(9:38) Dunedin has to decide how much money to fork out to keep its Stadium going. Ali Copeman (COC) on the benefits of the stadium.
### radionz.co.nz Tuesday 13 May 2014
Radio New Zealand National
The Panel with Jim Mora
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel
The Panel with Barry Corbett and Vicki Hyde (Part 2)
16:33 Topics – A report’s come out from Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School calling for killer robots to be banned. Dunedin residents could again be asked to beef up the funding for the expensive Forsyth Barr covered stadium. MOTAT, the transport museum in Auckland has been criticised recently for having exhibits of old things; like cars, trams, foodstuffs, boxes of soap powder.
Audio | Downloads: Ogg MP3 (27:16)
Vicki Hyde (Christchurch) and Barry Corbett (Christchurch)
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
Ali hasn’t been doing her sums. Barry Corbett doesn’t get it either, but I don’t think he was firing on all 3 cylinders this time and at least he gets the general idea that when Christchurch is in so much need of necessities a super stadium can wait a while.
Ali thinks the more the stadium is used the less money will be lost. Hasn’t she heard that NOBODY pays the full cost of use of the facility, therefore the more it’s used the more we lose?
Bev Butler does maths coaching. Perhaps the DCC would let Ali go to Bev in work hours to get her number skills up to speed.
The more we use it the better.
Incredible! Ali’s taking profits from the stadium through her conference and events business. A wee bit in-house, dearie.
Barry got lost when he told Dunedin to use the stadium then fessed he’d rather stay home in Chch with his flat screen. Vicki used the right word, “OBSCENE”. Applies here too.
Ali wouldn’t be likely to be doing that well with the stadium as far as conferences go. The word is out that it is an appalling, impractical venue for conferences. That is why you don’t hear much now about the conference drawcard factor there. Coz there ain’t any.
How many real conferences has she organised there? I don’t mean what we would call ‘meetings’. Does she put her money where her mouth is?
I would expect the President of the COC to have a more thorough, intellectual grasp of issues, like the stadium, instead of bleating the same vacuous soundbites of people, like Guy Hedderwick, a fellow tweeter.
Must admit that I listened to this with incredulity. But Barry Corbett continues what appears to be a way into Local Government through Broadcasting. Bob Parker, Dave Cull and Neil Collins to name but a few. I can’t see anything in this background to qualify these people for large scale governance roles and his position of saying that the stadium is now there and people need to go to the events is just stupid. What events? As he says, he sits at home watching rugby with chips to his left, a bourbon to his right, and a 50″ TV to his front. The stadia are nothing other than TV studios so why in God’s name does he expect Dunedin ratepayers to attend the Foobar? He is an idiot.
As for Ali Copeman. Not even worth rebutting her idiotic contribution to this.
This is quite the most ditzy argument out of all the supporters’ nonsense: “the stadium is now there and people need to go to the events.” By all means encourage people to go to the school fair to support it, buy a poppy for Anzac Day. Fund-raising for worthy causes deserves support. But go to a “commercial” (in intent, for all that they they lose money and are subsidised by us already) concert or sports event that does not interest us? Should we also go to commercial cinemas to see movies that have no appeal to us, because the cinemas are there now? Should we take books we don’t want to read out of the library, because it’s there?
How much does the Fubar Stadium receive per conference? Does it have a positive or negative effect, i.e. does it pay for the costs of opening and servicing the stadium plus contribute something towards the cost of the property? Isn’t that the way a privately owned commercial conference venue has to operate? Is the use of Fubar undercutting private enterprise?
When you’re a Star that Jim Mora has at the end of a phone, the public must suspend belief. The facts of limited ratepayer base and limited discretionary spending power in a low-wage economy… the lack of popular events, the fall-off in rugby attendance numbers, the knowingness of ratepayers and renters, the lack of event promoter interest due to the maths, the limited nature of Dunedin visitor attractions generally, the lack of flights and airport runway facility, the plonker stadium design, et al… AND the Dunedin City Council’s ongoing inability to communicate accurately and believably the capital and operational costs of the stadium to the captive PAYING COMMUNITY… was not mentioned by our chairwoman of the local Chamber, Ali Copeman – who is duty bound to not only declare her conflict of interest forthrightly but to openly consider and reference the severe disadvantages the stadium has for business, council and community (not refer glibly to her own DCC rates demand).
TV3 News says “The stadium is estimated to have a net economic benefit to Otago and Dunedin of $24M per year.” (10.5.14) Link
11 comments are posted to their article.
On those “visionaries” in the various council companies who “stay the course” at any cost to the ratepayer:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2004-08-02/
Anonymous, it’s a scary pyramid. We all know which bits holding it up need to be knocked out first. The buggers are entrenched to the extent they always leave DNA in their replacements… What DCHL itself currently amounts to is heavily problematic.
COC-Copeman labours her perceived need for a 5-star hotel at Dunedin to satisfy her own conference and event business (AliKnowsBest)… this Ch39 interview typifies the problem one more time for all to see.
http://www.dunedintv.co.nz/content/nightly-interview-ali-copeman-0
Ali seems to think Professors want/need to stay at five star hotels. Not necessarily so.
A friend of ours who is a professor in the medical research area…and one who on accasion goes to conferences says she would much prefer more modest digs and for the extra money to go to her team of researchers. Better than for her to have to continually scrape for funding.
She is a down to earth woman, utterly practical and ethical. Ali could ponder that there will be others like her.
In my experience there are more academics with a moderate to humble sense of entitlement than there are prima donnas who demand 5-star accommodation. Comfortable clean quarters, good internet access. They dine out more often than not, either at functions or invited by local colleagues. Lunch at the staff club, trying local eateries. Ali is out of touch.
Yes, Hype, scraping around for funding is very time consuming and demoralising. How much better for precious funds to go where it counts.
Who gives a rat’s arse whether your hotel room has a turned out sheet with a chocolate on the pillow? Twee. And you pay for the privilege anyhow.
One thing that has always struck me as being slightly bizarre about University funding is that competent teachers and researchers end up being largely competent professors who are then required to spend a lot of their time in trying to raise money from funders to fund their research. Their expertise is largely in the areas of their research – raising money is not part of their core competencies I would have thought. Just like a person who is really skilled in wringing money out of funders is not necessarily the best person to be doing research into health science or anything else.
I have heard this Ali Copeman person on National Radio and her views are so transparently unsustainable that she should desist from opening her mouth until she can start making sense.
She comes across as a superficial wannabe, mouthing stupid soundbites in order to sound impressive.
Still the COC have never really come across as deep thinkers.
This….’oh, professors…..must be brainy….we must spend up on making them comfy’….is twitty thinking.
They are human beings for God sakes who just want to be able to get on with their work without scrounging for research money.
Otago Chamber of Commerce (affectionately referred to as COC) picks the wrong fight.
The Chamber strongly backed the proposal for the horrendously ugly hotel and apartment tower at 41 Wharf Street (Betterways). They got that so HORRIBLY wrong. Now the Chamber wants to fry building owner Russell Lund for daring to put his historic Loan & Merc building back into use – for apartments.
How dumb are COC. Haven’t they heard about acoustic isolation. Loan and Merc’s only a couple of doors west of the historic Wharf Hotel for god’s sake. Port 2 zone: here we come – protectionism, reverse sensitivities, turbulent waters et al.
LOL Ali Copeman and John Christie can argue all they like, on behalf of ‘big business’ – like thistle heads in the wind.
The Dunedin public desperately want this building conserved, adapted and back in use (in a word: ENJOYED).
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Address: 31-33 Thomas Burns Street, 5 Willis Street and Fryatt Street, Dunedin
â–ˆ Heritage New Zealand – Registration report and history (List no. 4755)
â–ˆ The well-loved building is one of a group of significant structures listed in Heritage New Zealand’s Dunedin Harbourside Historic Area (List no. 7767).
â–ˆ District Plan: Located in the Queens Gardens Heritage Precinct (TH12) and the entire external building envelope is listed for protection in Schedule 25.1 (item B106).
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### ODT Online Wed, 6 Aug 2014
Chamber resists apartment units
By Timothy Brown
The Otago Chamber of Commerce opposes residential development of a historic Dunedin building – arguing the proposal has shades of the costly and largely aborted harbourside rezoning. But building owner Russell Lund has struck back, accusing the chamber of ”knee-jerk nimbyism”.
Thirteen submissions supported the proposed redevelopment of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co Ltd building, while four were opposed and one was neutral.
Read more
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DCC Residential conversion 31 & 33 Thomas Burns Street – LUC-2014-259
Closed: 30/07/2014
Notification of Application for a Resource Consent – Under Section 93(2) of the Resource Management Act 1991.
The proposal is to convert and utilise the second (top) floor of the former NZ Loan and Mercantile Agency Co Ltd Building for residential activity. There will be eleven three-bedroom apartments and twelve one-bedroom apartments established within the existing building. The exterior of the existing building will have new glazing, windows, balconies, doors, entry and south light modifications. There will be ten on-site parking spaces at the corner of Willis Street and Thomas Burns Street for residents’ use. […] The proposed residential activity within the Port 2 zone is considered to be a non-complying activity pursuant to Rule 11.6.4. The modification of the building is considered to be a restricted discretionary activity pursuant to Rules 13.7.3(i) and 13.7.3(ii).
A detailed set of location maps, plans and an assessment of effects are provided with the application. The application has been submitted with an acoustics report.
â–ˆ Read more, including the application documents:
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/notified-resource-consents/notified-applications-pending/residential-conversion-31-and-33-thomas-burns-street
16.7.14 Plans for landmark building outlined [see ODT photos]
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/309497/plans-landmark-building-outlined
21.7.14 Excellent proposal to renew building (opinion)
http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/310008/excellent-proposal-renew-building
For more plan drawings see the application for resource consent.