Ben Ross
@benakl.bsky.social
Spatial and Policy Planner
Resident of South Auckland
Cities Skylines Player and Snob
Resident of South Auckland
Cities Skylines Player and Snob
Pinned
Ben Ross
@benakl.bsky.social
· Dec 26
2025 was indeed even busier fighting for evidence based policy over fact free reckons.
Wonder what 2026 will bring?
Wonder what 2026 will bring?
Shane Jones letting one rip?
February 3, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Shane Jones letting one rip?
Reposted by Ben Ross
The green shoots in question.
a blurred image of a desert landscape with trees and bushes
Alt: a blurred image of a desert landscape with trees and bushes and a tumbleweed rolling through.
AKA: The New Zealand economy.
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:07 PM
The green shoots in question.
Unemployment is up with more firms still liquidating and people heading to Australia at record levels
Green shoots never happened and the media parroted it on is dereliction of duty
Green shoots never happened and the media parroted it on is dereliction of duty
February 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Unemployment is up with more firms still liquidating and people heading to Australia at record levels
Green shoots never happened and the media parroted it on is dereliction of duty
Green shoots never happened and the media parroted it on is dereliction of duty
Feckless being very polite
Ah, my Listener column about the government's feckless attitude to climate change is now online. www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener...
Russell Brown: After recent events, will our government talk honestly about climate change?
One policy after another, our response to climate problems is weakening.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Feckless being very polite
News I was not expecting this morning: Government backs Nuclear Fusion research.
And yes it is the firm down in Wellington
$35m also a fair whack as well
And yes it is the firm down in Wellington
$35m also a fair whack as well
A new release is available from Hon Shane Jones.
Government backs fusion energy research
The Government is investing up to $35 million through the Regional Infrastructure Fund to help local start-up OpenStar Technologies position New Zealand at the forefront of the global research into fusion energy
www.beehive.govt.nz
February 3, 2026 at 8:22 PM
News I was not expecting this morning: Government backs Nuclear Fusion research.
And yes it is the firm down in Wellington
$35m also a fair whack as well
And yes it is the firm down in Wellington
$35m also a fair whack as well
Oh (Admiral) Ice Man what did you do....
February 3, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Oh (Admiral) Ice Man what did you do....
In news that should not surprise anyone, our mate Bishop has done a very critical cock up with his Planning Reforms
Im in full flight having convos with consent planenrs and this business about making everything a Permitted Activity to hand wave through Land use Planning might not actually exist
Im in full flight having convos with consent planenrs and this business about making everything a Permitted Activity to hand wave through Land use Planning might not actually exist
February 3, 2026 at 8:04 PM
In news that should not surprise anyone, our mate Bishop has done a very critical cock up with his Planning Reforms
Im in full flight having convos with consent planenrs and this business about making everything a Permitted Activity to hand wave through Land use Planning might not actually exist
Im in full flight having convos with consent planenrs and this business about making everything a Permitted Activity to hand wave through Land use Planning might not actually exist
Opposite is truth maxim applies
Insurer's block on new policies not 'a tipping point' for NZ customers - Insurance Council
Insurer's block on new policies not 'a tipping point' for NZ customers - Insurance Council
The Insurance Council says although one insurer has stopped offering home policies in some South Island towns, it's not an industry-wide issue.
www.rnz.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Opposite is truth maxim applies
That concludes my Ben Does Planning series as I transition over to the Planning Reforms itself, and finalise my comprehensive submission on it
I will blog on my submission once it is submitted to the Select Committee
The series can be found at voakl.net
I will blog on my submission once it is submitted to the Select Committee
The series can be found at voakl.net
February 3, 2026 at 7:49 PM
That concludes my Ben Does Planning series as I transition over to the Planning Reforms itself, and finalise my comprehensive submission on it
I will blog on my submission once it is submitted to the Select Committee
The series can be found at voakl.net
I will blog on my submission once it is submitted to the Select Committee
The series can be found at voakl.net
Reposted by Ben Ross
In today’s NZ Herald
February 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
In today’s NZ Herald
You, National and Act might not believe in Climate Change but your Insurance Company certainly does. And with National through Simon Watts saying Government Bail Outs if a 1% AEP Flooding Event hits it seems a lot of Kiwis and their Property in Red Line Natural Hazard Areas are in trouble
Major insurer declines new home insurance policies for Blenheim
Several South Island towns were already on a list of areas AA won't issue new policies for.
www.rnz.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 7:13 PM
You, National and Act might not believe in Climate Change but your Insurance Company certainly does. And with National through Simon Watts saying Government Bail Outs if a 1% AEP Flooding Event hits it seems a lot of Kiwis and their Property in Red Line Natural Hazard Areas are in trouble
Reposted by Ben Ross
Down to the business end of the Planning Bill submission
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
February 3, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Down to the business end of the Planning Bill submission
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
Evidenced based policy my arse from Luxon and National
February 3, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Evidenced based policy my arse from Luxon and National
Reposted by Ben Ross
Know someone at AT who was laid off in the "cost-cutting"/efficiency drive then immediately taken on again as a consultant. They were involved in remediation work following the January 2023 flooding www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland/...
'We hire when the work is there': Wayne Brown defends surge in Auckland Council consultant costs
Brown's mayoral office spent $2.5m on consultants, versus Phil Goff's $4110.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Know someone at AT who was laid off in the "cost-cutting"/efficiency drive then immediately taken on again as a consultant. They were involved in remediation work following the January 2023 flooding www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland/...
Ben Goes Planning Part 10: Entry to the Planning Bill, and the National Standardised Zones
Will the Planning Bill and Standardised Zones represent a new way forward? For the past month I have been running a Ben Goes Planning series covering all sorts of urban interventions that could be done to…
Will the Planning Bill and Standardised Zones represent a new way forward? For the past month I have been running a Ben Goes Planning series covering all sorts of urban interventions that could be done to…
Ben Goes Planning Part 10: Entry to the Planning Bill, and the National Standardised Zones
Will the Planning Bill and Standardised Zones represent a new way forward? For the past month I have been running a Ben Goes Planning series covering all sorts of urban interventions that could be done to make cities, towns, metropolitan centres, and suburban areas places for people rather than cars. Through the series there has been an underlying theme lurking all the way through it.
voakl.net
February 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Ben Goes Planning Part 10: Entry to the Planning Bill, and the National Standardised Zones
Will the Planning Bill and Standardised Zones represent a new way forward? For the past month I have been running a Ben Goes Planning series covering all sorts of urban interventions that could be done to…
Will the Planning Bill and Standardised Zones represent a new way forward? For the past month I have been running a Ben Goes Planning series covering all sorts of urban interventions that could be done to…
Stone the flaming crows mate
I forget how many Australian idioms I use. All. The. Time.
February 3, 2026 at 6:28 AM
Stone the flaming crows mate
Down to the business end of the Planning Bill submission
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
February 3, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Down to the business end of the Planning Bill submission
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
Writing the amended clauses to the Bill itself.
Should be able to send it off to the Select Committee on Monday
Also included is the Public Welfare Supreme Model
And how the Bill would work in every day urban life in this example
In which Mayor Wayne Brown runs circles around Ryan Bridge
Before he then dons his Rates Cap and heads off to Auckland Council to chair the Governing Body
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbns...
Before he then dons his Rates Cap and heads off to Auckland Council to chair the Governing Body
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbns...
Is Central Auckland on life support? Mayor Wayne Brown responds | Herald NOW
YouTube video by nzherald.co.nz
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:41 AM
In which Mayor Wayne Brown runs circles around Ryan Bridge
Before he then dons his Rates Cap and heads off to Auckland Council to chair the Governing Body
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbns...
Before he then dons his Rates Cap and heads off to Auckland Council to chair the Governing Body
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbns...
Imagine if German Conservatives did this in 1932 and 1933 with the Social Democrats....
Portugal’s conservatives back left-wing candidate to avoid a far-right president
Center-right leaders are taking pains to publicly reject the ultranationalist contender ahead of the country’s Feb. 8 vote.
www.politico.eu/article/port...
Center-right leaders are taking pains to publicly reject the ultranationalist contender ahead of the country’s Feb. 8 vote.
www.politico.eu/article/port...
Portugal’s conservatives back left-wing candidate to avoid a far-right president
Center-right leaders are taking pains to publicly reject the ultranationalist contender ahead of the country’s Feb. 8 vote.
www.politico.eu
February 3, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Imagine if German Conservatives did this in 1932 and 1933 with the Social Democrats....
Reposted by Ben Ross
Replacing the Clause 4 of the Planning Bill around the enjoyment of private property rights and land with the Public Welfare Supreme Mantra is the key crux to my submission
Yes Public Welfare Supreme is right out the Japan Land Use Law Act 1974
Same system Bishop wants to emulate
Yes Public Welfare Supreme is right out the Japan Land Use Law Act 1974
Same system Bishop wants to emulate
February 2, 2026 at 9:02 AM
Replacing the Clause 4 of the Planning Bill around the enjoyment of private property rights and land with the Public Welfare Supreme Mantra is the key crux to my submission
Yes Public Welfare Supreme is right out the Japan Land Use Law Act 1974
Same system Bishop wants to emulate
Yes Public Welfare Supreme is right out the Japan Land Use Law Act 1974
Same system Bishop wants to emulate
Now we are cooking with err renewable power (or dung beetle poo)
Good to see some get the memo: "We are stronger together as a country" - Green Party & Labour leaders #nzpol #kiwi
Labour & Green Leaders: "Coming together as a country is important"
YouTube video by Mountain Tui
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:47 AM
Now we are cooking with err renewable power (or dung beetle poo)
Will get blog posts going on this once the submission is complete and sent to the Ministry
Well fuck given it is that effective
From my end with my Submission to the Planning Bill, and the Post Planning Act Design Manual
From my end with my Submission to the Planning Bill, and the Post Planning Act Design Manual
February 3, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Will get blog posts going on this once the submission is complete and sent to the Ministry
Remember Willis has wiped $28.8b off GDP since 2023
That is all you need to know
That is all you need to know
Actually I don’t really give a flying fuck what Willis has to say about anything, @stuff.co.nz
Labour and Greens team up - beware ‘radical tax increases and chaos’, says Willis
The Green and Labour parties are expected to hold a rare joint press conference as a show of “unity” in Waitangi.
www.stuff.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Remember Willis has wiped $28.8b off GDP since 2023
That is all you need to know
That is all you need to know
Despite TPM's current issues, that gives somewhat a free hand in that particular seat
February 3, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Despite TPM's current issues, that gives somewhat a free hand in that particular seat
Mineral Talks in NZ?
Fuck they found the natural occurring Plutonium just south of Nelson
Yes Plutonium can naturally occur (in very small amounts)
Fuck they found the natural occurring Plutonium just south of Nelson
Yes Plutonium can naturally occur (in very small amounts)
February 3, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Mineral Talks in NZ?
Fuck they found the natural occurring Plutonium just south of Nelson
Yes Plutonium can naturally occur (in very small amounts)
Fuck they found the natural occurring Plutonium just south of Nelson
Yes Plutonium can naturally occur (in very small amounts)