No response received.
From: bevkiwi@hotmail.com
To: eion.edgar@forbar.co.nz; asread@xtra.co.nz; wgraham.admiral@ljh.co.nz; laurie.mains@comlink.co.nz; dickb@es.co.nz; dave.callon@sharenz.com; j.a.faulks@xtra.co.nz; ayrdene@farmside.co.nz; russell@cassidylaw.co.nz; abrooney@xtra.co.nz; john.hammer@nz.pwc.com
CC: chris.morris@odt.co.nz; murray.kirkness@odt.co.nz
Subject: RE: ORFU board responsibility for payment of black tie dinner bill
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:05:16 +1200
Dear Eion, Adrian, Wayne, Laurie, Dick, Dave, John, Willis, Russell, Andrew and John,
You still haven’t paid your bill.
So we have amongst you a combination of a self appointed philanthropist, a lawyer, an accountant, a broker, a farmer, a surgeon and a couple of suers.
Not a good look that those professionals amongst you adhere to such obscene behaviour. Is this how you advise your clients to behave in your respective businesses?
And more importantly is this how you do business?
Is there not one independent thinker amongst you?
Or do you act as one mob when the leader lowers the cone of silence?
I do expect this bill to be paid.
Yours sincerely
Bev Butler
—
Related Posts:
14.6.12 Silence on debt run up at ORFU black-tie dinner
26.5.12 DIA media release
23.5.12 Latest: Oh, Mr Curragh… [emails]
20.5.12 Update: Oh, Mr Curragh… [emails]
18.5.12 Oh, Mr Curragh… [emails]
11.5.12 Dunedin shootout: mafia bosses
2.5.12 Ratepayers pay for ORFU black tie dinner at stadium
1.5.12 ORFU’s draft constitution
29.4.12 Department of Internal Affairs, the gambling authority
22.4.12 DIA, OAG, TTCF and Otago Rugby swim below the line
31.3.12 Rob Hamlin: The ORFU’s small creditors: If I was one of them…
23.3.12 ORFU position
15.3.12 Message To ORFU Creditors, if you want to see your money
9.3.12 DCC considers writing off ORFU’s $400,000 debt
2.3.12 Demand a full independent forensic audit of ORFU
—
Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
Today, ODT published a letter from Bev Butler, ‘Paying debt may regain credibility’ (page 12). I doubt very much that Bev will give up pursuing this debt. You have to wonder how the current and former ORFU board of directors can justify allowing DCC to absorb the debt as part of the bailout package. Ditto the former ORFU president, Eion Edgar.
Bev ought to get a medal for her tenaciousness. Sooner or later the truth will out. Russell Garbutt is also digging deeper and deeper into the pokies scandal. Just how Mayor Dave Cull can line the DCC up alongside these unresolved sordid financials is anybody’s guess. Mine is that he simply doesn’t want to face it as the stadium, in his mind depends on the ORFU. It will all end in tears, sooner or later. And the worst thing is that the stadium will be even deeper in the mire.
PR management (massage) by the Spooks, as Anonymous refers to them. Cull as bearer of the DCC cross? Maybe he can tell us what really went down with the ORFU bailout package, soon:
### ch9.co.nz June 22, 2012 – 6:44pm
Mayor trying to make open government happen
It is a refrain sung by council critics for years, if not decades – local government, they say, must be more transparent. Mayor Dave Cull campaigned on a platform of open government, and about 18 months after he was elected, he is trying to make that happen.
Video
I would have taken this Mayor a little more seriously if he started trying from when he was elected. Eighteen months later is the half way point and just the start of sweating over the next election. I have seen little difference between Chin & Co and Cull & Co when it comes to rolling over for rugby. He has done little to restore trust in this corrupt council and the Otago Rugby Times will find it difficult to boost his political aspirations this time around. My guess is the Stakeholders are already preparing a backup for their next mayoralty candidate.
Next mayoralty candidate – that’s going to be difficult unless Dave Cull announces he’s not standing again, either for council or mayoralty. Lee Vandervis has been gaining steady support, for being a pain in the establishment arse. He has been around and visible for a long time now. His abrasiveness is now seen by many as a damn sight better than empty niceness => => more debt, higher rates. It’s got to the stage where being slagged off by certain pillars/pillocks of the community is a Good Thing.
It depends what the Stakeholders and associate members of the Tartan Mafia are after in the next three years. Assets are ripe and this Mayor is sympathetic to their sale. All made possible by the Stadium Councillors and their votes which have led to massive debt. A debt which was instrumental to the sale of those assets. So I’m pretty sure they’ll keep the status quo and run a back up too. Last year it was about supplanting the arrogance of Peter Chin with the ‘nice guy’ personality of Dave Cull.
People desperate to see the back of Peter fell right into it of course and we know who made the latter possible, especially with that Ch 9 freakshow and the “two horse race” line (it is interesting to reflect on who has since moved from the ODT to Ch 9).
But many of those same people won’t be suckered again. They’ve been let down and compromising that trust in Dunedin is a high risk affair, something even the media and the council Spooks will struggle to absolve.
Glad you brought up the move of some from ODT to Ch9 news. Wondered whether I’d missed some announcement about it. Still settling into their voice, but on the whole more fun than living in the Edinburgh Room, Mayor’s Lounge and Council Chamber for long dry spells.
The other thing is the Spooks haven’t exactly been chasing good news stories to put out, so to up the profile of the dormouse councillors (pro and anti stadia). Not of the species, Bezett is making hay with the name “Otago Settlers Museum”, largely beyond Spook control, which is interesting given the mission to make the Bidrose necklaces a strong feature of photoshoots lately… while Avery sinks unseen and there’s less focus on Stephens. Meanwhile we rely on Paul Orders to stick to his mission of public accountability and organisational restructuring. I doubt the timing of Cull’s delivery on greater transparency is anything other than a reaction to strong lobbying by Vandervis, with Orders’ blessing.
I am glad to see the council round change but as both media companies are owned by Allied Press, it is unlikely we will see significant change to preferential promotion at the next election unless Julian or Nick think more carefully about how their involvement in local politics will affect their mid- to long-term business strategy.
Massive debt, asset stripping and increased costs of living will result in gradual but consistent reduction of citizens and wealth in this city. Its effects will be felt by all businesses, small and large including the asset rich (few are genuinely cash rich – nobody could actually withdraw $50M from a bank today).
We need the Smiths to send a mandate to their media companies instructing a change of support for this council and all things professional rugby, and seek genuine accountability for what has gone before. It would be a force of reckoning towards good, has the potential to heal the underlying corruption and bring people back together.
Otherwise we will be faced with reducing business, more ‘dollar shops’, government offices which return little to the local community, and overseas businesses who send their profits back home.
It’s not in the Smith beast to change, politics is power and they will always be players. Independent media is not going to happen in this small neck of the woods. I think you’re right though, Allied Press Ltd has enough clout to oust incumbents near the top of the pile.
What are the rules about advocating a person for council or mayor, before the election? Like, how far before an election is it OK – if ever?
Thinking pre-emptive campaign of name recognition….
Don’t know. Rule of thumb might be they have a half decent project or three they’re promoting in the community, already. Mayoral hopefuls would need small to medium sustainable projects with independent outside funding and an education campaign to make the difference! To start yesterday. Ad hoc one-offs to be avoided (stadiums, hotels et al). New integrated businesses with the power and resources to employ people (many not few) and smart technology – for export. Anyone? Clever women or men who believe in enriching the lives of non consultants?
As I say elsewhere here’s a prime example of enriching consultants and their ilk. Both parties should be treated to a non-catered, in their own time, refresher course on using one’s noodle and not spending money like flash harry just because it’s “free money” i.e. comes from OUR rates:
[re VISIBLE condensation on glass] “…there are louvres meant to naturally ventilate but we are asking our design team at the moment whether that is enough…”.
Wonder what a professional events manager like Annemarie Mains really thinks of the ORFU Board swanning off without paying a $25,000+ bill for a dinner she organised, given her name (rather, her company’s name?) is now directly “linked” to the whole enterprise.
But wait, nearly forgot, Annemarie used to be Media Liaison for the Highlanders (NZ Herald link) and not only this, she and Laurie are friends with Michael Hill (Mountain Scene link). Then, we have the use of Eion and Michael on video to help promote the $100m “Dunedin Hotel”. Very chummy… remind me again, who are the hotel developers!? A young Chinese woman’s beloved, yeah right.) Sorry, I’m just playing the communication link game.
The ODT site seems a little lagged tonight. Probably something to do with visitors checking up on the Midwinter Carnival (postponed to Sunday same time). The story also links and ties in how weather disrupted the Queenstown’s Winter Festival. In Queenstown. It seems Dunedin people waiting for Dunedin’s carnival need to know what’s going on in Eion’s backyard.
I’m surprised the reporter didn’t ask Eion why he allowed the weather to go over Queenstown. Or am I’m confusing the paper’s position with Saint Malcolm of the Stadium?
I like to think Michael Hill is one of the few wealthy people who believe in the true nature of philanthropy. But it is also becoming unsettling when his name is connected with people and organisations like those Dunedin is suffering. That Mountain Scene photo is revealing when you think about the above named.
Rugby in this country is not what it once was. Now it is just the greedy taking everything they can get from the public purse. So to counter this public PR problem, why won’t any of these multi-millionaires pay the $25K tab? A holiday on Michael’s yacht probably costs more.
Another ‘premier black tie corporate event’ coming up, including David Davies of stadium fame (the event is not being held at the stadium) and some guy from the ODT… do you think they’ll pay their bill this time?
http://www.southernshowdown.co.nz/
Per-person is $59.50 and a table of 10 is $1,500. VIP tables ($3,000) and corporate tables ($2,500) are sold out. Imagine if fans and stakeholders paid this way for their rugby fun.
Organised by an acquaintance from boarding school days…
An outstanding cross section of the community:
DJs, talking heads.
Lawyers, say no more
Real estate agents, spruikers
Car salesmen, What!!?
Financial advisers, HUH!!!?
Rugby players, Oh yeah, front rowers no doubt.
CEOs, of what?
Seems like a good gig to stay away from, but good luck to the Malcam Trust anyway.
Just briefly on the ODT to Ch 9 matter, what on earth is up with Loughrey’s prodigy? According to him/her hippies ruined the sixties and anyone leaving home without shoes on needs to be brought to the attention of the Police. More bizarrely the ODT actually allowed that latter bit of shite to pass – http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/television/213711/more-error-era. I really didn’t think Remotely Interesting could get more bizarre.
Anonymous – You mean Charles [D.] Loughrey. Therein begins the folly. I once encouraged David to do more of this writing, and so he has (not due to me, but he is quite good at it). Not sure I read ‘Remotely Interesting’ to watch TV though; can’t anyway I don’t have Sky, or broadband on media tv pc. Enjoy its meanderings, better than ‘news’ about the stadium for this tired brain of mine.
I thought Eion was on the nose with his ‘haters’ line but what does the following comment by GW_Scam have to do with discussion on the Sunday market planned for the stadium?
‘My suggestion is worry more about how ridiculous you look with your 1970s hair styles and fashion sense, and your despicable driving standards instead of what our state of the art stadium is being used for.’ – http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/214045/sunday-market-stadium#comment-31613.
Was the ODT moderator a little sleepy at the wheel because surely their broad use of “abridged” was justifiable in that instance. Or is it okay to accept insults about people who disagree with stadium related topics?
Perhaps someone decided to intentionally showcase the intellectual strength of the stadiophiles.
It is a regular phenomenon.
I hope the Edgar Centre has requested payment in advance for this rugby dinner (http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/262437/rugby-dinner-honour-1963-otago-team) so that we don’t have a repeat of rugby not paying their hireage, booze and food bill. Laurie Mains attended the black-tie dinner and was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago.
The black-tie dinner bill has still not been paid.
DCC used ratepayer funds to bailout ORFU and this included meeting that unpaid bill for hospitality at the stadium. Red carpet treatment, we paid. Bev, really! This is us “going forward” as Mayor Cull induces us to do.
Indeed – an interesting organisation. The settlor was one Andrew Rooney who, according to the records of the Charities Commission Register, in mid 2012 asked the freshly minted trustees (S. Eion Edgar, Laurie Mains, Marc Ellis, Robert Roy and Simon Anderson) to look after the hundred bucks that he put into the charitable trust as settled funds. What happened subsequently is unknown as the records also show that a return was due on 31/12/12, but has yet to be filed.
The establishment of this trust was signalled by McPravda earlier in 2012 during the ORFU fiscal meltdown as an initiative independent of the ORFU that would save amateur rugby. Some may remember that there were some very awkward questions being asked at the time by the NBR among others as to where large sums of money ostensibly extracted from charitable sources by the ORFU to support amateur rugby had eventually ended up.
The registration application says that the purpose of the trust was to act as an umbrella organisation for recreational sport with the general public as the main beneficiary and donations as its main source of income. The two McPravda-reported activities relating to this trust to date are supporting (paying?) John Leslie (ex Otago player) $7,500 to coach junior rugby – and this dinner. I would assume that the latter will end up costing a substantially larger sum of money.
McPravda states that “The dinner is organised by the Otago Amateur Rugby Charitable Trust and is self-financed.” OK – the trust’s sources of donated income are unknown – but they are presumably eligible to apply for pokie grants, but how slap up dinners can be justified as a funded activity on the basis of the Trust’s stated objectives of supporting amateur sport I’m not sure. I would presume (hope) that the sources of donated funds for this ‘self-financed’ dinner knew before they committed the funds exactly what they were going to be spent on. If they did, then that’s their right (as long as it was their own money) and all is well.
However, there’s no hint of payment or fundraising from the attendees of this dinner in these reports, and no hard evidence that this trust has any available untagged assets at all to meet any obligations incurred. Like Bev, given the prior track record of payment of invoices tendered by ratepayer owned/funded agencies for slap up black-tie rugby dinners in this town, I’d want cash in advance for any services rendered by said agencies.
Interesting to note that this outfit that is running this “self-funded” dinner is the Otago Amateur Rugby Charitable Trust.
This mob seems to have been formed on the 24th May, 2012 – just over a year ago – and the “trustees” are listed as Eion Edgar, Laurie Mains, Marc Ellis, Simon Anderson and Robert Roy. Simon Anderson is the solictor acting for the Trust. The objects of the Trust in the primary statement are, believe it or not, “the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, the general benefit of the community”.
Easy to track down the documentation on the Charitable Trusts website.
I wouldn’t accept any form of booking from this $100 trust until they had fronted with all costs up-front as some of these twerps have a track record of not paying their bills as Bev Butler continues to point out.
fmr ca gives an accurate picture of the effect of the dinner booking on children’s sport:
http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/262437/rugby-dinner-honour-1963-otago-team#comment-45320
So according to the comment link above, 15 sports games for kids at the Edgar Centre have been cancelled to make way for the rugby dinner, even though these 15 kids’ games already had a prior booking.
Ugly isn’t it.
but, but, but, but, ….. Rugby is so much more entitled to use public facilities ….
Get off the grass Bev, this is a very important occasion, honouring the Otago rugby team of 1963. That’s the team that won 16 games out of 23!! You can’t expect a bunch of kids’ sporting activities to take precedence over that can you? It’s the all ‘holy’ after all, probably need the Mayor to be a guest and to suck up to all the guffaws and skiting about how important rugby is to this city. And they are right you know, why else would we spend $225 million to accommodate them (based on lies and false representations), forgive $480,000 of debt (including $50,000 for a previous ‘shindig’) and who knows what other concessions by the ratepayers. Let’s not also forget that these ‘thugs’ even took our Mayor to the cleaners over an alleged defamation against a couple of the more prominent ones. Our Mayor capitulated disgracefully on this, publicly writing a ‘grovelling, sniveling’ letter of apology. So Bev, you and all the little sporting kids have to suck up and accept it as being “the Otago way” even if they don’t pay for the hire of the venue. Face it, The Edgar Centre is named after one of them and it is managed and administered by DVML who know better than anybody how to treat their mates.
Move over kids. Thugby booze up more important.
Cold charity. ‘Black and white Ed’ [3news.co.nz – reimaged by What if]
![Eion Edgar re-image [3news.co.nz]](https://dunedinstadium.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/eion-edgar-re-image-3news-co-nz.jpg?w=500)
Entitled is the word. Any councillor going to comment on the bullies pushing the kids’ games aside? Cull? Way too hard. Must not anger the Rugby bludgers.
McPravda comment:
“I have kids involved in three of the cancelled grades. I have been told only Snr A grade can be played this Friday due to the Arena Courts being used for the Rugby Dinner. Those three courts normally hold fifteen games from 4.00pm to 9.00pm.”
Three courts? – Now that sounds like a big dinner. Uncomfy too I would think.
it’s probably the only warmable space at Edgar’s Centre
Wasn’t Calvin in the 1963 team?
What predators on society these coots are. How they manage to sleep at nights is a mystery, but then again their comfy mattresses are probably stuffed with lovely soft wads of ratepayer and pokie money. That would make sleeping easier I suppose.
It’s probably the only place in town that Annemarie could book where her credit was any good.