Olympic rowing started today, one of the sports to get underway before the opening ceremony. You might not know that this sport falls into my sphere of interest, but it’s New Zealand’s most successful Olympic sport, with 24 medals just like athletics but 11 golds for the water sport versus 10 for … [Read more...]
Mass rapid transit, climate change, and Huanui Lane
You may not know Huanui Lane and if you do, you might be wondering what it's got to do with those big topics of our time. Well, hear me out. Huanui Lane got built as part of the East Frame. It runs between Armagh Street and Lichfield Street some 50 m east of and parallel to Manchester Street. … [Read more...]
Axel starts the day with The Bulletin
My weekday mornings start with me reading the news. I used to subscribe to a printed newspaper but for a variety of reasons, I cancelled that subscription some two or three years ago. After a while, a friend brought The Bulletin to my attention. It’s compiled by Alex Braae, who I mentioned in the … [Read more...]
RIP DHBs
Last Wednesday, the government announced that they will disestablish the system of District Health Boards (DHBs) in its entirety... This follows on from a report that Heather Simpson prepared for the government in mid-2020; you can read her report (warning – 274 pages!) or a summary of the main … [Read more...]
Climate emergency: councils plan to increase emissions
The plan – what does it mean? You may think: “Surely, we’ve got to do something about climate change; isn’t this the way forward?” And that’s the crux of the matter. Yes, climate change should be at the forefront of all decision making. Greater Christchurch's public transport proposal will make … [Read more...]
New Zealand’s Green Grid
Nation-building is back! Guest post by Brendon Harré. Readers will know I have been a strong advocate for New Zealand building pumped hydro. For instance, I compiled a very detailed report earlier this year, including a very popular extended comment on the proposed Onslow pumped … [Read more...]
For and against pumped hydro
The electricity market is a complicated beast to understand and now the Government has proposed to add pumped hydro at Lake Onslow to the mix. You hear rather mixed messages from industry stakeholders about it. Brendon Harre wrote about pumped hydro in general for Garry’s newsletter earlier this … [Read more...]
Christchurch water chlorination
Over the last year, we've had a number of articles from Garry on chlorination and one talk. On 28 August 2019, CCC's head of the Three Waters, Helen Beaumont, spoke right at the time when the city was hit with a change in the regulatory system. Subsequent articles were published in February … [Read more...]
COVID-19 happenings
Leaders will be assessed by how they have reacted in trying situations. Our current prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has had more than her fair share of opportunities to prove herself: getting enough votes to become prime minister just seven weeks from taking over the Labour Party leadership; her … [Read more...]
COVID-19 hygiene advice
The most important way to stop COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) from spreading is to follow some basic hygiene advice: hand hygiene – wash regularly and for at least 30 seconds (the jury is still out on hand sanitiser although as of 15 March, this is still listed as an option on the Ministry of Health … [Read more...]