I'l just asume an anomaly though and give the rest of the NZ controllers the benefit of the doubt.
I am not an NZ controller and interestingly, where I do work, the retarded pilot is not the anomaly, it is pretty much the rule (save one or two companies). Unfortunately, in a past life I could always assume everyone was going to do the right thing but now, I expect them to do the wrong thing and go from there. An individual I work when asked what he does for a crust tells people he works with Special Needs Adults. Pretty close to the mark.
(*personal unrelated to NZAA rant follows but is on the broader topic of sequencing*)As for speed control, given with the fad in recent years of econ descents, what is a slow down to one is a speed up to another. As a result, everyone gets a speed and number one is made number one. As an example, a 738 stooging in at 240 knots given 300kts is a 60 knot speed up, that same 300 knots given to a F900 coming in at 360kts is the same but as a slow down.
When leaving the descent points to the pilots you either have to force them down at the same time/rate or add some serious track miles to keep your current spacing. Every 2000ft equates to about 10 knots of indicated. To just match the ground speeds of say an A320 at F240 staying high and an International A332 down low at F160 like they do early, you have to find 40 knots somewhere. This leads to catch ups and overtakes when you do as suggested with methods such as 'give me a time to cross a point and I will work it out' Someone is going to get slowed down and someone is going to get sped up. When you then bend someone out to keep separation, it is like you killed their dog usually followed by a question along the lines of 'if we speed up some more, will that help?'... sure, if you can give me 700 knots in the next 30 seconds it may....Either build more runways or expect that you WILLL get some Air Traffic COntrol inflicted on you in the form of sequencing. You are NOT the only aircraft in the sky (well maybe in Aukland you are
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