2350 days ago

Climate Change, Plans to mitigate, who will pay?

Iola from Awapuni

Today is Strike for Climate Change and i believe that a number of businesses will take time out to support this. As a Council watcher for many years I would like to have some answers to some of the past issues that Council has been involved in and to have some answers as to their efficacy and costs.
1. Some years ago we were considered to have such low carbon emissions that we sold carbon credits, to a City in Japan. What was the money gained from those carbon credits used for? Why are we now considered to be a City in need of spending millions to get people on to bikes, when there is no evidence that people will get on a bike instead of investing in a hybrid or ecar.?
2. What happened to the methane recovery plant at the Awapuni land fill? Wasn't that supposed to become an income stream for the City?How much did it cost to set up and how much has the return been?
3. The green composting strategy. What has been the return on this so called green income stream to Councils and to ratepayers?
4. What has been the savings for ratepayers for the solar panels installed on the Council buildings?
5. What has been the reduction in BMI's for sedentary staff with the building of the staff gym, in the Council building?
6. What has been the use of the electric cycles that were purchased for Council staff to use? Got to say it is at least 2 years since I saw them on the roads.
I think ratepayers have been conned into paying for a number of projects that have not given an expected return, and I most certainly think the millions on changing College Street is a case in point. Once again poor planning, lack of fore thought and in my view, total lack of understanding of future proofing a sustainable community.

More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? ๐Ÿ›ป๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿš“

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?

What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?

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If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? ๐Ÿ›ป๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿš“
  • 36.4% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    36.4% Complete
  • 63.6% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    63.6% Complete
428 votes
5 days ago

Scam Alert: Bank cold calls

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and youโ€™re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.

Remember, banks will:โ€‹โ€‹
โŒ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codesโ€‹โ€‹
โŒ Never need to know your full credit card number โ€“ especially the CVC
โŒ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your deviceโ€‹โ€‹
โŒ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.

If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.

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8 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, weโ€™re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature โ€” and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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