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  "description": "10 News Stories They Chose Not to Tell You",
  "path": "/your-daily-ten-10-2026-064/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-13T22:00:10.000Z",
  "site": "https://goodoil.news",
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    "Read More",
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  "textContent": "**This is edition 2026/064 of the _Ten@10_ newsletter.**\n\nHi all,\n\nThis is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.\n\nEnjoy!\n\n* * *\n\n## 1. Who really runs Wellington?\n\nBryce Edwards\n\n  * 🏙️ Danyl McLauchlan’s  _Listener_ cover story argues Wellington’s crisis isn’t just failing infrastructure—but systemic mismanagement of funds meant to maintain it\n  * 💸 The council consistently collected money for infrastructure through rates, then diverted it into flashy, non-essential projects instead\n  * 📉 The “renewals gap” shows chronic underinvestment in water systems, dropping from adequate levels in 2005 to just 30% under Mayor Tory Whanau\n  * 💰 Despite claims of constraint, the council ran large surpluses and increased debt—meaning the infrastructure crisis was avoidable\n  * 🏗️ Massive spending went into high-profile projects like the town hall, library, convention centre, and Let’s Get Wellington Moving, often with huge cost blowouts\n  * 🚰 Core assets like pipes and sewage systems were neglected, even as new, expensive projects (e.g. Moa Point sludge plant) were prioritised\n  * 🧾 Bureaucratic spending ballooned, with communications and governance costs exceeding actual infrastructure renewals\n  * 🕳️ A 2019 taskforce found funds had been diverted and made 48 recommendations—none of which were implemented\n  * 🐇 The “Order of the Rabbit” scandal suggests a long-standing culture of bureaucratic dominance over elected officials, with echoes still visible today\n  * 🏛️ Councillors were often misled or kept in the dark, with key information withheld or framed to favour bureaucratic preferences\n  * ⚙️ Outsourcing to Wellington Water hollowed out in-house expertise, creating layers of contractors and reducing accountability\n  * 🔗 Complex subcontracting chains made it difficult to track spending, while costs skyrocketed without clear justification\n  * 🚨 Investigations found potential conflicts of interest, inflated costs, and even suspected fraud within contractor relationships\n  * 📊 Reports showed Wellington was paying up to three times more than other councils for similar infrastructure work\n  * 🧠 The situation reflects economist Mariana Mazzucato’s idea of the state becoming a “dumb client” after outsourcing core capabilities\n  * 🔥 Overall, the piece paints Wellington’s decline as a failure of governance, accountability, and priorities—not a lack of resources\n\n\n\nRead More\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Your Daily Ten@10 - 2026/064",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-13T22:00:11.158Z"
}