Mark Todd

Mike Lee – long time consolidated city advocate – has hit out at the winning entry for Len Brown’s developer mate Mark Todd.

Mr Todd has chosen a design from an initial competition but Mike Lee says it’s not what should be built.

Whilst it’s somewhat contradictory of Lee, the fact is – even he is unimpressed. More ticky tacky units by the railway.

But that’s not all. Whilst Lee is bagging the development as another eyesore news to WOBH says that Mr Todd has also garnered himself criticism for obtaining consent for a development proposal on Khyber Pass that breaks a number of provisions set by the Special Housing Areas.

Locals are upset that the first consent under the SHA process should have been notified – at least to immediate neighbours due to its height yet Mr Todd was able to do what other developers can’t and sneak one passed the goalie.    Read more »

Cameron Slater

As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.

He is fearless in his pursuit of a story.

Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore him.

To read Cam’s previous articles click on his name in blue.

http://whaleoil.co.nz

Hobo housing?

Len Brown’s favourite property developer mate Mark Todd is still receiving beneficial favours with the Mayor providing space for him to display competitive entries for an apartment building design competition.

Len loves Mark because Mark is openly extolling the benefits of a compact city and the two are as thick as thieves.

The developer who is new to the Auckland scene has been spending time schmoozing politicians and council officers during the Auckland Unitary Plan process and has developed beneficial relationships. WOBH pointed out recently that one of the judges for the apartment design competition was none other than Jacques Victor who is a member of Len’s Mayoral office.   Read more »

Cameron Slater

As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.

He is fearless in his pursuit of a story.

Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore him.

To read Cam’s previous articles click on his name in blue.

http://whaleoil.co.nz

Two weeks ago Mayor Brown stood at the Akipiro St, Eden Terrace development site of Mark Todd and announced the Tranche 3 Special Housing Areas.

The developer intends building a small 25 unit apartment block with a design competition to be run by the NZIA. All very noble and perhaps a quality building to come.

Today a press release from the NZIA (PDF 189K)states the competition details.

Interestingly the panel of judges includes Jacques Victor from Mayor Brown’s own office.   Read more »

Cameron Slater

As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.

They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.

He is fearless in his pursuit of a story.

Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore him.

To read Cam’s previous articles click on his name in blue.

http://whaleoil.co.nz

We started our Saturday by paying our respects to Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the hard-charging US Army general whose forces smashed the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War.  He died aged 78.  At The Standard 2012 Worst Political Blog Mike Smith is told some home truths about long term grass-roots Labour families heading for the Greens.  A quick vid on how to put out a boat fire the Kiwi way is next, followed by a vote for Best Minister.  The winner, at 52%, is Judith Collins.  The Whale Week That Was summarised all the stories this blog covered in the previous seven days.  A quite active Saturday Debate (for the time of year especially) led a post calling for nominations for Best Political Blog.  Those who see WOBH as any sort of threat to them (and those that don’t too), should take heed of this Malcolm Tucker quote: “marshal all the media forces of Darkness to hound them to an assisted suicide”.  A CNN piece showing Teachers in Utah taking a class on gun use shows some common sense around the gun debate.  A reader has taken yesterday’s US Fiscal Cliff graphic and created one for New Zealand – great work.  As Cameron Slater predicted from the outset, the Aussie Hoax DJs will not face charges.  The NZ Herald continues to amuse – this time a car crashed into a poll.  The blog then introduces us to two sexy taxidermists showing you don’t have to look like a front row forward to deal with dead animals.  And you’d think we’re picking on an incompetent NZ Herald, and you would be right.  This time they have Jesse Ryder beating himself at Eden Park in Wellington.  Then a hilarious story about a Queensland woman who fell into the longdrop and was there for two hours before being discovered by her husband.   Turns out that during the Falklands War the French tried to send missiles to Argentinia behind Margaret Thatcher‘s back.  Commerce first eh?  The last post of the day highlights a report of a man holding up a Countdown Supermarket with a hammer.  Our readers get fired up about the idea of hammer banning.

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It’s that time again when having a Queen has some payback – the New Years honours list.

It’s nice to see Paul Holmes recognised for his services to Broadcasting and the Community.  Not many would argue that’s undeserved.

Another one “long in the making” is Owen Glenn for putting his money where his mouth is.  Shat on from a great height by the Labour party, this man was bigger than that and continues to put hard cash into New Zealand.

Apart from the obvious celebrities, it has someone on the list, without whom – in a matter of speaking – this blog would not exist.

Read more »