### ODT Online Tue, 14 Oct 2014
ORC could take up different ‘posture’
By Rebecca Fox
Enabling “development opportunities” and “unleashing potential to enhance prosperity” through planning could be the new direction of the Otago Regional Council. […] Its vision of a “prosperous and sustainable future for Otago” was expressed in four goals – active resource stewardship, active regional partnerships, realisation of new opportunities and the emergence of an “Brand Otago”. Those goals would be delivered through nine proposed areas of focus covering activities around land use change, rivers, efficient water use, benefits of coastal space, biosecurity, hazards, air and transport.
Read more
See agenda and reports for the additional Ordinary meeting of the Otago Regional Council to be held on 15 October 2014:
█ “For Our Future” – A prosperous and sustainable Otago
Otago Regional Council Strategic Plan 10 October 2014 (PDF, 821 KB)
—
Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
“Unleashing potential to enhance prosperity” They stuffed up bigtime backing the stadium with our money. I wonder what similar plans they have for our pot of gold to unleash for prosperity?
Uhuh! This looks like a concerted move by another bureaucracy to enhance its position and job creation, by setting up to poke its nose into the lives and livelihoods of a lot of people. It won’t be good either, just a whole lot more trouble for rural folk and added costs levied. All in the name of a “prosperous and sustainable future”. Have we heard that phrase before? You can see the job adverts now.
“Wanted: applicants with senior planning qualifications to front a new, progressive, forward thinking Regional Council department. Experience and drive to enhance the welfare of the citizens is a prerequisite of this position. The position is a senior one with an attractive salary package offered to the right person. This is a new department and requires an ambitious forward thinking person keen to develop a staff passionate to foster growth throughout the region.” Apply in the first instance to: the CEO of the Otago Regional Council.
The elected regional counclllors should stub this one out at birth. Bet they won’t though.
Could this be a job set up for our old mate Tony ?
Jacob, don’t scare me like that.
Do you think they’d want him back in the fold??? It’s possible.
### ODT Online Thu, 16 Oct 2014
Councillors praise new strategic plan
By Rebecca Fox
The Otago Regional Council will probably be more active, more generous and more interventionist than before under the direction of its new strategic plan, Cr Michael Deaker says. The “For our Future” strategic plan was approved by the council at an additional ordinary meeting yesterday.
Read more
### ODT Online Thu, 16 Oct 2014
ORC $5.1m surplus $2m above budget
By Rebecca Fox
The Otago Regional Council may have posted a $5.1 million surplus, about $2 million more than budgeted for, but it is not money in the bank, council finance and corporate services director Wayne Scott says. The surplus was because of accounting requirements, not over-rating the people of Otago, as Cr Bryan Scott had implied in a question to the council’s auditor, Mr Scott said at an additional council meeting yesterday.
Read more