Tour the old prison in March (2013)

Guided Tours Available $10 per person

Saturday 2 March 10.30am
Tuesday 5 March 5.30pm
Saturday 9 March 10.30pm
Tuesday 12 March 5.30pm
Saturday 16 March 10.30am
Tuesday 19 March 10.30am
Saturday 23 March 10.30am
Tuesday 26 March 10.30am
Saturday 30 March 10.30am

• Tours are limited to 25 persons and last for 1 hour
• No lift access to upper floors, and not suitable for small children

To book and for other information visit www.dunedinprisontrust.co.nz

Dunedin Prison Charitable Trust
65 Every Street, Dunedin 9013, New Zealand
Tel: 64 3 454 5384 Fax: 64 3 454 5364
Stewart Harvey, Chairman
stewarth@orcon.net.nz

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Related Posts:
20.8.12 Dunedin Prison: tours next month
6.6.12 Dunedin Prison purchased by trust
18.10.11 Dunedin Prison Charitable Trust – see building history

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Stupefied and bought Kiwis (the dirt)

When everybody knows where everybody else’s bodies are buried, setting forth in search of wrong- doing with an ornamental teaspoon arguably makes more sense than marching off with a spade.

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 09:01 26/02/2013
Corruption exists by the shovel load
By Chris Trotter – The Press
OPINION: A group of wealthy ranchers and industrialists importunes the man most likely to lead their party to the White House. He hears them out politely, takes a contemplative sip from his glass of whiskey, and replies: “Boys, I’d like to help. But, like every man, I have my price. If you want me to run, it’ll cost you a well-watered ranch in prime cattle country.” The party big-wigs exchange glances and nods. Their spokesman rises from his big leather chair, extends his hand towards the beaming candidate, and exclaims: “Done!”

Now who would you say this politician was? A Texan, surely? Lyndon Baines Johnson? George W Bush? Some corrupt citizen of the Lone Star State where elections were regularly franchised out to party bosses who, when it came to vote-rigging, only ever had one question: “Do you want us to count ’em, or vote ’em?” (Meaning: Do you want us to stuff the ballot boxes, or merely round up the required number of bribed and/or intimidated electors?)

Well, to be honest, this story isn’t about Texan – or even American – politics. I only used words like “ranchers” and “White House” so that you’d have no difficulty in recognising all the behind-the-scenes deal-making for what it was: political corruption.

Had I told you from the beginning that we were talking about New Zealand farmers and businessmen, and that the politician negotiating the price of his co-operation was the future National Party Prime Minister, Keith Holyoake, then you would already be objecting: “So what? That’s not corruption. It’s not illegal to buy somebody a farm!”

I remember my old editor at The Independent Business Weekly, Warren Berryman, shaking his head in wonderment when, once again, some international outfit declared New Zealand to be the least corrupt country on Earth. Warren was born in the United States and had lived what might, euphemistically, be called “a colourful life”.

“This is one of the most corrupt countries I’ve ever lived in”, he told me. “It’s everywhere you look – but you Kiwis just don’t see it. New Zealand tops all these surveys not because it’s corruption-free, but because New Zealanders have become experts at looking at corruption and calling it something else.”

How much longer, I wonder, is the rest of the world going to be hoodwinked by Kiwis’ perverse willingness to substitute an ornamental teaspoon for a spade?
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC meetings —for the record

### ODT Online Tue, 26 Feb 2013
DCC meetings opened to full recording
By Debbie Porteous
The Dunedin public will be able to see local body politicians in action ”warts and all” after city councillors agreed to allow full sound recordings of their meetings. The public, including media, were previously only allowed take photos, notes and video, but not record sound at council meetings. But several resolutions passed by councillors yesterday will allow any person who notifies the chairman at the start of a meeting to record, including video with sound, the public parts of full council, public forum and standing committee meetings.

Council governance manager Sandy Graham told councillors the proposal from staff came after requests from members of the public and media and was something the council’s communications team was also keen on. Councillors had mixed reactions to the proposal.

The council will also record the meetings and make a full, unedited copy of recordings of meetings publicly available. This opens the door to possible live webcasting of meetings in the future.
Read more

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POSTSCRIPT
Last updated 27 Feb 2013
What non public records resemble, for the Council’s mammoth debt spending and support to Rugby/ORFU, DVML, Rosebud’s Team at Strategy and Development et al —from the DCC home page today:

Mr Orders, Sir, step out from the shadow – bring with you the (undisclosed) PricewaterhouseCoopers report (file no 2).

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Bank of New Zealand Building, 205 Princes St (cnr Rattray)

BNZ Bank, The Exchange 1976

### ODT Online Tue, 26 Feb 2013
New lease of life for BNZ building
By Debbie Porteous
A grand old dame of the Dunedin streetscape is being brought back to life by a Dunedin law firm. The historic Bank of New Zealand Building at the corner of Rattray and Princes Sts, in the Exchange, will, come June, be home to commercial law firm Van Aart Sycamore Lawyers, after the company bought the building and is having it renovated. Firm directors Michael Van Aart and Tony Sycamore said they were looking for permanent premises and the building’s location, natural light and character had appealed. Mr Sycamore said he expected the building would be “a really nice place to work”. The location was also great. Buildings around the Exchange area were filling up with commercial tenants, in what was historically the commercial heart of Dunedin. The company’s 14 staff would be based on the first floor, and once they had moved in the firm hoped to find tenants for the other three floors.

The company was strengthening the building from 67% of code to 100%, and installing full fire sprinkler systems throughout, as well as renovating and fitting out new offices, while retaining the heritage features of the building preserved by previous owner Ted Daniels.

The company was working closely with the Dunedin City Council and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on the refurbishment.
Read more

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Heritage New Zealand – Category 1 Historic Place
(No. 7299) Registration Report – the history and significance

The Bank of New Zealand Building was designed and constructed over the period 1877-1883. The architect, William Barnett Armson, was one of the first colonially-trained architects to work in New Zealand. He trained at Melbourne in architecture, engineering and surveying, and returned to New Zealand in 1862. The building is considered to be the architect’s masterpiece, and New Zealand’s finest surviving nineteenth century bank.

Interior, before alterations circa 1960. Campbell Photography, Dunedin

The bank is elsewhere described as one of the few New Zealand buildings to reflect the large scale of the sixteenth century Italian palazzo, its prototype. The richly carved exterior features New Zealand plants and landscapes carved by Louis John Godfrey. The interior was extensively modernised by the architects Mandeno and Fraser in 1958 but the superb plaster ceiling over the banking chamber was preserved.

Ceiling, main banking chamber

Related Post:
27.7.13 Heritage: Old BNZ, Dunedin —restored

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: BNZ Archives, Wellington (via Ted Daniels); Athol Parks, citywalks.co.nz

DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network

UPDATED POST 27.2.13
If there is no [NZTA] subsidy, the cost will be $70.6 million.
See further comment by JimmyJones based on statements in DCC annual plans.

Comment received.

JimmyJones
Submitted on 2013/02/24 at 5:55 pm

That could be, Hype O’Thermia. Perhaps the intracranial aphids explain why they keep getting their financial estimates so badly wrong.
It seems to me that the Team has been working on this for a few years and waiting for a few cycling deaths to help with the promotion of their ideas. The amount of publicity given to these deaths has been far beyond what is typical for previous cycling deaths and very different to the average pedestrian and motor vehicle death. No doubt the Team has good links with the ODT and it helps to have control of the $5 million Spin-doctor Machine. One of those is perfect for persuading the councillors that your ideological brain-explosions won’t cost much and that everyone will like them eventually.
As Elizabeth mentioned, election success can be greatly enhanced by the timing of a cycle-way media promotion, if this is part of your policy. There need not be collusion for this to happen: the Rosebud Team are very focused on their goals and know the value of getting the best people elected that share their ideology. It’s symbiotic self interest, and (probably) not corruption. The good of the Team is the important thing, far more important than the City and the People.

[ends]

Visit the discussion on this thread:
DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
South Dunedin Cycle Network

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Walk this way – Aerosmith to play stadium

Received from Rob Hamlin
Monday, 25 February 2013 11:37 p.m.

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Best do this quickly quickly as there is one major oddity that has not yet been picked up here. Aerosmith are performing here on April 24 – that’s only weeks away. How long was Elton coming – months/years – that’s the usual lead time for acts of this size, and with good reason. People have to decide to come, make plans, book tickets, hotels etc, in plenty of time. The same applies for preparation in the venue and destination, especially if it’s a small one like Dunedin – eg extra flight capacity. More importantly, the tours themselves are major logistical exercises that have itineraries that are usually planned years in advance.

So what’s happened here? Did they lose a venue at short notice? It certainly hasn’t been reported if they did. Then why the devil are the promoters diverting a major act at considerable inconvenience, cost and at very short notice in our direction.

I suppose that we will be told that it was for the love of the Foobar. However, major events promotion is a hard and chancy business that allows those who play the game successfully over the long term little room for love other than that for money. So my call is that they are coming for money – a lot of it, well over and above their expenses, and guaranteed as well.

I suppose that 40,000 people at $100 a head and no charge for the Stadium, plus help with the travel costs (maybe $450,000 or so that DVML just happened to have come by recently will be a factor here) might deliver a $4 million profit for a few days work – which might interest them.

Maybe the 40,000 will not come, or they will not pay $100. That’s OK, there’s still the guarantee – often innocuously referred to as an ‘event underwrite’. This underwriter is a third party who agrees to cough the agreed amount of revenue if the punters won’t. Some may recall North Island Councils losing their shirts this way before. Is this event underwritten as part of the agreement with DVML? I would be surprised if it wasn’t – Who’s underwriting it? Easy – DVML don’t have that kind of cash. So, got a mirror handy?

Holding big events in small towns is a risky business. Holding them at such very short notice makes it even riskier. That’s why I really don’t think that these guys are taking a risk of this nature. If they aren’t, then we are instead. Maybe we’ll roll the dice and not get burnt this time. But we will eventually if this is indeed what is going on. I would suspect that at a minimum the $450,000 that DVML were recently given by DCC as strategic fund is already well spent. But Darren did say he might (would) be back for more pretty soon.

It’s suddenly getting pretty crowded at the Foobar Multi-Purpose Community Asset innit? Hardly room for Rugby any longer these days. Fifa’s still in the loop with private meetings with our Councillors too – could still be a double booking in the offing. Still no contract with the Highlanders/ORFU and DVML? Now, I wouldn’t be betting on that if circumstances made it worth their while to have one of a certain type in hand when said double booking actually occurs. However, the turf’s still immaculate down the road at DCC/CS Partnership Point – Lucky, eh?

[ends]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Darren Burden’s ratepayer subsidy bubble and other Fubar myths

The Elton John concert at Fubar is lauded by ‘prostadia’ as having generated a $14-15 million spend in Dunedin.

Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) commissioned Howard Research to ascertain the economic benefit of the sold-out November 2011 concert.

“Of the $14.9 million, $4.6 million was spent on retail shopping, $4 million on food and beverage and $3.4 million on accommodation.” (ODT 11.2.12)

Nobody seriously believes that, except ‘prostadia’.

With each ratepayer-subsidised act or event to appear at the stadium we’re reminded (no, told) of the great windfall that was ‘Elton John’.

Dunedin Venues’ books say differently. With more events being diaried, what happens when the ratepayer subsidy and events fund runs out? What will the city council dream up next to borrow against, or sell?

[Can we hock off Darren and his team of DVML ‘managers’ and their EPAs?]

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Aerosmith at Tampa, Florida (11 December 2012). The Global Warming Tour. B.Moore | Visuals

ODT 25.2.13 Walk this way – Aerosmith to play stadium

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Government: Cull “punching at fog”

### ch9.co.nz February 22, 2013 – 6:48pm
Government disagrees with councils’ claims
The southern community could be up for a $1.8 billion bill for earthquake strengthening. The claim has come from Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, speaking on behalf of ten councils from Timaru south. But the Government has called his announcements to the media unhelpful, and accused him of punching at fog.
Video

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Dunedin City Council Media Release — 22 February 2014
Southern Councils Highlight Major Concerns Over Earthquake-prone Buildings Proposals
Southern communities could face a bill of almost $1.8 billion under proposed changes to rules governing earthquake-prone buildings. Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says that councils accept work needs to be done on this issue in response to the tragic events in Christchurch, but that any changes need to be flexible, risk-based, practical and affordable for building owners and communities.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC: Significant Trees

Dunedin City Council
Media Release
Only a few have spoken for the trees

This item was published on 21 Feb 2013.

With less than a week to go before nominations close on 1 March, the DCC has received 33 nominations for significant trees to be included in the second generation District Plan.

Twelve of these have been made since the nomination period opened in December, and the remainder have been made since the last review of the Significant Tree Schedule (April 2008).

The nominations cover a range of tree species including totara, magnolia, pine, a variety of beeches, rhododendron, oak, elm, macrocarpa, chestnut, eastern dogwood, and walnut. Approximately half of the nominations are for native trees. In several instances, a mix of native and exotic species on a property has been nominated.

City Development Manager Dr Anna Johnson says, “People value well-established trees in their gardens that contribute visually, attract birds and sometimes have local historical significance, having been planted as part of an original estate.

“A totara tree nominated on Portobello Road is believed to have been where boats were tied up to transfer passengers and supplies as they travelled from Port Chalmers to Dunedin.”

Having a tree listed on the Significant Tree Schedule does not mean that the tree cannot be touched, rather that when doing normal maintenance on the tree, the property owner applies for a free resource consent that ensures the maintenance is professional and beneficial for the health of the tree. Grants towards the costs of maintenance are also available from the DCC.

There have been six groups of trees and several individual trees nominated which are on properties that are not owned by the nominator. In these cases, the DCC will contact the owners to determine their view on the nomination.

Following the nomination period, each tree will be evaluated against criteria relating to the condition of the tree, its amenity characteristics and any other important values it has (including stature, and historic or scientific value), as well as considering other aspects such as age, height, function and occurrence of the species, and any negative factors.

If the tree meets the criteria, it will be included in the draft Schedule of Significant Trees which will be notified to the public with the rest of the draft second generation District Plan for public submissions.

All enquiries should be addressed to Landscape Architect by phoning 477 4000 or emailing planning@dcc.govt.nz

Nomination forms are available from www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp/io/trees or the DCC’s Customer Services Centre. Nominations should be posted to: Attention: Landscape Architect, City Planning, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Moray Place, Dunedin 9058.

Contact City Development Manager on 477 4000.

DCC Link

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013

Includes DCC Draft Annual Plan 2013/14

Agenda – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 76.1 KB)

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 105.7 KB)
Statement of Proposal for the 2013/14 Draft Annual Plan

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 3.8 MB)
Statement of Proposal for the 2013/14 Draft Annual Plan – Attachment

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
South Dunedin Cycle Network

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 1.7 MB)
Tourism Dunedin 2012-2013 Half Yearly Report

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 750.9 KB)
Tourism Dunedin Statement of Intent 2012-2015

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 3.0 MB)
Statements of Intent of Group Companies

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 3.5 MB)
Resource Management Act Reform Bill Submission

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 76.0 KB)
Recording of Meetings – Proposed Change to Standing Order 3.3.7

Resolution to Exclude the Public
To be moved: “That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting, namely, Items 18 -19.

[As relates to the previous and current meeting rounds, Property Matters and FIFA under-20 World Cup 2015.]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DIA, SFO investigation #pokierorts

### Stuff Online Last updated 17:03 20/02/2013
Probe launched into pokie grants
By Michelle Robinson
Search warrants have been executed up and down the country as part of an investigation into pokie machine grant manipulation. Internal Affairs director of gambling compliance Debbie Despard said the investigation was significant, involving a number of agencies including the Serious Fraud Office. No details on the amount or search warrants or their location were made public.
NZ Community Trust [of Wellington] confirmed it has been contacted by the Department of Internal Affairs and Serious Fraud Office over alleged manipulation of gaming funds. The trust has issued a statement saying it does not believe it is the subject of the enquiry.
Read more

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Department of Internal Affairs
MEDIA RELEASE
20 February 2013

Pokie grants investigation

Internal Affairs confirmed today search warrants have been executed as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged manipulation of gaming machine grants. The operation also involved the Serious Fraud Office.

Director of Gambling Compliance, Debbie Despard, said this is a significant, joint-agency investigation.

“The Department of Internal Affairs has responsibility to ensure the integrity of the grants system in pokie machine gambling. The wider community is disadvantaged if one group can gain preferential access to grant funding from gambling proceeds. Where the Department finds serious, harmful, and deliberate non-compliance in the gambling sector we will hold people to account. Our ability to do this is enhanced by drawing on the specialist resources of the SFO.”

Information is still being gathered and the investigation is on-going. The Department will continue to assess any further information it receives in the wake of today’s action, Debbie Despard said.

In the meantime the Department will make no further comment on the current investigation.

Media Contact
Sue Ingram
Communications, Account Manager (Policy, Regulatory & Ethnic Affairs)
The Department of Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua
Direct Dial: 04 494 0584 / Mobile: 027 541 4696
Email: sue.ingram@dia.govt.nz

DIA Link

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Carisbrook: DScene suggests joint venture Calder Stewart / DCC

Register to read DScene online at http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/

### DScene 20.2.13
End of the line? (page 1)
The famed Carisbrook sports ground has found a buyer, but the deal seems unlikely to derail criticism of the sale process. See page 3.

Mayor won’t confirm or deny details of sale (page 3)
By Wilma McCorkindale
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull will neither confirm or deny the possibility the city has made a deal in lieu of an immediate cash sale for Carisbrook. Cull said he could not comment on reports a joint venture between the Dunedin City Council (DCC) and construction company Calder Stewart is incorporated into a deal for the sale of Carisbrook – the sale of which was announced a week ago.

‘‘I can’t confirm or deny the detail,’’ Cull said. ‘‘There are details in there but as far as I’m concerned it’s a sale. Many sales of property have conditions and this one is no different from that. ‘‘What I’m saying is I can’t divulge those because they are commercially sensitive at the moment, confidential. As far as I’m concerned in the big wash-up this is a sale of that property to Calder Stewart.’’

Two critics of Dunedin City Council have this week laid formal complaints to the Office of the Auditor-General and asked it to incorporate the Carisbrook sale into its current investigation of council-related property deals.

DScene asked Cull if Calder Stewart was paying for the ground upfront in cash once the sale went through. ‘‘I didn’t say that,’’ he said. ‘‘I just said it’s a sale to Calder Stewart. The details of how they pay for it are part of the confidential part of the details. I can’t comment on that.’’
{continues} #bookmark

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Editorial: Council secrecy creates bad blood (page 8)
By Mike Houlahan
Announcing a conditional sale to an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed amount was never going to be a sustainable position.
{continues} #bookmark

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Carisbrook: Channel 9 interviews Cull

### ch9.co.nz February 19, 2013 – 6:59pm
Nightly interview: Dave Cull
The Carisbrook Stadium hit the news last week, when it emerged building company Calder Stewart had put in an offer of $3.3 million for land. All sorts of figures have been bandied about in the media in relation to the sale of the ground, which was bought by the Dunedin City Council as it developed Forsyth Barr Stadium. Mayor Dave Cull joins us to shed some light on the issue.
Video

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Events: Gasworks150 + Heritage Impact150

AN IMPORTANT HERITAGE EVENT FOR OCTOBER 2013
2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the first production of town gas in New Zealand. This event took place at the Dunedin Gasworks which operated from 1863 to 1987, being the last gasworks to close in New Zealand.

The Gasworks played a significant role in Dunedin’s industrial, economic and social growth during its operation.

Today the Gasworks Museum forms a distinctive part of Dunedin’s industrial legacy and raises important issues about how industrial heritage can be sustained in the light of national and international experience.

As part of the celebrations the Dunedin Gasworks Museum Trust is planning a series of events to commemorate the significance of this anniversary.

Two major events are planned:

1. HERITAGE IMPACT150 – Industrial Heritage SYMPOSIUM
A three-day event to be based at Otago Settlers Museum. The symposium will bring together people with expertise and an interest in industrial heritage including archaeologists, architects, archivists, curators, engineers, historians, local government leaders, planners, sociologists, and those involved in tourism, heritage maintenance and restoration.

2. GASWORKS150 – Community FESTIVAL
The festival supported by funding from the Dunedin City Council will bring together the Dunedin community to celebrate the anniversary at the Gasworks Museum. The event is in its initial planning stages and will have an art and cultural focus including a celebration of dance, art and photographic exhibitions. There will be a market day, museum open days, and a competition for senior secondary school students involving an Industrial Heritage research project.

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The Call for Contributions to the Industrial Heritage Symposium HERITAGE IMPACT150 can be downloaded at www.gasworks150.org.nz

The website will be updated regularly.

What Can You Do To Help?
1. We have a wide distribution network based on our database, if you know of anyone or any organisation that may be interested in the symposium please ask them to contact us or visit www.gasworks150.org.nz
2. Talk to colleagues and help distribute news of the symposium and associated events.
3. Submit a proposal for contributions before 31 March 2013.
4. Encourage colleagues to join our newsletter list.

Contacts for further information:

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
Ann Barsby
Symposium Convenor
Heritage Impact150
Phone: +64 (0)3 479 0169
ann@southernheritage.org.nz

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SYMPOSIUM AND FESTIVAL ORGANISER
Craig Bush
ExcellentEvents NZ Ltd
PO Box 327, Dunedin 9054
Phone: +64 (0)3 477 8048
Mobile: 021 890 095
admin@excellentevents.co.nz

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC could foil best landscape solution for Ellis Park

Image Source: ODT

Ellis Park neighbours Kerry and Elizabeth Goodhew express their frustration at the planned location and style for softball clubrooms at Ellis Park, and at what they see as a lack of Dunedin City Council consultation and poor processes.

### ODT Online Mon, 18 Feb 2013
Opinion
Consultation goes long way to good results
By Kerry and Elizabeth Goodhew
We wish to say for the fourth time that we are not opposed to clubrooms on Ellis Park. We never have been. All three of our submissions from October, two written and one oral at the consent hearing, opened clearly and firmly with comment that: ”We fully agree that softball should have a clubrooms and toilet facilities in the vicinity of Ellis Park.” Next year we will have loved living here 20 years, and all we have asked is that the clubrooms and toilets not be placed in front of our homes.
If you walk/jog/bike/ride a horse along Frasers Rd, and hundreds enjoy doing this, stand at the children’s playground, hundreds use this, and look up the park to imagine two gulag-style prefab buildings joined together two storeys high park-side, on rows of telegraph poles extending 33m into the park, to obliterate the beautiful ”green-scape” view up the park. Is there anybody else in this city (other than council staff or softball interests) who really thinks that this is the right thing to do at that location?
One of the senior officers from the council itself, the landscape architect, does not think so. He states: ”The visual character would be adversely affected” and ”what is now a balanced visual outlook viewed from the playing field or Frasers Rd would be downgraded”. Read ”ruined”.
It was our submission to locate the building elsewhere for all but one of the suggested locations. Before a meeting and our submission, council staff had not considered other places elsewhere on Ellis Park as there is no statement to that effect in the application. Our suggestions were a surprise to them.
Read more

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Related Items:
ODT 1.2.13 Upgrade project at park defended
ODT 3.1.13 Ellis Park plans an ‘abomination’
The Star [undated] Otago Softball dreams of new rooms but neighbours have other views

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Carisbrook: Dear Dave . . .

Received from Rob Hamlin
Saturday, 16 February 2013 10:05 p.m.

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Dear Dave

I see that in the ODT today you signed off with the following statement:

“A valuation is not a promise.”

Is it not indeed, Dave. Well if it not a promise, then what is it? A registered valuation costs money, a lot of money and they registered valuers are members of a professional association – that’s why they are called REGISTERED valuers. A registered valuation may not be promise to get a value right to within the dollar, but I would say that such a valuation a professional service on which serious decisions are routinely based and as such it IS a promise to get the value right to within a reasonable margin of error. 100% plus is not a reasonable margin of error – Nossir!

I note however that the ‘registered’ bit is missing off your statement above. This raises a number of interesting possibilities. Let’s deal with them one at a time:

1) —You simply forget to put the ‘registered’ bit into the statement above and you really do hold a registered valuation that is in line with the price that the DCC paid the ORFU for Carisbrook and the adjoining properties. If that’s the case, then I think that you really do need to have a serious word with this individual, and that you may have to get in line with the Valuers Registration Board who deal with complaints. The following is lifted from their website at http://www.linz.govt.nz/valuation/valuers-registration-board#apply

Complaints about a registered valuer
The VRB may discipline registered valuers who do not meet its standards and requirements in carrying out their work. If you are not satisfied with the valuation done by a registered valuer on a property, you can formally apply to the VRB to have your complaint investigated.

Contact
Valuers Registration Board
PO Box 5501
Wellington
Phone +64 4 460 0110 FREE +64 4 460 0110
Fax +64 4 498 9699

If you hold a registered valuation that is for this amount then the registered individual who provided it may be culpable to a major degree in the loss of $3 million plus of ratepayers’ money and a formal complaint is not only recommended, but actually forms a public duty that you MUST perform. If they did indeed tender this valuation to you as a registered valuation, then either this individual was misled in their brief, in which case the nature of the misleading should be clear from their valuation report, or their professional services would appear to fall very far short of reasonable expectations, and they need to be publicly identified and dealt with pronto before they do any more damage of this scale and nature. As I have said previously, a Barbary Ape can value a property to within 20% in a stable market – I think it is very unlikely that the board would have much basis to seriously argue the point if you get the ball rolling now.

2) —You mean what you say and the valuation was not supplied by a registered valuer. Valuers have to undertake a good deal of training before they can become registered valuers. There is a reason for this, as I stated above major decisions are routinely made upon the basis of the valuations that they provide, and for this reason they must be accurate to within an acceptable margin, and many would think that 20% is the outer limits of this.

If for whatever reason a registered valuer was not the source of this information, then this is a serious matter. Paying this much for a property on the basis of a non-registered valuation would appear to be at the least grossly negligent and at worst reckless. The latter would be a perfectly reasonable charge given that the value is grossly out of line with not only the CV of the properties concerned, but also with other professional reports that assessed the value of the properties when budgets for the finding of the Forsyth Barr Stadium were being presented as a justification for approving the project. Incidentally, these valuations (acquired by stripping blacking off censored documents released by the DCC – see What if? Dunedin for details) appear to have been pretty much exactly in line with the price that you have been offered by Calder Stewart. They were presumably supplied by a registered valuer and it might serve you well to attempt to obtain a copy for the purposes of comparison.

Recklessness, of course, also opens up any elected member who voted for the purchase at this price or was in any way implicated in it to personal liability under the Local Government Act. A strong case for personal liability could be made with regard to this purchase if this is the valuation did not come from a registered valuer. If it did, then a Feltex-type defence on the basis of accepting professional advice in good faith may be made – but only if the source of the valuation was a registered valuer – a professional in the eyes of the law.

3) —You may have been misinformed and no valuation of any type was acquired at all before Carisbrook and adjoining properties were purchased for the amount of $7 million.

If this is the case, then all of the comments relating to Option Two above apply, plus it may be possible to add deliberate deceit to the list. The problem with deceit as with perjury is proving intent. However, in this case it is hard to see how an assertion that a registered valuation formed a basis of the decision to purchase could be made inadvertently in the absence of the valuation that is being cited. I seem to recall that a valuation has been cited on multiple occasions as a justification for paying this price.

All in all, Dave, it’s a messy situation that looks likely to get a lot messier. Both you and the ODT are on the back foot here – information is leaking out of the DCC like a sieve, and the wider public who have been largely snoozing through the events of the last four years finally seem to be waking up in numbers to just exactly what has been going on.

So, if you value your political neck and your mayoral chain, I recommend that you release this valuation document forthwith. It is now a historical document and has no current commercial value, so forget about that line of defence if it is offered to you. Ignore privacy claims for the valuer. If it is a registered valuation, then it is a professional document provided for money, and it’s yours to do with as you please. You can post A1 sized copies of it in all the public loos in the City if that’s your fancy – although you may be wise not to comment on its merits, subsequent events will do that more eloquently than anything you or I could produce. If it’s not a registered valuation, then I would be pretty confident that the same rules apply if a fee was charged for it.

If you can produce a registered valuation for $7 million, then I cannot see that either you or any of your colleagues have any sort of a problem. All the problems will be at the door of the valuer and their professional body – which is why I am mystified as to why you have not yet produced it – if you have it.

If it was a verbal valuation, and you can establish that it does not exist, then I suggest you come clean about it, and identify those responsible for making the decision to purchase Carisbrook at this price without it right now. I do not think that you were involved, so why should you sacrifice your political career in an attempt to protect those who are?

If the document has been ‘lost’ then I would suggest that you make vigorous attempts to find it. Failing this, you may wish to establish who provided the valuation – the possibilities within this community are manageable. You may find that the identity of the valuer has been ‘forgotten’ by all involved. OK, these people keep records. Get copies of the Yellow Pages back to 2009 and go through every registered valuer in the region, call them and see if any of them can recall issuing this valuation. Enlist the help of Valuers Registration Board. I am sure that they will be interested if their members’ reputation is being collectively put on the line by a bunch of amnesics.

You may both end up drawing a blank, but at least it will be a decisive one that you can report to the community and allow them to draw their own conclusions.

Think it over Dave, but don’t think too long. This time I don’t think that you have the luxury of leisure.

Rob Hamlin

[ends]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Carisbrook: Call for OAG investigation into DCC / ORFU deals

Time for Public Vote of No Confidence in your Council?

Latest via Fairfax . . . local residents Bev Butler and Russell Garbutt are calling for an investigation into Dunedin City Council deals involving Carisbrook and the ORFU (professional rugby).

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### stuff.co.nz Last updated 10:38 15/02/2013
Call for Carisbrook losses to be investigated
By Wilma McCorkindale – DUNEDIN
Critics of Dunedin City Council say more losses of millions of dollars for city ratepayers from the sale of Carisbrook should be included in a current Auditor General’s investigation. The Office of the Auditor-General is investigating other property deals by the council’s companies.
Russell Garbutt and Bev Butler, both critics of financial arrangements between the council and the Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU), say the millions of dollars in losses incurred by city ratepayers in the sale of Carisbrook require explanation.
The council has entered a conditional sale agreement to unload Carisbrook, which it bought from the financially ailing ORFU for $6 million in 2009. It paid $1 million for adjacent housing owned by an ORFU trust resulting in the council borrowing the $7 million total package price. The council is releasing few other details about the sale agreement but it is being widely reported that construction company Calder Stewart is the buyer, for $3.5 million. Council had reportedly already sold half the car parking for $727,000 and the housing was sold some time ago for $692,000.
Ms Butler believed an investigation should be included in one under way by the Office of the Auditor-General into council-owned company land deals in the Lakes District. ”Obviously there are some questions that still need to be answered in terms of the actual value of the Carisbrook property.”
Mr Garbutt described the Carisbrook deals as extraordinary.
Read more

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Councillors Kate Wilson and Richard Thomson should be DUMPED

### ch9.co.nz February 15, 2013 – 6:49pm
Auditor General advises councillors they can participate
The Auditor General has advised two DCC councillors they can participate in decisions on an Events Attraction Fund. Richard Thomson and Kate Wilson declared their business interests at an Annual Plan Meeting in January. Both said their businesses benefited from the Elton John Concert. They were excluded from participating and voting on proposed events. The Office of the Auditor General says while they were affected in a similar way to the public they would not be prohibited in participating.
Ch9 Link

Related Post and Comments:
29.1.13 Pecuniary interest: Crs Wilson and Thomson in events fund debate

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Phil Cole on the High Street Cable Car

### ODT Online Wed, 13 Feb 2013
Opinion
Cable car project has popular aims
By Phillip Cole
Achieving an 86% positive response to the recent online ODT poll – ”`Would you like to see a cable car operating up High St?” – was a pleasant, but not surprising, result for the Dunedin Cable Car Trust. From the 994 votes cast, 852 were in favour. The votes reflect the opinion of just under 1% of Dunedin’s population, but it is enough to give us encouragement. Recreating the cable car on High St creates enormous challenges. To overcome these, the trust needs to be pragmatic and innovative to make sure Dunedin is left with an asset rather than a liability. To this end, the trust has spent a lot of time developing a project that will appeal to, and have the support of, a majority.
Some, including those in support of the cable car, are still under the misconception money for the project will come from the Dunedin City and Otago Regional Councils. However, the first matter agreed was that the trust was not going to ask the councils for a cent. We want to create a project the people of Dunedin and further afield can get behind and feel part of. Those who don’t want to support the project would be under no financial obligation to do so.
Read more + Images

● Phillip Cole is chairman of the Dunedin Cable Car Trust (est. 23 July 2008)

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Dunedin had the first cable car system outside of the United States opening in 1881. San Francisco Municipal Railway became the sole operator of cable car service in the world with the closure of the Mornington line in Dunedin on 2 March 1957.

Related Posts and Comments:
15.1.13 Return of High Street cable car
23.12.11 High Street cable car update
27.8.10 Invitation to ALL #High St Cable Car
25.11.09 High Street cable car
23.11.09 High Street Cable Car a possibility
19.10.09 Cable Car Meeting @Dunedin

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

WHAT does DCC’s handling of Carisbrook represent

Blogger Anthony Robins at The Standard offers his take on one of yesterday’s news items. We reproduce his comment in full – given local government transgressions that have defrauded Dunedin renters and ratepayers, multiple times over, connecting to professional rugby, property speculation and the old boys’ network. Be aware, challenge what is happening around you.

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### thestandard.co.nz 12:08 pm, February 13th, 2013
Economic crime
By Anthony Robbins
Yes, the Nat’s economic policies are a crime against common sense and the vast majority of the people. But currently in the news is the other kind of economic crime – white collar crime – fraud and tax evasion. We have a new report on the impact [via TVNZ]:

Economic crime costs NZ billions each year, Govt reveals
White collar frauds and economic crime costs the country billions of dollars each year, government officials have concluded.

Minister for the Serious Fraud Office Anne Tolley said many Ministries had been working for two years on a Cost of Economic Crime report that was due to be presented to cabinet soon.

Tolley, speaking at the inaugural Economic Crime Action Network meeting in Auckland yesterday, said: “Economic crime can range from pro forma invoicing schemes that drain the resources of small businesses and charities, to Ponzi schemes, to fraudulent finance companies that destroy the retirement savings of a generation.”

She said the report was unable to generate a firm methodology to precisely calculate the annual cost, but officials had concluded the cost was “likely to be in the region of many billion of dollars per year.”

Billions. Per. Year. (Similar to previous estimates of $1 to $6 Billion.) And where does National put its energies? Into chasing the comparatively insignificant problem of welfare fraud ($22 Million in a typical year). Where does the court system put its priorities? They like to jail welfare fraudsters more often than the (150 times more damaging) tax dodgers.

Our priorities as a country are completely screwed. If we put as much energy into cracking down on economic crime as we did chasing welfare cheats – we could afford a proper welfare system. Link

[ends]

12.2.13 Stuff Economic crime costs NZ billions each year

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Carisbrook SOLD

To be confirmed, several emails received this evening say Carisbrook has been sold to Calder Stewart, for $3 million.

More soon.

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UPDATED POST 13.2.13

### RNZ National Wednesday 13 February 2013
Morning Report with Geoff Robinson & Simon Mercep
07:29 Dunedin council loses millions on Carisbrook sale
The Dunedin City Council has conditionally sold the former sportsground Carisbrook for millions less than it was bought for. (3′09″)
Audio | Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed

08:55 Carisbrook site sold for industrial development
The fate of Dunedin’s historic Carisbrook stadium looks to have been sealed, and 130 years of sporting history is set to give way to industrial development. (3′56″)
Audio | Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Recognising whistleblowers

### interest.co.nz
February 11, 2013 – 12:36pm
SFO eyeing rewards for whistleblowers similar to those now used in United States to catch Ponzi schemers, fraudsters
By Bernard Hickey
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said it is in the early stages of considering whether to offer rewards, bounties and percentages of fines to whistleblowers providing evidence to detect serious frauds and the sorts of Ponzi schemes similar to the one run by Bernie Madoff. “There has been some early discussions,” SFO Acting CEO Simon McArley told a news conference before a seminar on Economic Crime in Auckland.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

ODT Online: ‘Gone, deleted, it never happened, Councillor’

All is safe, RT. We know nothing!

Elizabeth @ What if? Dunedin
Submitted on 2013/02/10 at 12:39 pm | In reply to Hype O’Thermia.

This one sent to http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/244913/do-maths-stadium-costs hasn’t aired, thrown into the ghost bucket, I guess:

Public accountability, arithmetic
Submitted by ej kerr on Sat, 09/02/2013 – 6:49pm

There’s reason to be grateful to members of the public quickly leaping on superficialities put out by the councillor, as ‘spokesman’ for the DCC on the loss making stadium.

The city council in its wisdom formed a series of shells to ‘see through’ the stadium project; these have resulted in a lack of transparency in governance, a resounding loss of accountability, and multiple opportunities for potential misrepresentation to citizens and ratepayers.

The cumulative bid to foster acceptance in the community for ‘intergenerational debt’ being loaded on citizen ratepayers – as if ‘sustainable’, as if ‘logical’, for future fortunes to be made and shared – was/is a highly immoral behaviour that council politicians are ultimately responsible for.

At the Milton Hilton rests a flag-waver to a board’s lack of diligence and knowledge of its own accounting systems. We don’t need another flag waver, councillor…. not in apology to the city council’s callous disregard for financial prudence.

UPDATE 11.2.13
No longer at the Milton Hilton, the crim-flagwaver has been moved to a 4-bedroom house in “the grounds” of another HM’s establishment near Christchurch.

Related Posts and Comments:
6.2.13 Editorial bias
29.1.13 Pecuniary interest: Crs Wilson and Thomson in events fund debate

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Stadium: Horwath report to DCC (February 2007)

JimmyJones recently referred to the Horwath HTL Financial Feasibility Study, February 2007 (paragraph 2.4) saying that it shows Peter Chin and Jim Harland knew that their stadium was unaffordable, but they went ahead anyway, demonstrating their reckless decision-making:

“Preliminary consultation with the Mayor and CEO of Dunedin City Council indicated that, if funding is not an issue, they personally support the Trust’s vision for a new Stadium in Dunedin. However, they both noted that there is uncertainty, at this stage in the process, as Dunedin City Council has a significant number of projects before it and will need to review it’s (sic) priorities before committing funding for the stadium.”

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You can download the report from the DCC website:

Horwath Report (PDF, 447.3 KB)
Financial feasibility and Economic Impact Assessment report for the New Carisbrook Stadium. (February 2007)

DCC has blacked out portions of the text. See below.

In the blacked out appendices of the Horwath Report it states that a leading real estate agency valued Carisbrook at $3 million.

When this was forwarded to the ODT they initially stated that there was nothing newsworthy in the document. It took much pressure to get them to publish the little they did.

A university lecturer said the blacked out portions of the report could simply be copied and pasted into a new document – the DCC had forgotten to put on the lock key. The same lecturer opined that what was happening was criminal!

Horwath HTL Restored Portions of Appendix 1 Final 17May2007
(DOC, 217 KB)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DIA not releasing report #ORFU #NZRU #pokierorts

● The Trusts Charitable Foundation (TTCF Inc) ● The Trusts Community Foundation Ltd (TTCF Ltd) ● Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU) ● Professional Rugby ● Centre of Excellence for Amateur Sport ● Harness Racing ● Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) ● Gambling Commission ● Pokies ● Rorts ● Organised Crime ● Serious Fraud ● Political Interference

### ODT Online Thu, 7 Feb 2013
Report on ORFU confirmed
By Hamish McNeilly
The Department of Internal Affairs has confirmed the existence of a commissioned report on the Otago Rugby Football Union’s involvement with pokies, but continues to withhold the material. The Otago Daily Times revealed last year the union was involved in buying three Auckland bars, with the intention of setting up its own pokie trust.[…]At the time of finalising the union’s recovery package, New Zealand Rugby Union officials confirmed there were ”potential issues relating to funds obtained from gaming trusts”.

A source close to the inquiry has confirmed the information sent to Internal Affairs was compiled by Cascade Consulting, on behalf of the NZRU. Last week, Internal Affairs confirmed the existence of the Cascade Consulting report, but declined to release it, on the grounds it would prejudice the supply of similar information from the same source.

A 2012 email from an NZRU official to an Internal Affairs senior manager following the release of the Cascade Consulting report, has since been obtained by the ODT. The NZRU email asks for an ”assessment of likely DIA action in light of what the investigator came across”. The ODT has lodged an appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman, for the release of the report.
Read more

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Related Post and Comments:
24.1.13 Pike River, Department of Internal Affairs #skippingthebusiness

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Editorial bias

Received today from Russell Garbutt [email].

Have readers of the ODT online site noticed the failure of the ODT Online Editor to acknowledge that they are abridging comments or simply wiping them?

Two examples of mine recently spring to mind and the context shows where the sympathies of the ODT lies. The first was in response to a comment made by speedfreak43 who noted that the GV of Carisbrook at the time the dear old DCC masquerading as a body acting in the interests of the ratepayers was about $1.5m when the purchase price from the ORFU who really run the DCC, was $7m. This is what I wrote, which simply vanished into thin air:

“speedfreak43, I think you are pretty close to the mark with the recollection of a GV of about $1.5m for Carisbrook. That makes this story even more worth pursuing by the ODT. Here we have a previous owner in the financial doodah for $7m – interestingly because of their purchases of Auckland bars to carry out their pokie fund rort – bailed out by a Council decision to purchase at a price many times more than what is clearly a market price. All backed up by “valuations” that appear to be nothing other than part of the shonky deals done behind closed doors. All replicated almost exactly with Luggate and Jack’s Point. Bearing in mind that every $1m of spend without income that this Council does equates to 1% on the rates and you can see that these 3 property deals alone have cost Dunedin ratepayers close on 15% of rates increases. My question again – who is going to hold these Councillors accountable?”

Now why this sensitivity? The ORFU were involved in a rort and everyone knows that. Were there shonky deals done behind closed doors? Well, we have Carisbrook, Jacks Point and Luggate as examples that are in the public domain. Is it that the ODT don’t want some Councillors to be exposed for what they are? Well here my posting in another thread with the deleted portion emboldened.

“If the promoters are well aware in advance of sound issues at the stadium and have prepared accordingly, then a simple question remains unanswered. Why do patrons who shell out money to see and hear acts at the stadium rate the sound quality over the PA systems as “abhorrent”? While pondering that answer, why is it that, after we were all told that the surface was the most high-tech, durable and incredible surface ever devised that the recent soccer fixture rated the surface as being the worst they had played on? When considering the answer to that question, readers may like to consider just how much they have paid in their rates to achieve these levels of mediocrity. Perhaps Malcolm Farry and the stadium Councillors could provide some answers?”

So, the ODT had printed stories about the sound quality and the turf quality so they couldn’t take exception to that, but they didn’t want Farry and the Stadium Councillors being asked to be held accountable.

This I suggest, is a very clear indication of where the ODT’s sympathies and probable support will be for any forthcoming Council elections. Can it logically be seen in any other way?

[ends]

Related Posts and Comments:
23.1.13 Editorial spin, disagrees?!
1.1.13 Journalist sums up 2012, against the ‘odds’ how does it rate ?
10.6.12 What won’t get printed on ORT’s front page (pssst, about the Albatross…….)
3.8.12 Extraordinary editorials
28.7.12 Pokie fraud: ODT fails to notice own backyard
26.6.12 Defamation
7.5.12 ODT: “the cupboard has been bare” [still is]
4.2.12 Editor pitches for rugby nursery
31.12.11 Dishonourable mention
4.10.11 Something hyped in the news
[the list goes on . . . ]

Editorial Note:
When the What if? moderators enter “abridge” in their dashboard search box up come 74 items of observation and complaint on multiple threads about comments being abridged or not published after submission to ODT Online.
Spot the trend.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr