Regional Report

Greater Wellington Regional Council is a large organisation by anyone’s standards. With an annual budget of over $233 million dollars it delivers its services throughout the Wellington Region including Kapiti and Wairarapa.

It has a variety of functions which include environmental policy and monitoring, pest control, biodiversity, harbour management, catchment management and regional parks. Arguably though, the two most important Regional Council roles, with regards to the economy of the Wairarapa, are water quality and public transport. Decisions made concerning both these matters can have far reaching effects on Wairarapa’s productivity not to mention convenience and efficiency for individuals.

The recent earthquake(s) highlighted the absolute importance of the region’s public transport system for commuters and tourists alike. The train link is vital for Wairarapa and it was gratifying to see the effort that all staff went to, in getting the trains and buses running again as soon as it was safe to do so. … Continue Reading

Religious freedom?

Despite its reputation as one the world’s worst violators of religious freedom, Saudi Arabia has hosted in Jeddah a UN human rights conference on combating intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. The conference was attended by the president of the UN Human Rights Council and other top international representatives. 

Here are the facts on religious freedom in Saudia Arabia: … Continue Reading

Thank you

A Big Thankyou From Dame Malvina Major: Fundraising Concert Sunday 27 November at The Cabbage Tree Vineyard
Dame Malvina Major was delighted to be back in Martinborough supporting the five singers who performed on Sunday to raise funds for her Foundation. Tickets sold out two weeks before the concert so, needless to say, the fundraiser was an unqualified success raising $6500.
The concert, too, was an unqualified success – “What a wonderful group of talented youngsters”, “a truly splendid concert”, “I so enjoyed listening to those amazing young opera singers”, “we shall come again”…are typical of the many expressions of approval that these aspiring opera singers, four sopranos and a baritone, attracted following their performance. … Continue Reading

THE DEAD HORSE THEORY OF BUREAUCRACY

From the Illinois Review
The tribal wisdom of the Plains Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.

However, in government more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:
1.  Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.
5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.
7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead  horse.
8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.
9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead horse’s performance.
10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse’s performance.
11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.
12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses,
and, of course…
13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.