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?
So the Plant has been a walking disaster since 2021 and here we are in 2026 with shit pouring into the Cook Strait
A Disaster is never a single event but a series of events leading to the catastrophic failure.
Veolia should have their contract immediately terminated
A Disaster is never a single event but a series of events leading to the catastrophic failure.
Veolia should have their contract immediately terminated
'Environmental disaster': Moa Point plant’s compliance problems laid bare before sewage failure
Untreated sewage is now being piped just 5 metres offshore on the south coast.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 5, 2026 at 6:04 AM
So the Plant has been a walking disaster since 2021 and here we are in 2026 with shit pouring into the Cook Strait
A Disaster is never a single event but a series of events leading to the catastrophic failure.
Veolia should have their contract immediately terminated
A Disaster is never a single event but a series of events leading to the catastrophic failure.
Veolia should have their contract immediately terminated
Reposted by Ben Ross
I think a lot of my success in my city planning practice in North American cities is due to my international work, where I’ve learned/proven over the last 15 years that things I once might have considered impossible are just an evidence-based leadership decision fuelled by a different perspective.
February 5, 2026 at 5:49 AM
I think a lot of my success in my city planning practice in North American cities is due to my international work, where I’ve learned/proven over the last 15 years that things I once might have considered impossible are just an evidence-based leadership decision fuelled by a different perspective.
Reposted by Ben Ross
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an amended Planning Bill. This post looks at the basics of Public Welfare Supreme to bring you up to speed before immersing ourselves with my submission later on.
voakl.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
And why Grand Admiral Thrawn not the First Order was an absolute menace to the New Republic
If the SW Sequels were built around this speech of Thrawn's the New Republic would be on its knees and we get a Political Thriller
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ji...
If the SW Sequels were built around this speech of Thrawn's the New Republic would be on its knees and we get a Political Thriller
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ji...
Star Wars: This Thrawn Speech Can Change the Empire Forever
YouTube video by The Force Archives
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:07 AM
And why Grand Admiral Thrawn not the First Order was an absolute menace to the New Republic
If the SW Sequels were built around this speech of Thrawn's the New Republic would be on its knees and we get a Political Thriller
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ji...
If the SW Sequels were built around this speech of Thrawn's the New Republic would be on its knees and we get a Political Thriller
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ji...
The same Veolia also run the water services in the Papakura Local Board area
Screw up after Screw Up
Screw up after Screw Up
Reports lay bare criticisms of Veolia’s management of Wellington’s wastewater plants, but it was retained because of the high costs and risks in terminating the $170m contract.
Inside years of Wellington wastewater failures
Reports lay bare criticisms of Veolia’s management of Wellington’s wastewater plants, but it was retained because of the high costs and risks in terminating the $170m contract.
dlvr.it
February 5, 2026 at 2:05 AM
The same Veolia also run the water services in the Papakura Local Board area
Screw up after Screw Up
Screw up after Screw Up
Three to go at once usually means they either dont approve of the CE or the Board Chair
www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nzm...
www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nzm...
NZME launches independent review after sudden exits of three senior managers
A OneRoof manager allegedly made sexual remark to real estate agent during Fiji trip.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 5, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Three to go at once usually means they either dont approve of the CE or the Board Chair
www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nzm...
www.nzherald.co.nz/business/nzm...
Happens when Shane Jones sells NZ out to the US with minerals in return for nothing more than some scampi and XXX rated vids that Jones wont need to use the Ministerial Credit Card for this time
"Already someone is shouting "we've had enough."
"Did you bring any KFC?" another asked."
Things seem to be going well.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
"Did you bring any KFC?" another asked."
Things seem to be going well.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Waitangi live: Politicians including Hipkins, Seymour, Peters speak following welcome to Treaty Grounds
Christopher Luxon say it's a "tremendous privilege" to be back, while someone shouts "we've had enough".
www.rnz.co.nz
February 5, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Happens when Shane Jones sells NZ out to the US with minerals in return for nothing more than some scampi and XXX rated vids that Jones wont need to use the Ministerial Credit Card for this time
Makes the Bourne Ultimatum look like a 3 panel comic strip
It really is a sprawling web. Epstein seems to have been linked with multiple intelligence agencies.
![In the mid-1980s, Epstein traveled multiple times between the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.[41][42] While in London, Epstein met Steven Hoffenberg. They had been introduced through Douglas Leese, a defense contractor, and John Mitchell, the former US attorney general.[22] An anonymous source met with Epstein and Leese as early as 1981.[43] Epstein also stated to some people at the time that he was a CIA intelligence agent.[44] Epstein associate Hoffenberg in 2020 alleged that Epstein was recruited in the 1980s by Leese to work for British intelligence[citation needed], and that Hoffenberg introduced Epstein to Robert Maxwell.[43]
During the 1980s, Epstein possessed an Austrian passport that had his photo, but with a false name. The passport showed his place of residence as Saudi Arabia.[41][42] In 2017, "a former senior White House official" reported that Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida who had handled Epstein's criminal case at the end of the George W. Bush administration, had stated to interviewers of President Donald Trump's first transition team: "I was told Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and to 'leave it alone'", and that Epstein was "above his pay grade."[45][46]
During this period, one of Epstein's clients was the Saudi Arabian businessman Adnan Khashoggi,[47] who was the middleman in transferring American weapons from Israel to Iran as part of the Iran–Contra affair in the 1980s.[48] Khashoggi had been introduced to him by Leese.[43] Khashoggi was one of several defense contractors that he knew.[22][44]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kktrm6ru2hwep5yhexesudt7/bafkreidgk7indo4jgjsv7lpzxsm7zogg3p42qyb3wxghsn2cgzg62t3aiq@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Makes the Bourne Ultimatum look like a 3 panel comic strip
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an amended Planning Bill. This post looks at the basics of Public Welfare Supreme to bring you up to speed before immersing ourselves with my submission later on.
voakl.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Public Welfare Supreme: an Introduction to the Concept that should guide the Planning Act
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
What is Public Welfare Supreme and why is it the cornerstone of my submission My submission which I will be sharing into the blog as a series will make mention of Public Welfare Supreme as a core tenant of an…
Ratings Agencies know more than NACT1
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/04/g...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/04/g...
Global credit agencies warn against council rates cap
'Be careful what you wish for': rates cap could increase council costs, the opposite effect to what's intended. Jonathan Milne reports.
newsroom.co.nz
February 4, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Ratings Agencies know more than NACT1
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/04/g...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/04/g...
👇
And us Policy Planners will just place it on your LIM per law anyway
And us Policy Planners will just place it on your LIM per law anyway
This is what gets my goat about people who fight hazard info on local govt records “but my property value / insurance bill!” The insurers know already and are pricing accordingly whether it’s on your LIM or not.
February 4, 2026 at 11:41 PM
👇
And us Policy Planners will just place it on your LIM per law anyway
And us Policy Planners will just place it on your LIM per law anyway
Least surprising news from that department
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellingto...
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellingto...
Wellington's deputy mayor censured after calling member of public a 'nonce'
The mayor ruled he breached standards by effectively calling someone a paedophile.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 4, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Least surprising news from that department
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellingto...
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellingto...
Can't believe my submission actually calls for stronger protections of our beloved rural sector (while still enhancing our urban sector) in the Planning Bill, than what Bishop has proposed (spatial and policy wise, not consenting)
youtu.be/HpR5JZ_F55k
youtu.be/HpR5JZ_F55k
Aotearoa's Rural Reboot - A Submission Extract | #urbanplanning
YouTube video by Palpatine001
youtu.be
February 4, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Can't believe my submission actually calls for stronger protections of our beloved rural sector (while still enhancing our urban sector) in the Planning Bill, than what Bishop has proposed (spatial and policy wise, not consenting)
youtu.be/HpR5JZ_F55k
youtu.be/HpR5JZ_F55k
How the fuck did this even happen?
No one in Wellington Water should be having a job after that one
Omnishambles would be me being very polite
No one in Wellington Water should be having a job after that one
Omnishambles would be me being very polite
Wellington Water totally trashes its treatment plant. How do these people still have jobs?
Watch: 'Catastrophic' sewage plant failure happened during remedial work - and it's still going into sea
'We're in a bad way,' said city's water boss, describing the situation as 90/100.
www.nzherald.co.nz
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 PM
How the fuck did this even happen?
No one in Wellington Water should be having a job after that one
Omnishambles would be me being very polite
No one in Wellington Water should be having a job after that one
Omnishambles would be me being very polite
Yeah confirmed: my submission to the Planning Bill is in fact a 132 page shitpost
The Japanese magna vids I got the AI to generate as summary videos just add to the shitpost
The Japanese magna vids I got the AI to generate as summary videos just add to the shitpost
Either I have written a very comprehensive submission on Bishop's Planning Bill, or I have produced a 132 page shitpost backed by a 1 hour long video shitpost, shitposting his reforms.
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court
February 4, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Yeah confirmed: my submission to the Planning Bill is in fact a 132 page shitpost
The Japanese magna vids I got the AI to generate as summary videos just add to the shitpost
The Japanese magna vids I got the AI to generate as summary videos just add to the shitpost
Nope
Too tribal to think otherwise and even if they did they still vote National to own the libs
Too tribal to think otherwise and even if they did they still vote National to own the libs
One day the penny will drop with National voters. #nzpol
1 vote for National to inflate property values
2 national do absolutely nothing about climate change
3 insurers pull out of worsening climate change flood risk areas
4 property values plummet
5 go to 1
1 vote for National to inflate property values
2 national do absolutely nothing about climate change
3 insurers pull out of worsening climate change flood risk areas
4 property values plummet
5 go to 1
February 4, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Nope
Too tribal to think otherwise and even if they did they still vote National to own the libs
Too tribal to think otherwise and even if they did they still vote National to own the libs
And the Bank Economists on LinkedIn looking as stupid as ever
Chorus out: The Government is hoping voters will 'feel' economic recovery by Nov 7 as 'green shoots' appear (again), but election year has begun with falling house prices, unemployment rising to a 10-year high and real wages deflating. #nzpol thekaka.substack.com/p/election-y...
Election year begins with house prices falling & joblessness rising
Govt hoping voters will 'feel' economic recovery by Nov 7 as 'green shoots' appear (again), but year begins with falling house prices, unemployment rising to 10-year high and real wages deflating
thekaka.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:46 PM
And the Bank Economists on LinkedIn looking as stupid as ever
Reposted by Ben Ross
The 7 minute short version summarising the 132 page shitpost against Bishop's Planning Bill
Public Welfare Supreme into the Planning Bill? Meaning what? With the Japanese concept woven through all my 132 page submission on the Bill it is time to have a cursory look at how I interwoven it and what would it mean if carried through into the Planning Act
youtu.be/rnrldroOo-o
youtu.be/rnrldroOo-o
Public Welfare Supreme: Aotearoa's Planning Upgrade | #urbanplanning
YouTube video by Palpatine001
youtu.be
February 4, 2026 at 6:51 AM
The 7 minute short version summarising the 132 page shitpost against Bishop's Planning Bill
Reposted by Ben Ross
Simeon is a Grade A Prize 🤡
Just another disaster day in the National marketing lab....
February 4, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Simeon is a Grade A Prize 🤡
Number 3 child who is 6 going 7 has just told us rather empathically we need to go to Waitangi for Waitangi Day
Right better get the planning set up for next year
Right better get the planning set up for next year
February 4, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Number 3 child who is 6 going 7 has just told us rather empathically we need to go to Waitangi for Waitangi Day
Right better get the planning set up for next year
Right better get the planning set up for next year
The 7 minute short version summarising the 132 page shitpost against Bishop's Planning Bill
Public Welfare Supreme into the Planning Bill? Meaning what? With the Japanese concept woven through all my 132 page submission on the Bill it is time to have a cursory look at how I interwoven it and what would it mean if carried through into the Planning Act
youtu.be/rnrldroOo-o
youtu.be/rnrldroOo-o
Public Welfare Supreme: Aotearoa's Planning Upgrade | #urbanplanning
YouTube video by Palpatine001
youtu.be
February 4, 2026 at 6:51 AM
The 7 minute short version summarising the 132 page shitpost against Bishop's Planning Bill
Either I have written a very comprehensive submission on Bishop's Planning Bill, or I have produced a 132 page shitpost backed by a 1 hour long video shitpost, shitposting his reforms.
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court
February 4, 2026 at 6:13 AM
Either I have written a very comprehensive submission on Bishop's Planning Bill, or I have produced a 132 page shitpost backed by a 1 hour long video shitpost, shitposting his reforms.
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court
Public Welfare Supreme over "enjoyment of land" is going to be absolute rage-bait for him and Simon Court