J
2444 days ago

WELLINGTONS BUS FIASCO

Jim from Trentham

"A dozen contractors have walked away with over $1.6 million in the first eight months of Wellington's bus fiasco".
Does anyone accept the feeble explanations that have been expressed regarding this expenditure? ie. a council spokesman said the works were budgeted for and were focused on implementation and ongoing improvements. GWRC employs contractors, consultants etc depending on expertise... Barbara Donaldson said the expenditure was operational and refused to comment.
It's time these people in well paid jobs stood up and took responsibility and did something to justify their salaries - so what if it's operational? its all taxpayer/ratepayer money and we should be getting value for it, as well as knowing what it was spent on. Where are the ongoing improvements - or is it intended to destroy the bus service first then anything following will be an "improvement"?
Chris Laidlaw has previously said he would do little differently. Rhodes Scholar or not, perhaps he should read the post regarding "Commonsense" which was posted on Neighbourly last week.
Why do we need consultants when it seems "everyone else" knows the $1.6 million would have been better spent on recruitment and retention of staff on the front line who are expected to face the ire of unsatisfied patrons.
To Laidlaw, Donaldson and their colleagues I say - ride the buses and explain to patrons yourself why the service is such a shambles, get down to the grass roots and see what people have to put up with. If you can't do the job then go and look for another.

More messages from your neighbours
6 days ago

Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️‍💥❔

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What has a head but no brain?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

Image
1 day ago

Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!

Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?

Image
Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
  • 77.9% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
    77.9% Complete
  • 22.1% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
    22.1% Complete
371 votes
J
7 days ago

Advice please, declined house insurance cover

Jane from Pinehaven

Looking for advice please. Has anyone had any issues reinsuring their homes. Our current house insurance went up by 11.5%, so I decided to get another quote. At the end of a very long phone with Tower, they declined to insurance us, saying our property is a landslide risk. I'm on Wyndham Road in Pinehaven. While the house is up off the street, the house itself and backyard are on the flat part of our section. Now - in the interest of full disclosure - I'm going to have to tell our current insurer too. I've rung the Council to see if they've updated their hazards mapping - and they said the only update has been to the Pinehaven Overflow. Have lived in this house since 2003, and insurance has never been an issue till now. TIA