Key to Eden Park

This posting is about the latest events in Auckland during the last few days

1. John Key as National Party Leader:
After the resignation of Don Brash, the National Party has elected John Key as leader. As they say in England, 'The King is Dead, Long live the King'. John Key has Bill English as his deputy. How really English all this sounds!!!!

Brash was not brash enough and lost the post because of his wobbly stands and wobbly reputation (not very forthcoming on certain issues) and not sounding firm on others. Though he concentrated the minds of New Zealanders admirably by raising the Maori/Nationality/Resources ownership issues.

The National Party has now replaced an ex-Central Banker with an ex-Investment Banker as its leader. Let us hope the Investment Banker reads the minds of the market (public mood) properly and is agile enough to make the most of the prevailing winds. Who knows, if he brings his dealing acumen to politics (already there is a glimpse of it in how he co-opted Bill English), the National Party may go up in the ratings and the Labour may have a real fight (instead of the shadow boxing it engaged in with Don Brash) and it will be interesting times all around.

I am sure the Media must be salivating at the potential and profits in the days ahead.
Best of luck to all.

A way to fund Eden Park:
Now that the Waterfront has sunk even before it started floating (anything to do with the global warming and rising sea levels?), it is time to reflect how the Eden Park upgrade is going to be funded. As of date, the declared shortfall is about $225 million and it may go up as days go by and real work starts on the plans.

I have a suggestion. Why not make Eden Park Trust a Public Limited Company and float shares or debentures and give an opportunity to Aucklanders to subscribe to the same. This way the people who voted in the polls for Eden Park can put their money where they put their votes and also show that they are willing to take the lead for establlishing Auckland as an International World-class city. There is already the example of AECT (Vector) which is partly owned by countless Aucklanders who are benefitting every year from dividends. Aucklanders don't want a rate raise to fund Eden Park upgrade but those who can afford may take up the opportunity to buy their way into ownership of Eden Park. And may be the Eden Park Trust can throw in an incentive of preferred/free tickets to the Rugby World Cup finals to the subscribers of shares/bonds.
Will the authorities look into this ?


Waterfront development:
Thanks to Trevor Mallard, the Auckland waterfront has gripped everyone's attention now. It is a good time to think of ways to develop/improve it and the opportunity should not be lost to continue the debate and learn what Aucklanders really want for their Waterfront. It is a waste to continue using it for just storing containers and used cars.

There has to be an iconic building and a combination concert hall, events venue and museum on the waterfront. May be we can draw on the experiences of similar cities like Sydney, Bilbao etc and get ideas from Kiwis all over the world. A construction and development boom is necessary for the waterfront/CBD to be revived.

The Central Government has a big surplus, but as long as Labour is in power, nothing is going to come back to ordinary citizens. Why not use the surplus to promote economic development at the Waterfront and benefit many people?

I know these questions are easy to ask but tough to decide on. But that is why we pay the elected members top dollors and that is one of the Key Performance Areas in their work.

So I am hoping Key will raise to the occasion and and labour hard with the Visionaries in New Zealand to do his duty.

Long live English and the King.