Following stunning news today from the GWRC study into the cost of a possible Light Rail system in Wellington – results have come back that the cost COULD be as LOW as $14m per km.

By anybody’s books, that is fantastic news – and means that costs are indeed well within reach of a Council the size of Wellington’s.

If we look at the published figures available, of the capital cost of light rail per kilometre around the world (all in NZ dollars), we can see that costs in places where they know what they are doing (ie the Netherlands), costs could be even lower – at $11.6m / km. Read the rest of this entry »

Breaking news – and something that I can’t quite believe they would do, but the Bishop of Christchurch has announced today that the Anglican Church plans to completely demolish the Cathedral in Christchurch.

Cantabrians, and no doubt others, are in total shock. There is, as yet, no confirmation as to whether it will ever be rebuilt, and if so, in what form – but this seems an extraordinary action to take for a building that is still largely intact – and is such an icon – not just for the church, but for the city and indeed the whole region. What a pathetic, pathetic decision from the Anglican church.