look at Manurewa and I look at my brother Peeni Henare over here, who has almost been traumatised by this, you would not have believed that a war went on in South Auckland for that Tāmaki-makau-rau seat. You would not believe how tough it was-the different sides-how passionate people were, and people would have thought that they would have been enemies for ever. But their whanaungatanga ties them for ever and a day. "I think that's the difference with Māori politics. We will always be tied by our toto, by our whakapapa, and by our identity, and Peeni Henare and Tarsh Kemp couldn't have been any closer. He's shed a few tears for Tarsh today. We all have shed a few tears for Tarsh-a passionate, vivacious, magnificent woman-and it's only right that we honour her today." At the conclusion of the speeches, all MPs stood to sing the waiata Whakaaria Mai, before the House was adjourned until Tuesday, 15 July. You can listen to the audio version of this story by clicking the link at the top of the page. *RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.
