At Over the Rainbow fundraiser for Aotearoa’s longest running Pride festival with host with the most @jeremybaker.nz and @geordierogers.co.nz @wellingtonpride.bsky.social
Rebecca Matthews
@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social
Councillor for Wharangi Ward, Te Kaunihera o Pōneke. Authorised by Miriam Ross, Level 5, 108 The Terrace, Wellington.
But Lambton Quay can't be closed to general traffic because .....?
Qagggy!@qagggy.bsky.social · 2w agoOxford Street will be pedestrianized on October 26th with permanent elements to be completed next year. Here are the first renderings.
Boom! 🚇 The City Rail Link is already helping make Auckland city centre into a 7-day city: Saturday 9pm ridership is now equivalent to pre CRL midday ridership 💥. Next month night frequencies are improving too, and getting a little later on Friday and Saturday nights, a good start. More please!
The mayor just moved an amendment that guts Brooklyn cycleway including introducing a clearway for part of the route. I argued strongly against largely on the impact of women and young people who are more likely to travel outside peak and be more safety conscious. Sadly it passed
Zealandia today. Got some great shots (those tieke and tui ones in particular). *Lots* of kaka around the place. Part of it is spring, but I also think taking the feeders away mean they are more widely distributed across the valley.
The cost of capping rates sooner than required (as some at WCC are pushing) is a reduced ability to borrow to repair our already failing infrastructure. I’m yet to see an argument to justify the rush to meet a rates cap before we have to www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610...
Andrew Little: Tough decisions are coming
The council will soon find out how much it has to save to comply with the proposed rates cap. Andrew Little will be asking Wellingtonians what council should focus on over the coming decade.
thepost.co.nz
Today confirmed that we have gone from $60 million government co-funding for the Golden Mile to an assumption of $0 government co-funding for its replacement
whipping themselves into a frenzy about a part time bus lane that will make everyone's bus trips faster and benefit the many people who want to go to te papa, takina, the waterfront the many office buildings on the quays. They don't understand city geometry
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · last mo.Aucklanders, celebrating public transport transformation. Meanwhile, in Wellington over new bus lanes
Aucklanders, celebrating public transport transformation. Meanwhile, in Wellington over new bus lanes
Wellington has gone backwards cause decisionmakers are opposed to absolutely everything that means cars having to share space with other road users.This bus lane is so tame(2 lanes of a 6 lane road, not even operating all day!) And obvious to anyone who catches a bus on lambton quay that it's needed
Rebecca Matthews@rebeccamatthews.bsky.social · last mo.While Auckland celebrates the opening of the City Rail Link, Wellington will be having a fight about whether to do more bus lanes. Better things are possible, but the same people try to make them feel impossible.
While Auckland celebrates the opening of the City Rail Link, Wellington will be having a fight about whether to do more bus lanes. Better things are possible, but the same people try to make them feel impossible.
Be aware: there is often misinformation shared about abortion law at election times. Really good debunking of ridiculous claims by Penfold. Sadly these are the same lies we see time after time. While I don't support NZF's referendum policy, public support has been pro-choice for years.
Paula Penfold@paulapenfold.bsky.social · last mo.I asked Elizabeth Mundt for an interview. She did not respond. Instead, she put a video on Facebook describing me as the "lady" who did the Fire and Fury documentary and that I am "probably not the person" she wanted interviewing her about abortion.
National should just admit it wants to turn councils into the Department of Parks and Pipes
National should just admit it wants to turn councils into the Department of Parks and Pipes
Rates caps are the latest in a series of anti-democratic policies from a party that once claimed to support localism and devolution....
thespinoff.co.nz
Rates caps works on a wonderful understanding of the internal psychology of the angriest ratepayers in the country who think councils waste money on things for "other people" which is everything they do not use, understand, know about, or like personally.
Last term we looked at closing a community centre, a pool and sell airport shares amongst other savings. Local MPs of various stripes, including Labour & National, intervened to save these. They might want to cap rates but are the first to try and stop us doing what that requires.
In April this year Luxon literally signed an agreement w Auckland Council to “explore an accommodation levy in 2027”. Today Luxon announced he won’t be doing that. Which promise will he break - the one to Auckland in April or the one on the hustings today? Because he can’t keep both.
So Andy Foster, on the council for 30 years AND part of the government that passed water legislation and signed off on Tiaki Wai, thinks Wellington’s water issues are everybody else’s fault????
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but greater turnout in Wellington local body elections would almost certainly lead to greater support for things like bike lanes and more “woke lefties” like myself getting voted in
Shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of my colleague Cr Tony Randle. My thoughts go out to his family and friends at this very sad time.
Very upset to hear that we have lost our dear Krystle Field. So sad to say goodbye to a real one at such a young age. You will be sorely missed ❤️
I want to thank @patrickmorgan.bsky.social for all his work and for standing up to Better Wellington who did and said a lot of terrible things (including about me). There needs to be consequences for online threats and abuse. www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610...
The cyclist who fought back against online threats
“I have a certain public profile in Wellington, people know who I am... I'm riding a bicycle on the street every day. It wouldn't be hard for someone to feel they have the licence to harm me.”
thepost.co.nz
Been involved in two winning MMP referendum campaigns. Don’t want to go again, but if I have to, confident we can win again.
News of WCC job cuts is troubling to me, and people clinging to a dubious Deloitte report to justify them. Greens including me voted against some of the cuts - eg cycleways and climate change. Instead I put up cuts to consultant budgets. The rates pressure is real but job cuts hurt us all too.
I did a podcast! With Miriam Moore! Thanks to Gabi and everyone who makes the fantastic women in urbanist podcast Crosswalks and Crosstalks happen. Listen to us here here pod.link/1881146170/e...
Women in Politics with Rebecca Matthews and Miriam Moore
Listen to Women in Politics with Rebecca Matthews and Miriam Moore from Crosswalks & Crosstalks wherever you get your podcasts!
pod.link
Seen complaints about cost of art on strengthening retaining wall on Chaytor St Karori as proof of council waste? WCC share of art work just over $18k. Nothing to see here, except nice etching on a stronger wall.