Auckland this week got its long-awaited council valuations.
Why people get excited about them, I have no idea.
It's a rough guesstimate by a council. It takes into account the broadest of criteria, but people seem to live and die by them.
The upset of course has come from the fact that the value of a lot of properties has dropped, while the rates bill is going up. So we get the cost-plus-accounting scandal that is council economic policy exposed.
This is happening all over the country and it's a specific and broad-based problem. It's broad-based because it's inflationary and it's specific because depending on where you are depends on how bad the scandal is.
Auckland properties are down 9% while rates are up over 7%.
In Wellington values are down 24% and rates are up 16%.
Nelson values are down 9% and rates are up 6%, so this whole idea that rates are linked to value is of course complete crap and always has been.
In short, councils are inept and will spend forever, will waste your money forever, will plead poverty forever and will always find something that is critical and needs doing now.
For example, Christchurch got shafted last week by Chris Bishop, when the council rejected the Government's intensification plan.
The council didn’t like it, spent three years and millions of dollars to go back and forward and to achieve what? Nothing. That's council for you.
As Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said, "it is what it is". He's right because he knows a couple of home truths; no one is turning up for local body elections, so very few people will be held to account, and he also knows a lot of people will moan but ultimately do nothing about it.
If ever there was a reason to get exercised over the way we are being played, this is it.
Your asset has dropped but the bill is up. The bill, in theory, is based on the asset value. Nowhere else in life is this scam played and gotten away with, apart from local body politics.
We have too many councils, too much representation, too many boards, too much incompetence, and every year the bill for it rises.
Democracy only works if you take part.
What better reason can there be this year than to get your voting paper, look at the value of your property, look at your rate rise, put a name to the con and vote them out.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
This is happening all over the country and it's a specific and broad-based problem. It's broad-based because it's inflationary and it's specific because depending on where you are depends on how bad the scandal is.
Auckland properties are down 9% while rates are up over 7%.
In Wellington values are down 24% and rates are up 16%.
Nelson values are down 9% and rates are up 6%, so this whole idea that rates are linked to value is of course complete crap and always has been.
In short, councils are inept and will spend forever, will waste your money forever, will plead poverty forever and will always find something that is critical and needs doing now.
For example, Christchurch got shafted last week by Chris Bishop, when the council rejected the Government's intensification plan.
The council didn’t like it, spent three years and millions of dollars to go back and forward and to achieve what? Nothing. That's council for you.
As Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said, "it is what it is". He's right because he knows a couple of home truths; no one is turning up for local body elections, so very few people will be held to account, and he also knows a lot of people will moan but ultimately do nothing about it.
If ever there was a reason to get exercised over the way we are being played, this is it.
Your asset has dropped but the bill is up. The bill, in theory, is based on the asset value. Nowhere else in life is this scam played and gotten away with, apart from local body politics.
We have too many councils, too much representation, too many boards, too much incompetence, and every year the bill for it rises.
Democracy only works if you take part.
What better reason can there be this year than to get your voting paper, look at the value of your property, look at your rate rise, put a name to the con and vote them out.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
TV ads encouraging Maori to vote in the 2025 local elections have now begun.
Well said Mike but I wouldn’t hold my breath for the next election. The council model no longer works if it ever did in the first place. Community boards nominate their representatives to become councillors. Are they nominated for their financial skills to manage the city’s billions of dollars prudently? Not on your Nelly. These people are seen as loyal representatives of their community boards serving their time on community issues. Business acumen has never been a consideration and more times than not, ride under the banner of People Choice (as in Chch) representing the Labour Party and their delusional ideology. The minister for local govt is one Simon Watts who also masquerades as Chief Climate Alarmist. It is highly unlikely that he would offer enlightened thought towards scrapping the current structure and replacing it with a sensible solution. So Mike, elections come and elections go but nothing changes and the rates continue to rise.
So funny. NZ cannot manage its money, spends on junk projects like there is no tomorrow and expects it's small population and hollowed out economy to support ridiculous house prices. Better life investment to be exploit the benefits system. And don't forget the rates go to pay the councillors, the council employees and bludger consultants who of course are essential given the general incompetence of every one else.
Sad that even a clever bloke like you doesn't get how the rating system works Mike. So come on. Give us a better way of extracting money from the people to pay the city's bills. I know. Let's introduce a Poll Tax. Maggie Thatcher couldn't get it to work but hey, Kiwis can beat the Poms at their own game any time.
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