Congratulations to the new Mayor of Wellington

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

A song for BallastedMoth....


♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫
Sour grapes, sour grapes...

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫
Sour grapes, sour grapes...

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫
Sour grapes, sour grapes...

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫
Sour grapes, sour grapes...

(sung to the same tune as the Big-Ben clock chimes)

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Wellington's mayor “walked the talk” early today when she rode her bicycle the short distance from her home in Island Bay to the Rongotai side of Wellington Airport to greet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while the senior Nats MPs who attended burnt vast quantities of non-renewable fossil fuels with their large motorcade of gas-guzzling limousines.

It's interesting to read the comments from idiots who have vented their views on the STUFF website over Celia Wade-Brown riding a bicycle the short distance to the airport. However, what is even more intersting is that their “sour grapes” comments are outnumbered many times over by people who are applauding the Wellington mayor's decision to use a non-polluting form of transport, especially when you consider it is only a couple of kilometres or so from her home to the airport.

I imagine BallastedMoth will post some “sour grapes” snide comment in this thread.


Hillary Clinton meets Mayor Celia Wade-Brown

(excerpt from a bigger news story)

Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 04 November 2010


Hillary Clinton and Celia Wade-Brown shake hands at Wellington Airport.


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is flanked by (from left) Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown,
US Ambassador David Huebner, and Foreign Affairs minister Murray McCully.

CYCLING MAYOR IN WELCOMING PARTY

The welcome party also included Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown, who arrived at the terminal at 4.55am on her bicycle wearing a high-visibility vest.

At the bottom of the plane's steps Clinton shook hands with US ambassador David Huebner, foreign affairs minister Murray McCully and mayor Wade-Brown.

The group then walked quickly through the terminal, with Clinton climbing into a waiting black BMW — part of a 14-vehicle convoy headed for town.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4306362/cycling-mayor-in-welcoming-party

[nitpicker1]

looks as if Celia would have had a head wind home



Seems she also said she would have used alternstive transport if it hadn't been such a nice day

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Mayor opts for electric car over council Audi

By DAVE BURGESS - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Thursday, 18 November 2010



CYCLING MAYOR Celia Wade-Brown has turned down the opportunity to drive a $70,000 ratepayer-funded Audi mayoral car but that doesn't mean she will use a tandem bike to transport visiting dignitaries around the city.

Her decision to forgo a designated mayoral car — like the Audi driven by former mayor Kerry Prendergast — is included in a council paper to decide how much councillors shall be paid up till the year ending in June.

A spokesman for Ms Wade-Brown said she would not comment on anything in the paper until it had been voted on by councillors.

But he did say she would use an electric car from the council's vehicle pool. If the electric car was not available, she would drive one of the council's hybrid vehicles.

The council meets today to decide how to split the $1.38 million annual funding pool as determined by the Remuneration Authority. The authority set Ms Wade-Brown's annual salary at $159,100.

Councillor payments vary because the pay scale factors in extra payments for portfolio leadership and chairing committees. But annual salaries range from $64,955 for newcomer Simon Marsh, to $96,000 for deputy mayor Ian McKinnon. However, some councillors also get paid for sitting on a council-controlled organisation, for which the range of total payments starts at $79,955 a year.

Mr McKinnon, who will earn an extra $37,500 for sitting on the board of Wellington Airport, would top Wellington city councillors' annual income list at $133,500 — before the election he earned $107,615.

Two other big winners are councillors Helene Ritchie and Bryan Pepperell, who were largely sidelined under the Prendergast-led administration. Under the new structure, they would pocket about $10,000 a year extra on the back of $79,125 portfolio leader salaries.

Tawa and Makara/Ohariu community board members are also paid from the Remuneration Authority's funding pool.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/4356613/Mayor-opts-for-electric-car-over-council-Audi

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Wade-Brown bonds with fellow redhead

By KIRSTY JOHNSTON - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 16 February 2011


WIND ACTUALLY: Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, left, is greeted
by Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown. — PHIL REID/The Dominion Post.

FLAME-HAIRED Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has found a kindred Celtic spirit in Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Ms Gillard was so delighted to find a fellow redhead meeting her off her flight into Wellington that she reached out to stroke the mayor's auburn hair during their brief chat on the tarmac yesterday.

"She told me it was a good hair colour," Ms Wade-Brown said after Ms Gillard had left the military terminal. "And we agreed that Celtic heritage is an important part of Australia and New Zealand." Ms Gillard, who was born in Wales, flew into Wellington just after 5.30pm in her Australian Air Force plane, on the second leg of her trip to New Zealand.

She was welcomed with a brisk Wellington wind along with the mayor, reporters and an official entourage, including the Australian deputy high commissioner. "We also talked about the wind, actually," Ms Wade-Brown added, saying she had told Ms Gillard how it was a good source of renewable energy.

The well-known greenie drove to the airport in an electric car, leaving her bike at the office.

"I did bike to work. I just thought it would be good to talk about Wellington's sustainable energy."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4661942/Wade-Brown-bonds-with-fellow-redhead

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Mayor helps break up drunken brawl

The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Monday, 19 September 2011


ACTION MAYOR: Celia Wade-Brown had been camping out at Wellington Free Ambulance's new
triage centre in Courtenay Place on Friday night when three people began fighting across the road.
— Photo: The Dominion Post.

WELLINGTON Mayor Celia Wade-Brown got more than she bargained for while observing ambulance staff in the central city when she helped to break up a drunken fight.

Ms Wade-Brown had been camping out at Wellington Free Ambulance's new triage centre in Courtenay Place on Friday night when three people began fighting across the road.

"Me being me, I marched straight over there to see if anything needed doing. I don't know how much I helped," she said yesterday.

Ms Wade-Brown said the drunken brawlers were not in any state to recognise her but they did run off when she approached them. "What was amazing were the emergency services. It's never great to see a fight but I was impressed with their speedy response."

The rest of the night was uneventful and in general the mood was really good, she said.

"There's a few people who are drinking too much. It's only a minority of people getting themselves into trouble. But the majority are fine. A few people recognised me and said ‘Hi mayor’."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5646241/Mayor-helps-break-up-drunken-brawl

[Im2Sexy4MyPants]

Creepy picture
butt ugly tree hugger

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Mayor to visit UK for light rail ideas

By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | 3:35PM - Monday, 26 September 2011



WELLINGTON MAYOR Celia Wade-Brown is still backing light rail for the city and is planning a trip to Britain to look at cities that have a network.

She made the comment after a Greater Wellington regional council regional transport committee today about the $775,000 project Wellington Public Transport Spine Study.

Ms Wade-Brown said Wellington's centralised layout meant light rail could be an option but the study was in an early stage.

She planned to use a private trip to Britain later this year to look at some cities that had developed light rail, for example Nottingham, her old university town.

The project, from consultants Aecom, will recommend, but not decide the best options for the future of public transport in Wellington.

It is a joint initiative with Greater Wellington regional council, Wellington City Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

The study would focus on the best public transport options from Wellington's main railway station to its hospital in Newtown, regional council senior public transport planner Adam Lawrence said.

"It will definitely look at bus and light rail based options."

The study is part of the Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor Plan and its findings will feed into a review of that project in 2013.

It will look at examples of public transport from overseas and the public will be invited to make submissions.

Mayors at the meeting also took the chance to voice their concern at plans to cut road safety budgets.

Among those at this morning's meeting were Mr Leggett, Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan, Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy and Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5687015/Mayor-to-visit-UK-for-light-rail-ideas

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Another three years for the GREENIE Mayor of Wellington....


• John's gone as Celia celebrates

          (Dominion Post news story)

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

167 votes not much of a mandate lost the first preferences by 3300 How is STV fair No one wants their second or third choice what a nonsense
It was passed by 21%of Wellingtonians by Green lobbying

RIP Democracy

A mandate of considerably more than 2,000 over the nearest rival for her second term.

I'd call that a DEFINITE MANDATE, wouldn't you, BallastedMoth?

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

• Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown named one of world's best female mayors

[reality]

It would be impossible to be as bad a shaggar Brown...he has to be the worlds worst mayor...he is ruled by his insatiable  need to fuck anything that moves

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

...he is ruled by his insatiable  need to fuck anything that moves

Many men would see that as being an admirable trait.

[reality]

...oh most men have the trait....but they have worked out that there is a time and a place...other people in his situation would usually employ professionals....much more discreet 

[reality]

...how will this impact on kiwirail

KiwiRail loses Wellington commuter contract

1:20 PM Thursday Dec 17, 2015

Public Transport Rail Transport Wellington

Kiwirail has lost its bid to continue running Wellington's metro rail service.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council has announced Transdev Australasia, in association with Hyundai Rotem, will take over the contract next year.

The new contract is expected to start mid next year.

KiwiRail said the council's decision was disappointing.

Chief executive Peter Reidy said the company had "a very proud record" of operating passenger services in Wellington.

He said their joint venture with Keolis Downer was their strongest bid, and they would be examining the regional council's decision ahead of the final announcement next year.

- Newstalk ZB

[reality]

...By all accounts the Wellington mayor is very good..we need a mayor like her for Auckland...
..Kiwirail could have done without this...if in fact the deal does go through next year...just makes it harder for kiwirail's ongoing existance, if it's losses increase even further
...the new contractor may have trouble retaining staff as many wont want to be part of an offshore owned company if the profits are going overseas


French company adds Wellington trains to its deals in 19 countries
December 18, 20150 comments
by Jonathan Underhill for BusinessDesk
France’s Transdev SA has been named as preferred operator for Wellington’s metro rail service, adding to its Auckland contract and beating state-owned KiwiRail to a 15-year contract that generated $54 million in sales in 2015.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council will begin talks with Transdev to finalise terms of the contract, which is to start on July 1. Transdev partnered with Hyundai Rotem, the manufacturer of the region’s Matangi electric train fleet, to beat KiwiRail, which teamed up with Keolis Downer on a joint bid. Serco, best known in New Zealand for its state prison contracts, also tendered for the work.

KiwiRail said its joint venture with Keolis submitted “our strongest bid” and it would be examining the council’s decision ahead of final confirmation of the contract, expected in March.

The council’s decision “is disappointing for the company,” said KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy. Its Tranz Metro unit had lifted passenger volumes by 4 percent to 12 million in the latest year, delivered “high levels of customer satisfaction and on-time performance” and provided economic benefits to Wellington, he said.

Council chair Chris Laidlaw said the rail contract is “the first of all new, performance-based contracts for our train, bus and harbour ferry services.” The jobs of 400 Tranz Metro staff would be preserved as the contract required Transdev and Hyundai to offer them the same or better work, he said.

KiwiRail will continue to maintain and operate the track and signals in Wellington, as it does in Auckland, and will run the commuter rail service until the handover in July.

Tranz Metro generated a $4 million operating surplus in 2015, running 2,000 services a week linking the Hutt Valley, northern suburbs and Kapiti Coast with the central city. Its total operating surplus for 2015 was $91 million. It also operates the Wairarapa line and has been given government funding of $2.3 million for urgent upgrades to lift its performance.

Transdev operates rail, tram, bus services and ferries in 19 countries.