Keep Our Port Public

by Murray Horton

Watchdog 112 (August 2006) ran a very detailed cover story on the successful campaign to stop the Christchurch City Council from selling off the Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) to Hutchison Port Holdings of Hong Kong – “Lyttelton Port Company Sale Dead In The Water: We’ve Won The Battle, But Not Yet The War To Keep Our Port Public”, by Murray Horton, which can be read online at http://www.converge.org.nz/watchdog/12/01.htm Read Full Post

Dear Members of the Christchurch City Council:

I am president of the All Japan Dockworkers Union, an organization of dockworkers in Japan. On behalf of the All Japan Dockworkers Union, I hereby request that the City Council does not allow the sale of any shares it owns on Lyttleton Port Company to Hutchinson Port Holdings of Hong Kong or Hutchinson to operate the port terminals. Read Full Post

The Keep Our Port Public (KOPP) campaign was riveted to read in Christchurch
Mayor Garry Moore’s letter of April 29 that plans to sell off the port of
Lyttelton were hatched several years ago. Nice of Garry to share this with
the nation – but why weren’t those to whom he is actually accountable told
first? Read Full Post

An article by Murray Horton from the April 2006 Foreign Control Watchdog

In February 2006 the City Council of the “People’s Republic of Christchurch” dropped a bombshell. It announced that, via Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (the holding company for all the city’s trading assets) it would bid for the 31% of the Lyttelton Port Company that it does not already own. Read Full Post

I have been asked to give a global overview of what is going on with ports. And as I am the only speaker from the coalition organising this public meeting and this campaign, namely Keep Our Port Public, I will also be speaking on its behalf. KOPP is made up of a number of different organisations and individuals, all with the common goal that is so clearly spelt out in our title. Read Full Post

by Murray Horton

Only a year ago the Mayor was quoted (Press, 14/3/05) as saying: “It  is good news for ratepayers because the money the Council gets from Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) means rates are up to 18% lower than they would be. It shows the Council was right not to sell the assets when people like the Business Roundtable called us the People’s Republic of Christchurch”.

Read Full Post

Capital’s relentless search for cheap labor constantly alters the flow of surface transportation in North America with widespread consequences, writes Richard D. Vogel in this Monthly Review article.