Does this cancel the defamation suit against the mayor of Dunedin, since everyone on the board is feeling competent now and the stars will shine as if from heaven?
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### ODT Online Thu, 24 May 2012
New ORFU board unveiled
By Hayden Meikle
It has taken a lot longer than expected but a new-look Otago Rugby Football Union board has been unveiled. As revealed in the Otago Daily Times earlier this week, the board members are Doug Harvie, Keith Cooper, Simon Spark, Kelvin Collins, Andrew Rooney and John Faulks. Harvie will be chairman and Cooper will be deputy chairman. Rooney and Faulks survive from the previous board.
█ The recovery package involved the NZRU providing a long term loan for working capital of $500,000 and Dunedin City Council writing off debt of $480,000. In addition, costs have been cut and additional sponsorship arranged.
█ Almost $500,000 has been raised to allow the union to settle with creditors. A total of 156 non-profit organisations and other creditors who are all owed less than $5,000 will be paid in full. The remaining 24 creditors will be repaid the first $5,000 and half of what they are owed above that. The repayments are due to be made by the end of the month.
Read more
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
Since the new ORFU board is formed does that really mean DCC is still ‘on board’ for the bailout – it seems to. The deadhead plonkers.
Hell no. The ORFU chums haven’t finished screwing money out of the system yet. Being doing it for ages so might as well keep going. Half a million each and off to Eionland.
It would make a change to see positve constructve comments on here
A positive change would have been the ORFU not keeping Rooney and Faulks on its board. A positive change would have been the ORFU not wasting massive amounts of public funds. A positive change would have been the ORFU not bludging off the Dunedin City Ratepayer. A positive change would have been the ORFU not misappropriating funds. A positive change would be integrity and honesty but those, among many other qualities, are not something we’ve come to expect from professional rugby in this city. They believe themselves a law unto themselves and a positive change for the future of Dunedin would be a full, independent investigation of this corrupt organisation.
Clear as a bell, Anonymous. Our work is not yet done. :)
Ch9 says Sport Otago Programme Director, Richard Kinley, will be ORFU’s interim general manager, replacing Change Manager Jeremy Curragh. The channel will have more tomorrow.
http://www.ch9.co.nz/node/21071
Change of personnel – bar two – but that’s all we can expect. What incentive have they to manage their finances properly? None. Because the DCC can always be relied on to bail them out.
I seem to remember Graham and Mains were lauded when they got their jobs on the ORFU. That they had the ‘skill set’ (do you like the jargon?) to change things around. What happened then?
Replacing Curragh, eh. Yes.
Wasn’t Curragh guilty of a small truthette, a minor non-evasion?
Can’t have that sort of thing.
I appreciate that for some it is a bit like swallowing dead rats, however from a governance point of view there is some value in having one or two existing board members there to ensure continuity, from personal experience there is nothing worse than trying to govern in a vacuum and it is often all the minor details and small things that collectively have the most impact and end up taking double the time to resolve, whereas having someone on the board who can say… that happened in 2009 and we did X is very valuable. Notwithstanding the foregoing it is a bit concerning that all the appointments have some sort of rugby affiliation (significantly the dunedin club) I think a completely removed accountant or similar would have helped provided a non-emotive reality check on things, I may be though proved wrong they could be all quite capable
Ben. There is also the option of an old board member being sought out for advice on some historical knowledge if/when required.
Talking about swallowing dead rats, I hear on the grapevine it’s the ‘live’ ones that are now a problem.
There are definitely vermin involved. Several large sewer rats have been spotted in the shadows and around twenty smaller ones in and around the council building. Reports are coming in of other nests being established but authorities appear unwilling to go after them. Little is known of the wider infestation due to some of the cunning ones intercepting newspapers for making their bed in.
The stadium building has a vermin problem, real not imagined. We hear.
Years ago when I worked in an office in the Parry Street area, Port Otago used to have regular night shoots to try and control the rat and wild cat population. Never really achieved anything. City Property still has nights shoots from the Town Hall building to try and rein in the pigeon population. Maybe they should be aiming a few floors lower.
Thanks for the area info, Phil. Haha, the rat problem at the stadium is said to be out of control, but no-one wants to say it out loud. A trace embarrassing.
I hear that the sewer rats have filed a complaint with the DCC as they are not happy with having to share the accommodation with the ORFU.
Channel 9 has found nothing more to say about the new ORFU board tonight. So much for their promo yesterday.
I suspect the rats are mostly worried about being stuck with the bill.
Yes Phil, that and loss of reputation by association.
So today’s oddity lists a few of the organisations that received rates relief this year – any one know where one could get a copy of the full list? I’m sure there’s bunches of rugby clubs in there, but it might be useful for those looking at the secret rugby trusts to see if they still own any property … despite the ORFU’s claims of being poor
Also in today’s oddity, p32,
“Six months’ community detention for $605,550 poklie ‘elaborate scam'”
Pokie – you guessed, right?
Received yesterday.
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Department of Internal Affairs
Media Release
25 May 2012
Sentenced for defrauding community of pokie grants
An Internal Affairs investigation uncovered a pokie machine rort that resulted in a significant loss of grant funding going to the community. The investigation revealed that numerous grant applications to gaming machine societies from Counties Manukau Bowls (CMB), an umbrella organisation for South Auckland bowling clubs, were fraudulent.
From late 2006 to September 2009 Counties Manukau Bowls employed Noel Henry Gibbons, 79, of Manurewa, to apply for gaming machine grants.
Mr Gibbons implemented a scheme whereby constituent clubs or CMB itself would invest indirectly in purchasing pubs where pokie machines operated – so that in turn those clubs could benefit from grants of pokie machine proceeds.
Mr Gibbons also applied for grants from gaming machine societies for “bowling green maintenance” – but some of the money was used illegally to repay loans for the purchase of pubs. This money should have been distributed to local community purposes as grants. Paying off loans is a commercial and illegal use of funding generated from pokie machines.
Mr Gibbons fabricated quotes and invoices from “green keeping contractors” to support grant applications and the provision of services. None of those named in the invoices as billing for a service knew anything of the work they were supposed to have done.
He was sentenced in the Manukau District Court today to six months’ community detention for obtaining $605,550 by deception and of using forged documents.
Judge Charles Blackie said Gibbons’ offending was a “very elaborate” scam and an “unlawful scheme”. The defendant knew he acted dishonestly each time he made a false application and this was at the expense of the community.
Judge Blackie emphasised the need to hold the defendant accountable and responsible, to deter others who might be inclined to “rip off” the system, and to provide for the community’s interests as the victims of this offending. He adopted a starting point of two years six months’ imprisonment but imposed a lenient sentence because of Gibbons’ guilty plea, advanced age and poor health.
Maarten Quivooy, Internal Affairs’ General Manager of Regulatory and Compliance Operations said organisations cannot expect that buying into pokie machine venues will ensure favourable treatment for grant applications.
“It’s illegal and the Department works to ensure that pokie money, which belongs to the community, is protected,” he said. “We want to ensure that community groups have fair access to gambling-generated funds and will take action over any attempts to capture funding flows that are detected.
“We are very pleased that our investigation has led to Mr Gibbons being held accountable for fraud, and for defrauding his community. A clear message to the gambling sector is this: where we come across deliberate and wilful attempts to take community funding we will take strong and decisive action to hold people accountable”.
Media contact:
Trevor Henry, senior communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 021 245 8642
[ends]
Matthew on ODT Online comments on “Stealing” and writes “Everyone who steals does it because they want something they can not afford. Those people sooner or later will get caught and charged for it.”
Although his post relates to another important issue in society that line could have been posted under an ORFU story too. In many cases the stakeholders behind professional rugby in general. Just waiting for the rugby rat pack to be caught and charged now.
### ODT Online Fri, 25 May 2012
Rugby: ‘Reluctant’ Harvie takes board reins
By Adrian Seconi
Dunedin accountant Doug Harvie was reluctant to get involved but could not sit back and let Otago rugby fail. Yesterday, he was confirmed as chairman of the Otago Rugby Football Union’s new six-member board.
Read more
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Otago rugby: the new board (via ODT)
DOUG HARVIE (chairman)
Three-year term
Chartered accountant, arbitrator and mediator
•Played for Dunedin and University
•Former committee member Dunedin Rugby Football Club
KEITH COOPER (deputy chairman)
Three-year term
•Chief executive of Silver Fern Farms
•Experience in sales and marketing, general management, merger and acquisitions and restructuring
KELVIN COLLINS
Two-year term
•Managing-director of Harcourts Highland Real Estate Group, Director and shareholder of Haast World Heritage Hotel
•Represented Nelson Bays, Otago Country and Canterbury Colts, coached Wakatipu premier team and chaired Sevens with Altitude
SIMON SPARK
Two-year term
•Managing director of SJ Allen Wakatipu 2000 Ltd
•Coached rugby to representative level, involved in rugby administration and young player identification and development, working with ORFU and Otago Country
JOHN FAULKS
One-year term
•Director and manager of Southern Wide Real Estate, Chairman Rural Livestock Ltd, Director Foley Plumbing and Lilyfarm Properties
•Involved in rugby administration, played and coached at all levels of the game
ANDREW ROONEY
One-year term
•Investment adviser with professional experience in engineering, management and the financial services industry
•Manager of and player for Dunedin club senior team
•Involved in rugby administration with Dunedin and Metropolitan Rugby Council