The Regional Sports Park issued an enthusiastic press release yesterday noting that its new grandstand was “approaching the half-way stage.”
ZOWIE! No doubt this will make Page 1 in HB Today, maybe with a picture.
Now if they said the grandstand was “half-completed,” maybe that would be big news. But what does “approaching the half-way stage” really mean … 35% done, 41%, 49.5%?!
This release reflects a new strategic communications approach by the Hastings Council. Realising that they will need plenty of “good news” if they expect to get re-elected in less than a year, the Mayor and Councillors have decided they need to milk at least two media announcements out of every activity (or at least get one media hit out of projects that might never be completed).
BayBuzz understands that several similar announcements are already in the pipeline:
- “Councillors Kevin Watkins and Derek Brownrigg are half-way through their latest sister city junket to China.”
- “The odours from the new Hastings sewage treatment plant have been cut nearly in half.”
- “Almost half of the versatile soils of the Heretaunga Plains will be protected from development under the new Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy.”
- “To save half the money, new toilet blocks in the Hastings City centre will have men’s toilets only.”
- “Councillor Kimber promises to speak at almost half of Council meetings in 2010.”
- “To cut its operating deficit in half, Splash Planet will only open half the summer this season.”
It is great to protect our Hawkes Bay soils for the future…………but what is destroying them at the moment!
Rates by the Local and regional councils are such that they are greater than the return that can be obtained on the land …..this is why the land is being destroyed by building/housing now!
1) If we want to save our soils land MUST be rated on its productive capacity and an immediate introduction of capital value rating!
2) Government must stop stealing farmer/exporters money by having interest rates higher than our trading partners eg Japan 0.5%
If overseas money was stopped from coming into this country (brought here by our ridiculously high interest rates) money generated by the productive sectors of our economy would receive the fruits of their labours!
The resultant lowering of the value of our currency would bring more tourists reduce inflationary imports and discourage Kiwis to go overseas for holidays; generally making us more reliant on locally produced goods which would be then competative with higher valued imported goods.
Overall everyone would be better off except maybe the money lenders.