There's little doubt there's unnecessary spend at the Transport Agency. 

The Transport Minister's called NZTA's costs eye-watering and excessive, after revealing a near $800 million spend over the past three years. 

That went to road cones, traffic management, state highway maintenance, and capital works. 

Temporary Traffic Management Chair Dave Tilton told Ryan Bridge he believes it's a systemic issue around how much temporary traffic management is deployed. 

He says it's a prescriptive system, which doesn't give room for site-specific considerations. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

There's little doubt there's unnecessary spend at the Transport Agency.&nbsp;
The Transport Minister's called NZTA's costs eye-watering and excessive, after revealing a near $800 million spend over the past three years.&nbsp;
That went to road cones, traffic management, state highway maintenance, and capital works.&nbsp;
Temporary Traffic Management Chair Dave Tilton told Ryan Bridge he believes it's a systemic issue around how much temporary traffic management is deployed.&nbsp;
He says it's a prescriptive system, which doesn't give room for site-specific considerations.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

A fresh and intelligent start to your day - catch the very latest international and domestic news developments, sport, entertainment and business on Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, on Newstalk ZB.

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Dave Tilton: Temporary Traffic Management Chair on NZ Transport's $800 million spend

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/558710ea-802a-4ce9-aeb3-b22e015bc57b/transcript

New Zealand is bracing for a high stakes poker game, preparing for Donald Trump’s tariffs to be introduced. 

The US Business Summit is taking place in Auckland, and Trump is set to be a significant talking point. 

NZ Inc Managing Director Fran O’Sullivan told Ryan Bridge that there’s likely to be an element of negotiation when it comes to the implementation of tariffs. 

She says that Trump’s selection for Commerce Secretary has suggested that there won’t be blanket tariffs, but the idea is to get manufacturing back into the US. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

New Zealand is bracing for a high stakes poker game, preparing for Donald Trump’s tariffs to be introduced.&nbsp;
The US Business Summit is taking place in Auckland, and Trump is set to be a significant talking point.&nbsp;
NZ Inc Managing Director Fran O’Sullivan told Ryan Bridge that there’s likely to be an element of negotiation when it comes to the implementation of tariffs.&nbsp;
She says that Trump’s selection for Commerce Secretary has suggested that there won’t be blanket tariffs, but the idea is to get manufacturing back into the US.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Fran O'Sullivan: NZ Inc Managing Director on the US Business Summit, tariffs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/58b63628-ea82-4e7c-8343-b22f0161a71e/transcript

Councils are putting a range of ideas on the table to raise revenue, as they push back against the idea of a cap on rates rises. 

Rates shot up by an average of 15% this year. 

Local Government New Zealand is proposing a range of options from civil defence levies to accommodation levies. 

Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams told Ryan Bridge some of the options, like congestion charging, won't work for their district. 

He says that's why a vast range of solutions is important. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

Councils are putting a range of ideas on the table to raise revenue, as they push back against the idea of a cap on rates rises.&nbsp;
Rates shot up by an average of 15% this year.&nbsp;
Local Government New Zealand is proposing a range of options from civil defence levies to accommodation levies.&nbsp;
Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams told Ryan Bridge some of the options, like congestion charging, won't work for their district.&nbsp;
He says that's why a vast range of solutions is important.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Toby Adams: Hauraki District Mayor on the need for more ways to raise revenue for councils

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/87205016-6051-48e2-a3e3-b22f015ad4a3/transcript

Almost 70% of cops want to be armed, and I say who the hell are we to get in their way? 

The new Commissioner has come in, and he's been more gung ho on this idea of regular arming of our police force than any of his predecessors. 

The fact is they're on the front line, aren't they? 

Last year, there was a 9% increase in tactical operations interactions – that means basically the bad ones. That's up to more than 7000. The number of cops physically attacked doubled from 2022 to 2023. 

It's dangerous. 

We're not the ones going out on the streets, are we? 

We're tucked up in bed with moral superiority saying, no, we don't like the idea of you guys being armed. I prefer you pull the gang member over, please. Take your chances. 

It's a little bit sanctimonious from us, don't you think? 

If they feel it would make their situation safer, then I trust them to make that call. 

Of course, you'll always have mistakes, and chaos prior to the shooting clearly shouldn't have happened, and they say they're working further at training etcetera to make that all better.  

But we can't sit here tucked up on our beds at night, all judgey, when we're not the ones out there in the dead of the night facing more violence, guns, and crime. 

Almost 70% of cops want to be armed, and I say who the hell are we to get in their way?&nbsp;
The new Commissioner has come in, and he's been more gung ho on this idea of regular arming of our police force than any of his predecessors.&nbsp;
The fact is they're on the front line, aren't they?&nbsp;
Last year, there was a 9% increase in tactical operations interactions – that means basically the bad ones. That's up to more than 7000. The number of cops physically attacked doubled from 2022 to 2023.&nbsp;
It's dangerous.&nbsp;
We're not the ones going out on the streets, are we?&nbsp;
We're tucked up in bed with moral superiority saying, no, we don't like the idea of you guys being armed. I prefer you pull the gang member over, please. Take your chances.&nbsp;
It's a little bit sanctimonious from us, don't you think?&nbsp;
If they feel it would make their situation safer, then I trust them to make that call.&nbsp;
Of course, you'll always have mistakes, and chaos prior to the shooting clearly shouldn't have happened, and they say they're working further at training etcetera to make that all better. &nbsp;
But we can't sit here tucked up on our beds at night, all judgey, when we're not the ones out there in the dead of the night facing more violence, guns, and crime.&nbsp;

Ryan Bridge: I trust police to make the call around regular arming

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/4958a8f5-6a40-4c4a-9ec7-b22f015808a1/transcript

Dave Tilton: Temporary Traffic Management Chair on NZ Transport's $800 million spend

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