LGNZ run by Mad Rooster Yule, end of story

Worse, Our Daaave is dumb enough to listen to Lawrence, cronies….

### whaleoil.co.nz February 2, 2015 at 4:30pm
Lawrence Yule wants more of your money
By Cameron Slater
There is a storm coming for local councillors, and for some, the clouds are only going to get darker, particularly as they start eyeing up next year’s local government elections. Local Government New Zealand today released a discussion paper about how they can get hold of more of your money. This is all being spun on the basis that more funding is required to meet the increased demand for services and infrastructure. Quick out of the blocks was the Taxpayers Union who pumped out a release ‘LGNZ Push For Local Income Taxes, Fuel Taxes and Regional GST’.
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TAX PAYERS’ UNION – MEDIA RELEASE
LGNZ PUSH FOR LOCAL INCOME TAXES, FUEL TAXES AND REGIONAL GST

2 February 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Taxpayers’ Union is furious that council lobby group, Local Government New Zealand, is spending ratepayer money on a campaign promoting local income taxes, regional fuel taxes and regional GST-style regimes to increase the tax burden of local councils. LGNZ launched a review document on various options for new taxes this morning.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
“New Zealand’s average rates bill has doubled in the last 20 years, tracking at twice the rate of inflation. Instead of focusing on the quality of councils’ spending decisions, this campaign is using ratepayer money on propaganda promoting new taxes.”

“LGNZ is a taxpayer funded lobby group representing the interests of councils. Nowhere in the discussion paper do we see a disciplined analysis of why local government spending is out of control.”

“This campaign is so blatant that LGNZ spin doctors are sending Mayors draft opinion pieces so local politicians can ‘leverage local media’ and promote these new taxes. The Taxpayers’ Union has been forwarded some of the emails by elected officials who are concerned LGNZ is overstepping the mark.”
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
14.1.15 DCC Draft Long Term Plan: more inanity from Cull’s crew pending
13.1.15 Government’s council tax freeze
27.11.14 Auditor-general Lyn Provost #Resign
3.11.14 DCC: What happened to $20 million cash on hand? #LGOIMA
10.10.14 Cull consorts with losers at LGNZ
8.10.14 Stadium: Liability Cull warns ratepayers could pay more to DVML
18.9.14 DCC considers sale of “149 properties”
5.8.14 DCC staff-led CBD projects that impact ratepayers….
30.7.14 Dunedin City Council | Consolidated council debt
5.7.14 DCC’s debt level — who do you believe?
26.6.14 LGNZ #blaggardliars
23.6.14 DCC Annual Plan 2014/15 + Rugby and Rates
12.6.14 Fairfax Media [not ODT] initiative on Local Bodies
11.4.14 Councils: Unaccountable, ready to tax? #DCC #ORC
31.3.14 Audit services to (paying) local bodies #FAIL ● AuditNZ….
29.1.14 Mangawhai, Kaipara —we hear ya!
3.12.13 LGNZ: OAG report on Kaipara
7.10.13 DCC councillors, no idea annual cost of owning, operating FB Stadium
29.9.13 Alert: Dunedin voters —Mayors gain more powers
29.6.13 Audit NZ and OAG clean bill of health —Suspicious!
26.9.13 DCC: Council consolidated debt $623 million
21.4.13 Councils “in schtook” —finance & policy analyst Larry Mitchell
29.10.12 DCC consolidated debt substantially more than $616m to June 30, 2012
30.5.12 Larry Mitchell: 2012 Local Govt League Table Summary
4.7.11 Local government finances

█ For more, enter the terms *dcc*, *dchl*, *annual plan*, *long term plan*, *stadium* or *dvml* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Venues Community Events Fund 2015

ODT 31.1.15 (page 4)

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### dunedintv.co.nz February 2, 2015 – 5:57pm
Community groups and organisations invited to use Forsyth Barr Stadium
Dunedin community groups and organisations are invited to apply for funding to use Forsyth Barr Stadium. Each year the company that runs the stadium has to allocate $750,000 in funding for community use. That’s part of its agreement with the Dunedin City Council. The money covers the cost of using the stadium for non-profit groups and charities. It’s for events which encourage community use of the facility, resources and equipment. Funding is now available for events in the second half of this year. A second funding round, for next year’s events, will open in September.
Ch39 Link [No video available]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Operation Chestnut: DIA, SFO fluffing round the edges #TTCF #ORFU

“Operation Chestnut has been a significant investigation in the Class 4 sector and we’ve welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with the SFO and OFCANZ.” –Maarten Quivooy, DIA

### NZ Herald Online 12:00 PM Monday Feb 2, 2015
Four in court charged with $30m pokie fraud
By Hamish Fletcher – Business reporter
A former chairman of Harness Racing New Zealand and three other people have been charged over an alleged $30 million pokie fraud. It is the biggest criminal case ever of its kind involving pokies outside of a casino. Four defendants have appeared in the Wellington District Court today over the alleged manipulation of grants which come from pokie machines, a Department of Internal Affairs spokeswoman said this morning. The defendants, charged by the Serious Fraud Office with obtaining by deception, are former HRNZ chairman Patrick O’Brien, his son Michael O’Brien, Paul Anthony Max and another person with interim name suppression. The alleged offending was uncovered during an investigation called Operation Chestnut which involved the DIA, SFO and the Organised and Financial Crime Agency of New Zealand.
Read more

*The name of the fourth defendant is known to What if? -Eds.

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Related Posts and Comments:
22.1.15 ORFU chairman quits —no thanks to DCC for all its help *sniff
31.12.13 Martin Legge: Operation Chestnut [DIA’s PR exercise]

█ For more, enter the terms *operation chestnut*, *pokies*, *legge*, *whistleblower*, *rorts*, *dia*, *sfo*, *ttcf*, *gambling*, *orfu*, *rugby*, *jokers* and *racing* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr