Johnstone on ORC report : ‘The Natural Hazards of South Dunedin’ (July 2016)

█ The Natural Hazards of South Dunedin – July 2016 [read online]
Otago Regional Council
ISBN: 978-0-908324-35-4
Report writers:
Michael Goldsmith, ORC Natural Hazards Manager
Sharon Hornblow, ORC Natural Hazards Analyst
Reviewed by: Gavin Palmer, ORC Director Engineering, Hazards and Science
External review by: David Barrell, Simon Cox, GNS Science, Dunedin

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Received from Neil Johnstone
Sun, 29 Aug 2016 at 8:17 p.m.

Message: Misinformation on the causes of the June 2015 South Dunedin flood have abounded since the event. As if the victimised residents haven’t suffered enough from others’ inactions (before and during the event), they are now being subjected to a hazards discovery process whose vigour appears to be exceeded only by its own recklessness. Following are a commentary of the hazards approach adopted by the Otago Regional Council (ORC), and a summary of my investigations into the flood event that I commenced after the publication of Dunedin City Council’s first flood report back in November 2015.

You can download Neil Johnstone’s report or read it below (formatted slightly differently to suit the WordPress template).

█ Download: A REVIEW OF ORC REPORT THE NATURAL HAZARDS OF SOUTH DUNEDIN (1) (PDF, 587 KB)

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AN APPRAISAL OF RECENT REPORTING OF SOUTH DUNEDIN HAZARDS

N.P JOHNSTONE, BEng (Civil), MIPENZ

1. Introduction

There is some irony that DCC and ORC should be planning “drop in” sessions for residents in respect of South Dunedin hazard issues during September 2016, some 15 months after the major flood. The prime cause of flooding in June 2015 was DCC’s failure to maintain its infrastructure (not just mudtanks), and its failure to operate its pump stations to their intended capacities. The subsequent spread of misconceptions (i.e. groundwater levels, rainfall significance etc) surrounding the flood causes was at least partly due to inaccurate ORC analyses and reporting.

Repetitive and new doubtful information emanating from ORC via its latest report has been noted. Presentations and an over-simplistic video production have been observed. A footnote covering these observations is included at the end of this appraisal.

Long-delayed DCC reports on causes of the South Dunedin flooding have already been strongly criticised by the author. Specifically discredited are misrepresentations of sea level, groundwater and rainfall ranking. Accepted now by DCC as factors (somewhat grudgingly, and depending on the audience) are mudtank blockage and Portobello Road pump station failures (plural); still to be fully acknowledged are the failures at Musselburgh Pumping Station.

Attention is now turned to significant parts of hazard reports produced by the Otago Regional Council and utilised by DCC.

2. Coastal Otago Flood Event 3 June 2015 (ORC, published October 2015)

This report deals with a wider area than South Dunedin. It is apparent that ORC staff never visited the flooding areas of South Dunedin on 3 June, but took advantage of fine weather to take some water level readings the following day. The opportunity for useful progressive surface water level recording was thus lost. Levels were collected at some 150 points on 4 June. ORC’s main conclusion was that “localised variations in topography were probably the main driver of flood depth”. Or, put another way, water depth was deepest where the ground was lowest. This seems hardly surprising, and even trivial. No attempt was made to explain the photographic images presented of extensive ponding remaining well after the rains had ceased. The phenomena of blocked mudtanks and unutilised pumping capacity went seemingly unnoticed.

The report does usefully reference ORC’s four borehole recorders of groundwater, but makes the somewhat misleading assessment that groundwater levels were “elevated” prior to the rainstorm. This misinformation was seized upon by agencies such as DCC and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to highlight climate change impacts.

Having obtained the actual groundwater level data from ORC via the LGOIMA process, the author was able to reveal this “groundwater fallacy” in reviews from February 2016, but it was not until the publication of NZ Listener’s article (June 11-17, 2016) entitled ‘FLOOD FIASCO’ that ORC admitted that pre-flood groundwater levels were in fact “just a little bit above average”. ORC now seems intent on resurrecting this fallacy.

The ORC report fails to address the real and key issues of pumping station failures (Portobello Road and Musselburgh), or comparisons with much lesser flood impacts in the larger rainfall event of March 8/9 1968.

The report states that the 2015 24-hour rainfall was the largest since 1923. This was patently incorrect, but again was utilised by DCC to divert blame from their role in the disaster.

3. The Natural Hazards of South Dunedin (ORC, published July 2016)

The report states unambiguously in its Opening Summary that the major flooding of June 2015 was “a result of heavy rainfall, surface runoff, and a corresponding rise in groundwater”. By now, most people are aware that the causes of the flooding’s disastrous impact were failure to optimally operate pumping stations, failure to clear mudtanks, and failure to deploy staff to key areas during the event. Again, none of these factors is addressed in ORC’s report.

The report presents a table on its second page entitled “Factors Which Can Influence Flood Hazard”. Examples of exaggerated negativity include:

1. Heavy Rainfall:
– Many recorded instances of rainfall leading to surface flooding.
– Heavy rainfall events have occurred frequently over the last decade.

Comment: These conclusions do not appear to be supported by the report’s text, and are vague, factually challengeable and alarmist. Prior to 2015, no major flooding had occurred in South Dunedin since 1968, and even that was minor by comparison.

2. Sea Level:
– Groundwater level fluctuates (by up to 0.5m near the coast) on a twice-daily cycle in response to normal ocean tides.

Comment: All of South Dunedin is near the coast; most of the area does not experience such large fluctuations. This should have been made clear by the inclusion of groundwater data from all 4 ORC sites across the plain, not just from Kennedy Street.

3. Seismic:
– Large earthquakes could result in increased flood hazard on the South Dunedin plain, due to liquefaction-related land subsidence or direct, sudden, changes in land elevation relative to sea level.

Comment: All areas of NZ have some susceptibility to earthquake damage. Dunedin is amongst the areas at lowest risk; no incidences of even minor liquefaction have ever been reported in South Dunedin, and little or no clearly liquefiable materials have been identified (Refer GNS, 2014*).

Economist Liam Halligan says crude oil has gone into “bull market” territory!

Received from Douglas (Mick) Field
28 Aug 2016 at 1:00 p.m.

Message: Good summary here on the oil situation. Especially clear opening comment on the dependency on fossil fuels in the foreseeable future. But full article (warning: pay wall) also good on the situation re the economic battle for supply.

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[sputniknews.com]

### telegraph.co.uk 27 Aug 2016 • 2:19PM
Why I’m sticking with my forecast of oil rising to $60 a barrel
By Liam Halligan
In the absence of a major financial meltdown, oil will end 2016 north of $60 a barrel,” this column stated at the turn of the year. It was a forecasting flourish possibly fuelled by one Christmas brandy too many. With just four months of 2016 to go, though, I’m sticking to my Yuletide view.
Attempting to predict the oil price is crazy. Yet no decent economist can afford not to. The world economy still revolves around oil –used in everything from transport and electricity generation to the production of plastics, synthetics and so much else. And for all the breathless talk about renewables, and the grim inevitability of growing nuclear dependence, we remain addicted to oil.
As recently as 2005, world crude consumption was just 84.7 million barrels a day. That’s since gone up to 95.1 million daily, a 12pc increase in just 10 years. And that rise came during a decade when global GDP growth was rather sluggish. Had the world economy not endured the 2008 financial crisis, and subsequent stop-start recovery, oil consumption would have grown even more. But still, for all the expansion of wind and solar, and endless hype about a “post-petroleum world”, oil consumption continues to rise relentlessly and that won’t change any time soon.
The oil price has surged this month, up from around $41 a barrel in early August to almost $52 last week, before falling back slightly. This 20pc-plus increase puts crude technically into “bull market” territory. This is striking, not least because from mid-June to the end of July, oil was in “a bear market”, having dropped over 20pc. Despite this summer volatility, though, the direction of travel is clear. Oil has been climbing steadily, if not always in a straight line, from its February low of $28 a barrel. This August rise in oil prices stems from market fundamentals on the one hand, and geopolitical speculation on the other.

Earlier this month, the highly respected International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report suggesting global crude supply will fall short of demand during the third quarter by nearly a million barrels a day. This projected deficit comes despite the fact that the Opec exporters’ cartel continues to pump like billy-o. Having traditionally restricted supply to keep prices high, Opec has over the last two years been doing the reverse, of course – flooding global markets with oil, lowering prices to squeeze high-cost US shale producers out of existence. Amidst record production by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE, total Opec output hit an eight-year high in July, up no less than 840,000 barrels a day on the same month in 2015. This Opec supply surge was more than offset, though, by the dramatic ongoing slump in output from producers outside Opec. Declines in the US, China, Canada and Mexico combined to push non-Opec production down by more than 1.1 million barrels a day compared to July 2015. […] If there is a deal in Algiers, and it binds with Opec holding together, and the Russians staying on board then my end-of year oil prediction, in the absence of a Lehman-style global meltdown, will almost certainly come true. Such geopolitical stargazing has helped push up oil prices this month. During the first week of August, short crude oil positions on the NYMEX, one of the world’s leading commodity exchanges, were at a 10-year high. A large number of traders, in other words, thought oil was set to fall back towards $30. That view has now been thoroughly trounced, with the resulting “short squeeze” helping to drive this latest 20pc oil price rise. Aside from speculation and diplomatic wrangling, though, there’s growing evidence of an emerging supply-demand deficit. Buried in the IEA’’s latest report is the significant observation that it expects a further 900,000-barrel reduction in non-Opec output by the end of this year. This Saudi-driven price war has seen global investment in oil exploration and field development cut by $300bn, some 41pc, since 2014. The “active rig count”–, the number of wells being pumped worldwide, is down 37pc. Before these trends are slowed, let alone reversed, oil will need to spend at least six months, and probably a year, firmly above $60 a barrel, if investors are to be convinced profits can be made, so persuading them to put serious money back into future crude production. Unless global markets crash, I say that year of $60-plus oil will be 2017.

Full article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/27/why-im-sticking-with-my-forecast-of-oil-rising-to-60-a-barrel/

● Liam Halligan (@LiamHalligan) – Economist/Writer/Broadcaster, Telegraph Columnist, BNE Editor-at-Large, Proud member of http://www.thehooligans.co.uk Locations: London, Saffron Walden, Moscow.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Cull’s city council is Not democracy : VOTE CULL OUT

PAINT BOMBERS WANTED. Apply here.
Dave Cull’s marketer, Ms Firebrand, is using LOL “brand” recognition to attempt to Fire up and Win over the Good Voters of South Dunedin. Was it a $7,000 billing on the railway viaduct entry to King Edward Street. Rhetorical. Cull has already LOST South Dunedin. Better spent on Lobotomy. Any mayor who Floods You or lowers Your Private Property Values is Not To Be Trusted EVER. Parade Cull at dawn to the public stocks. YOU OWE Dave Cull NOTHING except Projectile rotten eggs and rancid tomatoes.

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Meanwhile….
A new mayoral candidate, in 2016, with No Previous Experience on the city council thinks he should run the city council like a Rugby Team.

What ‘BUSINESS'(!) does he have representing Ratepayers and Residents for the next trimester —given how Professional Rugby has Rorted Dunedin down to the Last Dollar, multiple times over. We all know how a stadium draws ‘tourism’.

WHO IS HE ?
Solve the mystery.

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F O R C E D ● L O C A L ● G O V E R N M E N T ● R E F O R M S

Such companies, like Delta or City Forests in Dunedin, would operate along more corporate lines and at arm’s length from the councils that owned them.

so what’s new $$$$$$$$………….. ?

Sat, 27 Aug 2016 – Chris Morris
ODT: Fight for local democracy
At their heart, the [National government-led local government] reforms sought to promote greater efficiency through the use of council-controlled organisations (CCOs). […] But, worryingly for some councils, the Local Government Commission would have the power to create and impose “multi-council” regional CCOs that operated across traditional council boundaries. That could include “pre-approved” regional water and transport CCOs, responsible for everything from local roads and public transport to water delivery, such as Auckland’s Watercare. The commission would also have the power to transfer existing council assets — in some cases built up over generations — to the ownership and control of the new entities.

█ ODT: Criticism ‘just electioneering’

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: scarfyblog.co.nz + mylifemysite.com – Cull paint bombed
[tweaked by whatifdunedin]

Delta #EpicFail —EpicFraud #12 : The Buyer Confirmed

Received from Christchurch Driver [CD]
Fri, 26 Aug 2016 at 9:47 p.m.

Readers, you must allow your correspondent some iced cupcakes with his Choysa tonight, go on then, the ones with the cherry on top….your correspondent, with a modicum of luck was in fact 100% successful in the dire prediction that Infinity, of Wanaka, are indeed the purchasers of the Noble Subdivision. Our friends at Delta have issued a breathless press release explaining they are or have received $0.9m – yes $0.9M, from their friends at Infinity. The sky is blue, houses will be built, Delta’s financial fruit will follow. Fancy that !! Let us allow reality to intrude : This is the first, and only guaranteed payment that Delta will receive for the outstanding $25M+ debt they have incurred there. That’s not low hanging fruit, it’s been trampled underfoot and is not even worth stewing (over). Trampled underfoot also is the small matter of the outstanding interest. Would it be churlish to remind readers that Delta, of course, has written off about $12M in interest because it wanted to protect certain reputations more than it wanted to protect ratepayers ? Would it spoil Delta’s collective fist pump to remind them that $0.9M is no more than (and likely less than) 4% of the outstanding debt ? Yes I thought so. Delta as debt collectors ? = EpicFail.

Missing in Delta’s gushing remarks from Grady Cameron was any mention of the Constructive Fraud action. It seems that the hapless Mr Smillie has taken Delta down a dark cul-de-sac yet again this week. Mr Smillie has opposed Delta being joined to the constructive fraud action, with a mistaken understanding of High Court rule 4.56. However, that rule is not relevant and it is trumped by High Court Rules 4.1 and 4.3 which allow parties to be joined. Basically, the rules allow that a plaintiff can joinder anyone at any time, and the plaintiff caveator in this action is 100% unlikely to allow the central party to the constructive fraud action (yes, that is you Grady as CEO of Delta) to smile bashfully and say “can I go now?” after having undermined the interests of the neighbours on occasions too numerous to count at this point. Oh well Mr Smillie, another unpaid legal bill….

This is an important point because our Delta friends seem oblivious to the impending legal actions they are facing. Delta think that because the caveats were lifted, all is well, but that is still subject to a court of appeal hearing, and the way is open now for Delta to have another action brought against them by the neighbours. Delta and the DCC’s pockets are deeper than Gold Band’s, and they can’t go broke, so from the neighbours’ view, what’s not to like ?

Delta’s utter stupidity is revealed when the press release acknowledges that they have allowed a bank lender to take the first mortgage over the property, and have put themselves, yet again in the same weak position. As noted in the Delta —EpicFraud #10 post, Dunedin City Council just needed to show a scrap of acumen and take control of the subdivision. Now their fortunes are tied to an even weaker developer than Noble (how is that possible ?), who has managed to lose, much, much more money than Noble (truth stranger than fiction), and to cap it off, are in the same second mortgage position. This is not logical. But it is a windfall – for Infinity. Could there be a quid pro quo somewhere ?

Turnips all round. Readers, consider when voting, that Cr Lee Vandervis is the only surviving councillor (there were only ever two, Hilary RIP from Council) who grasps this major issue and has fought for the ratepayers. Cr Vandervis has never been one to accept Mr Crombie’s vague platitudes and was always wary of Mr McKenzie. Vandervis for Mayor.

[ends]

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From: Gary Johnson [Gary.Johnson @thinkdelta.co.nz]
Sent: Fri, 26 Aug 2016 at 4:21 p.m.

Message: Please find media release attached regarding a breakthrough on recovery of outstanding debt owed to Delta in relation to the Yaldhurst Village subdivision.

█ 160826 Media Statement_Breakthrough on Yaldhurst subdivision debt recovery

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“With a new developer, new financing and removal of the caveats, the way is now clear for the Yaldhurst Village subdivision to restart….” Mr Grady (sic) said. –emphasis by whatifdunedin

### ODT Online Fri, 26 Aug 2016
Delta sells Christchurch subdivision
By Vaughan Elder
Delta has hailed the sale of a controversial Christchurch subdivision as a breakthrough in its efforts to recover $13.4 million in bad debt. The Dunedin City Council owned infrastructure company yesterday announced Wanaka-based developers Infinity Group purchased the Yaldhurst Village subdivision. […] The purchase means Delta has entered a new loan agreement with Infinity Yaldhurst Limited, to replace the existing $13.4 million debt owed to Delta by the original developer.
Read more [See tomorrow’s ODT]

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● INFINITY YALDHURST LIMITED (5886102)
Incorporation Date: 09 Feb 2016
Address for service:
Jackson Valentine Limited, Level 3, 258 Stuart Street, Dunedin 9016
http://www.companies.govt.nz/co/5886102

Ultimate holding company :
● INFINITY INVESTMENT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED (1004601)
Incorporation Date: 06 Dec 1999
Address for service:
Jackson Valentine Limited, Level 3, 258 Stuart Street, Dunedin 9016
http://www.companies.govt.nz/co/1004601

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Related Posts and Comments:
8.8.16 Delta #EpicFail —Epic Fraud #11 : The Buyer
1.8.16 Delta #EpicFail —The End Game according to CD
31.7.16 Delta #EpicFail —Epic Fraud #10 : The Beginning of the End : Grady Cameron and his Steam Shovel

█ For more, enter the terms *delta*, *noble* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

U o O please explain!

The University of Auckland was ranked in the top 151-200 universities, an improvement on 2015 when the institution was ranked in the top 201-300.

### ODT Online Thu, 25 Aug 2016
Otago drops in academic ranking
By Margot Taylor
The University of Otago has dropped in an annual list of the world’s top universities. The university was ranked in the 300-401 band of the top 500 universities in the world in Shanghai Ranking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities 2016, the first time in eight years it has not been in the top 200-301. […] Otago University was the only New Zealand institution to drop in the list since it was last ranked.
Read more

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University of Otago Capping Sextet, 2015 [youtube.com]

█ For more, enter the terms *u o o*, *university*, *harlene* or *student* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image:

Delta peripheral #EpicFail : Stonewood Homes —Boult under investigation

Stonewood Homes New Zealand Ltd was placed in receivership on February 22, 2016, owing unsecured creditors $15M.

### ODT Online Tue, 23 Aug 2016
Investigation of mayoral candidate
By Mark Price
Queenstown mayoral candidate Jim Boult is to be investigated in relation to the collapse of Stonewood Homes New Zealand Ltd, something Mr Boult says he welcomes. Ernst and Young liquidator Rhys Cain said yesterday an investigation into the failed company would begin “in the next few days”. It would examine the workings of the company during the two years before its collapse, with a “specific focus” on its final six months. […] Mr Boult was a member of the board of the Christchurch building company for about a year and acted as executive chairman for a period. He stood down from the board on February 1, 2016, telling Mountain Scene later he had done so because he had been part of an attempt to buy Stonewood before receivers were called in and he considered he had a conflict of interest. […] Asked if he could rule out action against Mr Boult, Mr Cain said: “No”.
Read more

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Related Post and Comments:
11.3.16 Delta peripheral #EpicFail : Stonewood Homes and ancient Delta history

█ For more, enter the terms *delta*, *noble* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: stuff.co.nz – Jim Boult by Stacy Squires

Andrew Noone on what it takes #localbodypolitics

ODT 20.8.16 (page 51)

Wed, 10 Feb 2016
ODT: ‘Liberal’ council spending a worry
Cr Andrew Noone is concerned about how “liberal” the Dunedin City Council has been when it comes to spending ratepayer money. He made the comments during pre-draft annual plan considerations yesterday […] Cr Noone said he was worried the council had been too willing to increase spending during the annual plan process. “It does make me nervous we have approached the last day and a-half … in a fairly liberal way in terms of adding things in. I’m nervous … the headroom that we have is disappearing rapidly without having considered the majority of core services.”

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Fri, 26 Feb 2016
ODT: Council veteran ‘unlikely’ to stand
Long-serving councillor Andrew Noone says he is “highly unlikely” to seek re-election to the Dunedin City Council. The six-term councillor has represented the Waikouaiti Coast-Chalmers ward for 18 years, but yesterday told the Otago Daily Times it was time for fresh blood.

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█ Noone is standing for the Otago Regional Council

ORC Dunedin Constituency (6 vacancies)
– Deaker, Michael
– Kempton, Trevor
– Neill, Sam
– Noone, Andrew Independent
– Robertson, Gretchen Anna
– Rutherford, Andrew
– Scott, Bryan Independent
– Threlfall, John
– Wall, Pat Green Dunedin
– Yardley, Dave Independent

More ORC candidate profiles

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

DUNEDIN : So over Cull #SmartVoters #WannaNewMayor

ODT 23.8.16 (page 8)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: Hex, whatifdunedin gives clarity to Cull’s tired campaign

Win! to DCC candidate Paul Pope #DunedinHospital

ODT 22.8.16 (page 6)

*overlay by whatifdunedin

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Posted by Stop Dunedin Hospital from being downgraded
Monday, 22 August 2016

[screenshot]

Comments on Monday, 22 August 2016 at 7:12 p.m.
[screenshot – click to enlarge]

█ For more, enter the terms *hospital*, *sdhb* and *food* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

New Zealand Fresh Water Quality Atrociously Poor —agricultural intensity

### ODT Online Thu, 18 August 2016
Inquiry into Havelock North Water
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has confirmed a Government-initiated independent inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination. “To ensure we have a clear understanding of what has happened in Havelock North as well as any learnings from the situation, the Government will launch an independent Inquiry,” Coleman said. “This approach has been agreed between the Government and Hastings District Council as the best way forward.” NZME
Read more

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In 2014 council consented for barn-fed, robotic milking dairy farm on the land opposite Havelock North water bores.

— Whena Owen (@WhenaOwen) August 19, 2016

Our piss-pour, cow-scour friend, LGNZ’s Lawrence Yule………

As Havelock North recovers from the largest outbreak of water-borne illness in New Zealand in 30 years, Lisa Owen asks Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule how it happened and if the Council did enough to keep people safe.

Video (part 1):

What went wrong in Havelock North's water supply? @lisaowennz talks to Hasting mayor Lawrence Yule https://t.co/IcDQ631znp

— The Nation (@TheNationTV3) August 20, 2016

Video (part 2):

Ecologist Mike Joy on the water crisis in Havelock North. How can we stop it happening again? https://t.co/tp8IAhSj5U

— The Nation (@TheNationTV3) August 20, 2016

Lawrence Yule says whatever is in the aquifer is still there and the Council doesn't know yet how it got into the bores #nationtv3

— The Nation (@TheNationTV3) August 20, 2016

Yule says campylobacter can also come from food outlets and it took time to establish it was in the water.. they didn't want to cause panic

— The Nation (@TheNationTV3) August 20, 2016

Ecologist Mike Joy says Havelock North is a symptom of a bigger picture in NZ #nationtv3

— The Nation (@TheNationTV3) August 20, 2016

The Govt-subsidised Ruataniwha irrigation scheme will add 1000s of large ruminant animals into the Hawkes Bay. What could possibly go wrong?

— Russel Norman (@RusselNorman) August 21, 2016

Ok let's start w those at top who promote water pollution: Charges possible over Havelock North water bug – PM https://t.co/VNM56zpxSw

— Russel Norman (@RusselNorman) August 21, 2016

This cartoon in @ManawatuNZ hits the nail on the head #HavelockNorth #ichoosecleanwater pic.twitter.com/jCbS53ylrr

— Amelia Geary (@kakariki_green) August 21, 2016

Campylobacter inquiry won't consider legal liability https://t.co/2Pt5YkIYUE

— Brent Edwards (@rnzbrentedwards) August 22, 2016

Illness findings 'extremely unlikely' from Tukituki – council https://t.co/XmzBjXW7xz

— Brent Edwards (@rnzbrentedwards) August 22, 2016

****

“We [NZ] have the highest level of many of these waterborne gastrointestinal diseases in the OECD.” –Prof Russell Death

### radionz.co.nz Mon, 22 August 2016
Radio New Zealand National
Checkpoint with John Campbell
Fresh water results worst ecology professor has seen
An ecology professor says council measures of water quality around Hawke’s Bay are lower than any he has seen before in New Zealand. A government-led inquiry launched today will look at how Havelock North’s water supply became contaminated and how the response was handled by local authorities.

An estimated 4100 people have suffered from gastric illness following the contamination of the water supply, and more than 500 have been confirmed as due to campylobacter. Several people were hospitalised, and a coroner is looking at whether the death of an 89-year-old woman, who had contracted campylobacter, was from other underlying causes or was connected to the infection.

In the latest round of tests, Hastings, Flaxmere and Bridge Pa returned clear results meaning the water there continued to be safe to drink. However, while the chlorine-treated water supply in Havelock North had also been cleared, a boil water notice remained there.

Massey University professor Russell Death has studied freshwater in the broader Tukituki-Papanui-Karamu area, which includes Havelock North. He told Checkpoint with John Campbell macroinvertebrate community composition (MCI) values, which measured the general health of the water, were very low in the broader area around Havelock North. “A town water supply in New Zealand is infected by many of the pathogenic organisms that live in our water supplies, it’s not surprising at all – in fact, it’s inevitable,” he said. He said, normally, a very unhealthy river could present MCI values as low as 80, but the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s own measurements had found levels even lower. “The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have done their own sampling around the Karamu catchment, and that’s where they’ve found MCI values down to 60 which, as I said, I didn’t realise MCI values could get that low.” He said students he had sent to the area had come back having seen dead animals on riverbanks and asked not to be sent to sample streams so badly affected again.
Read more

█ Audio : Fresh water results worst ecology professor has seen
Checkpoint ( 6′34″ )

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

South Dunedin mainstreet Hub : no direct relevance to distant Gasworks

as well as (pre-Election)
DESPICABLE DCC / ORC CLIMATE CHANGE MASSAGE

[click to enlarge]
DCC Webmap – GREAT DISTANCE except by computer or Segway….
South Dunedin | from King Edward St (red) to Gasworks Museum (blue) via Lorne and Braemar Sts (green) – colour overlays by whatifdunedin.

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█ DCC doesn’t need Athfield Architects to justify the LONG DURATION need and solution. No disrespect to colleague, the late Ian Athfield —or the current firm (love them heaps).

DCC, DO NOT OVER THINK THIS, FOR CRISSAKES
Give South Dunedin a community facility as was Promised YEARS AGO. Leave the goodie-two-shoes Gasworks Museum lobbyists out of it, or very much to the side. They mean well, but for too long they’ve been praying on the feckless DCC, soaking up Ratepayer dollars with little justification, and they keep wanting more.

COLLECTIVELY, WE HAVE LOCAL SOLUTIONS – WE DON’T NEED TO BE HELD BY THE HAND TO SET UP SOMETHING SO INCREDIBLY SIMPLE AS AN ECONOMICAL WELL-CRAFTED COMMUNITY HUB IN KING EDWARD STREET

How many people is this “out of control” Dunedin City Council wanting to Massage – BEFORE the October Local Body Elections.

VOTE BUYING
The CULL Stench around this is SO DISGUSTING.

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Drop-in sessions start of community conversation on South Dunedin’s future

This item was published on 22 Aug 2016

A series of drop-in information sessions hosted by the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council early next month are the start of a community conversation around South Dunedin’s future. The sessions will be at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum on Thursday, 1 September and Friday, 2 September.

DCC chief executive Sue Bidrose will be presenting information about what happened in the 2015 flood, how the current stormwater system works, and how the DCC plans to invest and work with the community in the future.

Ms Bidrose said that it was important to plan carefully for South Dunedin’s changing environment. It was also important to take the time to involve the community in the decision making along the way, rather than to just do things on their behalf.

“Addressing the challenges of the future requires the DCC and ORC starting to have conversations with the community about the challenges, and the expectations and options for what can be achieved. The rest of Dunedin’s population needs to be involved as well. There is a great opportunity to turn some of the challenges into opportunities and give confidence for long-term investment in the area. These drop-in sessions are the beginning of the process. The DCC will be actively seeking local people’s thoughts on these issues and working with the ORC on what the long-term responses might be. I’m looking forward to seeing as many people as possible from the South Dunedin area at the sessions.” –Bidrose [employed by ????]

ORC director of stakeholder engagement Caroline Rowe said the drop-in sessions were part of a wider South Dunedin community engagement plan, aimed at developing a conversation with locals and groups about managing the risks associated with the changing environment. Ms Rowe said they follow the recent release of the ORC’s Natural Hazards of South Dunedin report. The [BULLSHIT ORC] technical report pulls together information and analysis gathered over the past seven years on natural hazards facing the area, particularly the increased likelihood of surface flooding associated with rising sea level. [FALSE AND MISLEADING BULLSHIT]

Presentations, with accompanying video, will be at each session and people will have an opportunity to talk individually to staff from both councils. The hour-long sessions will be repeated several times, with Thursday sessions starting at 10am, 11.30am, 1pm, 4.30pm and 7pm. The Friday sessions will start at 10am, 11.30am, and 1pm.

Ongoing engagement planned for the next few weeks also includes briefings for support service agencies and other specific interest groups such as the South Dunedin Business Association, the Otago Chamber of Commerce, and school and early childhood centres.

Contact Sue Bidrose, chief executive DCC on 03 477 4000.

DCC Link

█ Feedback on the proposal can be provided online on the council’s website at http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council-online/currently-consulting-on/current-consultations/south-dunedin-community-hub

The feedback period runs from Saturday, 20 August until 4pm on Monday, 29 August.

****

Mon, 22 Aug 2016
ODT: South D hub proposal unveiled
The Dunedin City Council is calling for feedback from residents on its preferred option for a library and community hub in South Dunedin before a report is presented to councillors next month. Council services and development general manager Simon Pickford and architect Jon Rennie, of Athfield Architects, presented the council’s preferred option to about 50 people at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum on Saturday morning. Under the $5.25 million proposal, a library would be built in the former BNZ building in King Edward St and the facility linked to the Gasworks Museum through Lorne St. Some facilities, such as a café, would be based at the museum. Mr Pickford said residents had until August 29 to provide feedback to the council on the proposal.

█ For more, enter the terms *south dunedin*, *flood*, *hazard*, *vandervis* (sane) and *cull* (VOTE Cull OUT) in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

DCC acuity: ‘Let’s shift Octagon taxi ranks, Again —near dire drinking holes #whatswrongwiththispicture

[click to enlarge]
Octagon taxi rank [dunedin.govt.nz] – orange overlay by whatifdunedin (drinking holes / hospitality)

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
New trial site for evening taxi rank

This item was published on 22 Aug 2016

A new location for the evening taxi rank in the Octagon will be trialled for three months. From tomorrow, the evening taxi rank will move from outside the Municipal Chambers and Civic Centre to the central lane of the Octagon, where tour bus parking has been provided. The rank will operate from 7pm to 7am, Monday to Sunday. During the day time, the taxi rank will operate from the current location outside the Municipal Chambers and Civic Centre. Dunedin City Council Acting Group Manager Transport Richard Saunders says the covered walkway will provide shelter for people waiting for taxis. There will also be a sign to show where the taxi stand is and the area is monitored by CCTV.

“This proposal has been discussed with taxi companies, local businesses and the Police, and there is a lot of support for the trial. The trial site has several advantages over the current site and we expect it to be popular with the public too.” –Saunders

DCC staff have talked with the mobile traders who use that space during the day and the trial will not affect their use of the area. Mr Saunders says at the end of the trial, staff will discuss the results with taxi companies, the Police and local businesses before deciding whether to make it a permanent move.

Contact Richard Saunders, Acting Group Manager Transport on 03 477 4000.

DCC Link

█ 22.8.16 ODT: Taxi rank trial in Octagon

****

Previously published comment (2.5.16):

C E N T R A L ● C I T Y ● V I O L E N C E

Mon, 2 May 2016
ODT: Stabbing: ‘What is this place coming to?’
The stabbing of a 21-year-old man in central Dunedin early yesterday has left the man who rushed to his aid questioning the state of his city. Detective Sergeant Chris Henderson said the victim was taken to Dunedin Hospital after being stabbed in the neck and back outside the The Bottle-O store on the corner of Princes St and Moray Pl about 3.30am.

****

DUNEDIN IS UP THERE (2015 statistics)

### newshub.co.nz Mon, 2 May 2016 at 4:45 p.m.
NZ’s most violent city spots revealed
By Lisa Owen
A Newshub investigation has revealed Auckland neighbourhoods dominate a leaderboard of the most violent city hot spots in the country. Statistics New Zealand has mapped 2015 police crime data, released to Newshub under the Official Information Act, to show the areas with the highest number of assaults, sexual assaults and robberies in public places. The crimes include anything from rape to being beaten up or being robbed of your cellphone at knife-point. Three of the five most violent city areas (precincts where there are more than 3000 residents) are in Auckland’s CBD. […] *By overlaying population data in the zones where crime has occurred, Statistics NZ has been able to work out the national average for incidents of public place violence. *Article uses 2015 statistics of victimisations by assault, sexual assault and robbery in public places.
Read more + VIDEO

█ Dunedin = No. 7 on New Zealand’s top ten most violent city hot spots
The only South Island hotspot, the area running north from the Octagon.
Newshub

█ For more, enter the term *octagon* in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Mayor Cull IS NOT YOUR MAN #elections #steamingheaps : DCC, Delta, Aurora, DCHL, DCTL

ODT 19.8.16 (page 10)
– purple text overlay by whatifdunedin

—

### ODT Online Fri, 12 Aug 2016
‘Dangerous mess’ addressed, remedied after 2011 review
By Dave Cull
OPINION Claims that council-owned companies are out of control and lack transparency (ODT, 5.8.16 and the editorial 6.8.16) are sadly ill-informed, lack business understanding and worse, threaten the ratepayers’ asset value. […] Ratepayer-owned companies are more expertly governed and more comprehensively examined and reported on than ever before.
Read more

E X P E R T L Y ● G O V E R N E D

M O R E ● C O M P R E H E N S I V E L Y ● E X A M I N E D

E N T I R E L Y ● L A U G H A B L E

—

Related Post and Comments:
● 12.8.16 DCC trifecta : openness, transparency, accountability —All dead?

R E P E A T ● R E P E A T

█ Delta Utility Services Ltd (“Delta”) has been joined in a constructive fraud action brought by original Landowners/Caveators of the Noble Subdivision application at Yaldhurst, Christchurch.

Very substantial multimillion-dollar losses caused to Dunedin Ratepayers (on Mayor Cull’s shift) stem from Delta’s decision in 2009 to involve themselves in the illegal and unconsented subdivision. This all follows multimillion-dollar losses (about $14M) suffered by Ratepayers as a consequence of Delta’s involvement in the Luggate and Jacks Point subdivisions.

On Monday 1 August, we had absolute Confirmation that the city council is Not transparent —the Council blindly followed (without proper or worthy documentation; no diligence done by Councillors; no thoroughly independent legal advice to Council) the manipulations of Mr Crombie, DCHL chairman, assisted by the head of DCC Finance Committee, Cr Thomson, threading a ‘long’ story to seal a bad ‘Delta’ deal.

ODT reported (3.8.16): ‘Deal designed to help Delta’s bad debt woes’. This deal, “to help Delta recover a $13.4million bad debt from a stalled Christchurch subdivision”, unfortunately, fails to give DCC control over the whole Noble subdivision, which DCC could have secured for relatively little financial outlay (as Advised by What if? Dunedin in emails to all Councillors; and of course by the Caveators), resulting in generous profits in a longer time frame.

So the Old Boys have conspired once more to use Rates funds to line the pockets of those they would work with and protect, this time at Yaldhurst —Not named by DCHL/Delta : The Buyer of the subdivision. [which may include Delta types]

The ODT editorial (6.8.16) rightly states: “Delta has a history of secrecy and limited transparency, stretching back many years to the time it was a council department.”

As our correspondent Christchurch Driver says in a recent post (8.8.16): “Delta, for the third time, [has] created a stinking financial mess … Ratepayers now know that [Dave Cull] is unfit to be Mayor and has not a shred of any concern for the interests of Ratepayers but is simply part of the Dunedin establishment who protect each other.”

█ For more, enter the terms *delta*, *noble* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: Dave Cull tweaked by whatifdunedin

Nice day away from the desk

ODT Online Fri, 19 Aug 2016
Errant DCC staff member ‘spoken to’
The Dunedin City Council staff member caught parking illegally in Green Island on Wednesday has been “spoken to”. […] Acting transport group manager Richard Saunders confirmed the car was driven by a member of the council transport team.
Read more

****

DCC employee in café “having coffee and a catch-up with a guy” for about an hour between 2pm and 3pm yesterday.

ODT Online Thu, 18 Aug 2016
Double standard? DCC parking lapse
By David Loughrey
The Dunedin City Council is being accused of double standards after one of its employees was caught parking for an hour on yellow lines, over a fire hydrant and too close to a bus stop. Green Island woman Cody Sheridan sent photos to the Otago Daily Times of the vehicle parked near an area where the council handed out tickets to customers of the cafe in which she worked.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: stuff.co.nz – yellow line [tweaked by whatifdunedin]

Cr Whiley clarifies at ODT #letters

ODT LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS SOAPBOX

[click to enlarge]

ODT 18.8.16 (page 10)

—

ODT 27.7.16 (page 12)

Related Post and Comments:
28.7.16 Truthful Letters : Stadium + DCC #toobadaboutmayoralreply

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Images: whatifdunedin

Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki

Related legislation currently before Parliament will raise the age of state care and protection to 18, and establish an independent youth advocacy service.

### NZ Herald Online 11:03 AM Thursday Aug 18, 2016
Ministry for Vulnerable Children to be established
By Nicholas Jones – political reporter
A stand-alone ministry that will replace Child, Youth and Family has been officially named – and will try and reverse what the Government admits are “atrocious” outcomes for children. Speaking at an event in Grey Lynn, Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said the new ministry would be named the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki.
“This is not a rebranding exercise. It is how this ministry performs, rather than its name, which will make a difference for vulnerable young people,” said Tolley, who will also become the first Minister for Vulnerable Children.
“The long-term outcomes for young people in the current system are simply atrocious. When we started this process nearly a year and a half ago I promised there would be no more tinkering around the edges. Too many kids who come into contact with CYF end up on a benefit, or in prison, or with few qualifications. This has to stop.”
Tolley said advice from the State Services Commission, Treasury and Ministry for Social Development had recommended a stand-alone department be established, given the scale of the proposed reforms. CYF is currently a service of the Ministry of Social Development. The new ministry will have a much wider brief than the existing CYF, with a $1.3 billion annual budget by 2019-20 to buy extra education, health, employment and social services for the families of all “vulnerable” children. […] The new ministry would focus on five core services – prevention, intensive intervention, care support services, transition support and a youth justice service.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: cyf.govt.nz – page detail tweaked by whatifdunedin

Govt Debacle : Lost-luggage bill #universities #conscience

[whatifdunedin]

—

The sole purpose of National MP Nuk Korako’s bill is to require airports to advertise lost property more widely than in the newspaper.

### NZ Herald Online 9:15 AM Wednesday Aug 17, 2016
Lost-luggage bill has MPs in stitches
By Isaac Davison – political reporter
The National Party backbencher thrust into the spotlight by his bid to help recover lost property at airports has mounted a spirited defence of his widely mocked proposal. […] When it was pulled from the member’s bill ballot last week, Labour said it showed National had “lost the plot”. Today, Labour MPs set about picking it apart in Parliament, tabling a series of questions for the National MP. Korako, in his most high-profile moment since entering Parliament, thanked them for the opportunity to “profile his bill”.
Read more

****

Tweets:

Brownlee slams ‘arrogant’ academic for criticising lost luggage bill ($) https://t.co/XzEKMcmKK8 pic.twitter.com/x53KQ5xOkH

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 15, 2016

More from Brownlee: "It’s an attack on democracy. For him to pontificate this is a bill unworthy of Parliament is completely inappropriate."

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 15, 2016

"I have seen the error of my ways." Professor Geddis responds to Brownlee: https://t.co/ES3Rz86FVN pic.twitter.com/Qqi53FY2v9

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 16, 2016

Geddis will be on NBR Radio shortly, responding to Brownlee's claim that his comments are "quite sad" and "arrogant" https://t.co/gYJfyyHsy3

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 16, 2016

“Played the man, not the ball." Prof Geddis says Brownlee has a chip on his shoulder ($) https://t.co/4sjAhBzCPM pic.twitter.com/bDtEvDmKCF

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 16, 2016

More from Andrew Geddis on NBR Radio: It's worrying Brownlee regards academic criticism "as an attack on democracy" https://t.co/Mj1BFE91jY

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 16, 2016

Frivolous and expensive: the government's lost luggage bill. @robhosking's take: https://t.co/GKm1nfzSGP ($) pic.twitter.com/zNcBPppgxk

— NBR (@TheNBR) August 16, 2016

****

Students’ changing preferences have forced a difficult task on the University of Otago.

ODT Online Wed, 17 Aug 2016
Jobs must be cut now to secure division’s future
By Prof Tony Ballantyne
OPINION The proposed changes in staffing in the Humanities Division at the University of Otago have been subject to sustained media comment and critical commentary. […] The reason for the proposed changes is quite simple: there has unfortunately been a sustained decline in student numbers over the past seven years. Because of this, there is a growing gap between the division’s cost and income and it now depends on subsidies of many millions of dollars each year from other parts of the university.
Read more

—

The place of humanities in a university raises issues that extend far beyond one department.

ODT Online Wed, 17 Aug 2016
Universities succeed when they produce thoughtful leaders, not technocrats
By Emeritus Prof Gareth Jones
OPINION […] We need lawyers who understand biomedical science or elements of commerce; we need doctors who have an appreciation of the medical humanities, let alone of English literature or Maori worldviews. The examples are endless but each one in its own way points away from any silo mentality and towards the notion that universities should be producing well-rounded, thoughtful and well-educated graduates.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Teknonym at Whale Oil slaps mayoral candidate —so we don’t have to

### Whaleoil.co.nz 16 Aug 2016 at 3:30pm
Lucky Dunedin: a mayoral candidate prettier than Vic Crone and nuttier than Penny Bright
By Teknonym
We met They before. No, that’s not a typo. They was previously in the news about being all huffy against the TPP. Now they is running for mayor.
They is responsible for blocking an elderly woman entering the ANZ bank while protesting earlier this year and has a notorious reputation for being an absolute menace in Dunedin (constant protesting, yelling, chaining herself to fences, glitter-bombing Michael Woodhouse’s office, etc).
As you would expect, this has resulted in a huge Green and radical left following.
Read more

****

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 17:17, August 9 2016
Cannabis campaigner and transgender activist confirm bid for Dunedin mayoralty
By Hamish McNeilly
A cannabis campaigner and a transgender activist are taking on the “old boy network” as they run for the Dunedin mayoralty. Both Abe Gray and Scout Barbour-Evans​, who made national headlines with two very different Dunedin stories last year, confirmed they were running for the Dunedin mayoralty and a seat on the city council.
Read more

● Gray, 34, a curator at the Dunedin-based cannabis museum, made international headlines when the Caversham-based museum listed on Airbnb.

● Barbour-Evans, 21, who goes by the gender-neutral pronoun ‘they’, crowdfunded $400 for the mayoralty and council bid.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: film-book.com – angry birds, the secret life of pets, trolls (detail)

Site Notice

A Number of Short Videos by animator and cartoonist Douglas Field, formerly embedded at the What if? Dunedin website are no longer available for viewing. The author was contacted after holes suddenly appeared in What if? posts and comments.

It turns out Douglas had committed to a spot of housekeeping at his YouTube channel and the links were lost.

Because of healthy, greedy, viewer interest in Douglas’s craft, and the utmost value we place on the political satire, joy and reach he stirs, Douglas has generously offered to upload the animations when he has time.

Douglas, you have No Idea how much we miss your “subtle” characterisations and “situational histories” —COME BACK Douglas Field lololol

GIF files

Besides, Douglas, it’s ELECTION YEAR. We’re Desperate.
Madness has to be tracked.

No rednecks, according to MickyW.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Calder Stewart playing games at Carisbrook

S H I F T I N G ● T H E ● G O A L ● P O S T S

█ Site zoned industrial under district plan and proposed 2GP.

█ Company lobbying to evade set condition for 10.5m setback —for own commercial gain.

### ODT Online Mon, 15 Aug 2016
Old stadium site ruling questioned
By David Loughrey
The company that owns the former Carisbrook Stadium site in South Dunedin is calling on the Dunedin City Council to scrap a 10.5m setback suggested for its Burns St frontage. Calder Stewart says the setback will cover 1963sq m of land worth about $600,000, and will not provide the benefits suggested in the second generation district plan (2GP). The company took its concerns to the 2GP hearings last week, as a hearings committee considered what the next district plan will look like. […] Research undertaken by the University of Otago had shown South Dunedin had a low population of native birds because of a lack of habitat, and planting of native or exotic trees there would provide a valuable habitat resource.
Read more

[click to enlarge]
Dunedin Jan 2003. Image: flyinn.co.nz

Carisbrook May 2013. Image: Rob Hamlin

DCC Webmap – Carisbrook, South Dunedin JanFeb 2013

—

C A R I S B R O O K

Source: Wikipedia

Broke ground 1881 | Opened 1883 | Closed 2011 | Demolition starting 2013

Former Tenants:
Otago Rugby Football Union | Highlanders (Super 14) (1996–2011)

Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city’s main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game concerts before rugby matches in the 1990s. In 2011 Carisbrook was closed, and was replaced by Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza in North Dunedin.
Floodlit since the 1990s, it could cater for both day and night fixtures. Known locally simply as “The Brook”, it has been branded with the name “The House of Pain”, due to its reputation as a difficult venue for visiting teams.
Located at the foot of The Glen, a steep valley, the ground was flanked by the South Island Main Trunk Railway and the Hillside Railway Workshops, two miles southwest of Dunedin city centre in the suburb of Caversham. State Highway 1 also ran close to the northern perimeter of the ground.
Carisbrook was named after the estate of early colonial settler James Macandrew (itself named after a castle on the Isle of Wight). Developed during the 1870s, it was first used for international cricket in 1883, when Otago hosted a team from Tasmania. It hosted rugby union internationals since 1908 and full cricket internationals since 1955.
The stadium was home to both the Highlanders in Super Rugby and Otago in the ITM Cup through each side’s respective 2011 season. It is also the former home of Otago cricket, which moved to the University Oval at Logan Park in the north of the city after the redevelopment in the early 2000s, and also of Otago United Football team in the New Zealand Football Championship, which moved to the lower-capacity Sunnyvale Park for the 2008–09 season.
█ Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carisbrook

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

ORC : Official complaints show integrity

### ODT Online Mon, 15 Aug 2016
Two complaints laid against ORC
By Simon Hartley
Complaints against the Otago Regional Council have been laid by Cr Gerry Eckhoff with the Ombudsman and also the Office of the Auditor-general over exclusion of the public from a recent meeting. A decision was publicly released by the regional council late on Friday, from an in-committee, meaning non-public, non-media meeting on Wednesday, which the ORC yesterday defended on the basis the decision could be appealed.

The regional councillors voted in favour of accepting commissioners’ recommendation that a minimum water flow be set for the Lindis River catchment in Central Otago.

Mr Eckhoff released a statement yesterday outlining his complaints, and in an interview said not having the issue aired in public revealed a “grossly inappropriate process”. […] Council staff made the recommendation to hear the Lindis matter in public exclusion after seeking legal advice on matters where a decision by the council is open to an appeal in a court or tribunal, [ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker] said.
Read more

—

█ ORC : Combined Council Agenda 10 August – Public.pdf

Go to PART D – EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC
See Item 14 Recommendations of the Hearing Committee on the Proposed Plan Change 5A (Lindis: Integrated water management) to the Regional Plan: Water for Otago.
In relation to item 14, this resolution is made in reliance of section 48(1)(d) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

█ Otago Regional Council http://www.orc.govt.nz/

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

DCC trifecta : openness, transparency, accountability —All dead?

—

Three words : O U T ● O F ● T I M E

### ODT Online Friday, 12 August 2016
DCC affirms transparency commitment
By Chris Morris
The Dunedin City Council says it remains committed to transparency, despite a nearly year-long delay responding to an official information request. […] The comment came after council staff last week again delayed their response to an Otago Daily Times request for information relating to the former Carisbrook site. The ODT’s request dated back to September last year, and the council — like other local authorities — is required by law to respond as soon as possible within 20 working days. […] Last week, six weeks after the ODT again requested an update, council staff initially said no further action had been taken, and would not be taken now until after October’s elections.
Read more

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One word : T I M E L Y

### ODT Online Fri, 12 Aug 2016
Departure reshuffle
The departure of the Dunedin City Council’s group chief financial officer, Grant McKenzie, has triggered a minor reshuffle within the organisation. […] Council financial controller Gavin Logie has … been named acting chief financial officer until Mr McKenzie’s replacement is named.
Read more

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Three words : D E L T A ● A U R O R A ● D C H L

### ODT Online Fri, 12 Aug 2016
‘Dangerous mess’ addressed, remedied after 2011 review
By Dave Cull
OPINION Claims that council-owned companies are out of control and lack transparency (ODT, 5.8.16 and the editorial 6.8.16) are sadly ill-informed, lack business understanding and worse, threaten the ratepayers’ asset value. […] Ratepayer-owned companies are more expertly governed and more comprehensively examined and reported on than ever before.
Read more

*Delta Utility Services Ltd (“Delta”) has been joined in a constructive fraud action brought by original Landowners/Caveators of the Noble Subdivision application at Yaldhurst, Christchurch. Very substantial multimillion-dollar losses caused to Dunedin Ratepayers (on Mayor Cull’s shift) stem from Delta’s decision in 2009 to involve themselves in the illegal and unconsented subdivision. This all follows multimillion-dollar losses (about $14M) suffered by Ratepayers as a consequence of Delta’s involvement in the Luggate and Jacks Point subdivisions.

We know what ‘out of control’ means.

On Monday 1 August, we had absolute Confirmation that the city council is Not transparent —the Council blindly followed (without proper or worthy documentation; no diligence done by Councillors; no thoroughly independent legal advice to Council) the manipulations of Mr Crombie, DCHL chairman, assisted by the head of DCC Finance Committee, Cr Thomson, threading a ‘long’ story to seal a bad ‘Delta’ deal.

Bad for the Ratepayers.

ODT reported (3.8.16): ‘Deal designed to help Delta’s bad debt woes’. This deal, “to help Delta recover a $13.4million bad debt from a stalled Christchurch subdivision”, unfortunately, fails to give DCC control over the whole Noble subdivision, which DCC could have secured for relatively little financial outlay (as Advised by What if? Dunedin in emails to all Councillors; and by the Caveators), resulting in generous profits in a longer time frame.

So the Old Boys have conspired once more to use Rates funds to line the pockets of those they would work with and protect, this time at Yaldhurst —Not named by DCHL/Delta : The Buyer of the subdivision. [which may include Delta types]

As the ODT editorial (6.8.16) rightly states: “Delta has a history of secrecy and limited transparency, stretching back many years to the time it was a council department.”

We’re sure the Mayor and Cr Thomson are well up on that particular reading, in the privacy of their gentlemen’s armchairs.

As our correspondent Christchurch Driver says in a recent post (8.8.16): “Delta, for the third time, [has] created a stinking financial mess … Ratepayers now know that [Dave Cull] is unfit to be Mayor and has not a shred of any concern for the interests of Ratepayers but is simply part of the Dunedin establishment who protect each other.”

Nothing changes at DCC, DCHL or Delta (except overt culpability!) —shortly, What if? Dunedin will deal to Aurora Energy, which has the same Chief Executive and Board of Directors as Delta.

█ For more, enter the terms *delta*, *noble* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: Dave Cull tweaked by whatifdunedin

Tesla Motors to open new location every four days #electrictravel

Elon Musk : At Tesla we don’t make slow cars………….

Tesla Electric Cars:
1. Roadster – luxury class
2. Model S – luxury class
3. Model X – luxury class
4. Model 3 – To meet the Affordable cars market, starting cost US$35,000 (before government incentives), at least 215 mile range with autopilot hardware and supercharging, seats 5 adults comfortably. Due on the road by late 2017.

Tesla currently makes the Model S sedan and the Model X sport utility vehicle.

Model 3 design phase and tooling design are completed, they’ve been sent off to manufacturing to start fitting out the plant : “the machine that makes the machine” —Elon Musk, South African-born Canadian-American business magnate, engineer and inventor; co-founder, CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors, Inc.

Tesla Model 3 [auto-moto.com]

█ Tesla Motors, Inc. is an American automotive and energy storage company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric cars, electric vehicle powertrain components, and battery products. Tesla Motors is a public company that trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol TSLA. During the first quarter of 2013, Tesla posted profits for the first time in its history.

█ Website: Tesla: Premium Electric Vehicles

● Elon Musk (@elonmusk) https://twitter.com/elonmusk

—

“We are adding stores in new population-dense markets like Taipei, Seoul, and Mexico City, while also adding stores in our most mature markets like California.” –Tesla’s best-performing stores are in the Golden State.

### NZ Herald Online 1:30 PM Thursday Aug 11, 2016
Tesla opens flagship San Francisco store in advance of Model 3
By Dana Hull – Bloomberg
Tesla Motors marked the opening of its largest North American sales, service and delivery centre in San Francisco, a key market from which Elon Musk’s electric-car maker will introduce its all-important Model 3 sedan late next year.
Though Tesla is based in nearby Palo Alto, the 65,000-square-foot (6,039-square-meter) San Francisco centre is the company’s first in the city, where one-fifth of residents don’t own a car and ride-sharing services led by Uber Technologies are emerging as a dominant form of transportation. The location was originally home to a Chevrolet showroom built in 1937, the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened.
“Model 3 reservations skew young and urban,” Jon McNeill, Tesla’s president of global sales and service, said in an interview Tuesday before an evening event for nearly 400 attendees, including customers. “What makes this our flagship store is that the Bay Area is really our home.”
The three-storey San Francisco store is located on Van Ness Avenue, up the street from British Motor Cars, an independent dealer that sells Land Rover, Jaguar, Bentley and Lamborghini brand vehicles.
Read more

Tesla Published on Mar 31, 2016
Tesla Unveils Model 3

WatchMojo.com Published on Apr 7, 2016
Top 5 Need To Know Facts About the Tesla Model 3
Electric cars were once the stuff of sci-fi, but Tesla Motors is steadily turning them into an affordable reality.

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OTHER VIDEOS
Tesla Published on Dec 19, 2013
Winter Driving Redefined
We followed one of our Norwegian owners, Arne Jakobsen, through his daily commute with Model S. Watch how it performs in sub-zero temperatures, through the mountains and fjords of Norway, and hear why Arne believes he can rely on Model S to get him to places other vehicles simply could not reach.

EdisonTechCenter Published on Mar 7, 2014
Electric Motor: Model S, Tesla Motors
About the motor and drive train in the Model S sedan. 4 pole 3 phase induction motor. 290 kilowatt motor. The Tesla Model S beats all other cars in its class for power to weight ratio. This car is a great example of the potential of electric cars.

Saabkyle04 Published on Feb 9, 2016
2016 Tesla Model X P90D Signature w/Ludicrous Mode – Power Up, Test Drive & In Depth Review
Hello and welcome to Saabkyle04! YouTube’s largest collection of automotive variety. In today’s video, we’ll take an in depth look at the 2016 Tesla Model X P90D!

Bloomberg Published on May 2, 2016
We Took the Tesla Model X on a Road Trip. Here’s What We Found Out
Bloomberg Pursuits’ Hannah Elliott put the Tesla Model X through its paces for five days along the California coast. Elliott first drove the $151,000 SUV briefly in Los Angeles last year and at the time thought it was one of the best cars she’d ever tested. But a 340-mile road trip brings out the pros and cons of any vehicle. The Model X was no exception.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered on the public interest.

Election Candidates : DCC, ORC and Community Boards

Updated post
Sat, 13 Aug 2016 at 12:50 a.m.

█ Check out election candidates’ names and profiles here:

DCC & Community Boards
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/electoral-information/elections-to-be-held-and-nominations-dunedin-city-council

ORC
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/electoral-information/elections-to-be-held-and-nominations-orc

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### dunedintv.co.nz Tue, 9 Aug 2016 6:52 pm
Nightly Interview: Pam Jordan
Nominations close soon for the local body elections, and it’s a busy time for the officials, especially those at the helm. Dunedin returning officer Pam Jordan, has one of the busiest jobs.
Ch39 Link

Channel 39 Published on Aug 8, 2016

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Tuesday, 9 August 2016
ODT: Too few standing to fill council roles
Just three and a-half days from the deadline for nominations in October’s local body elections, there are not enough prospective candidates to fill Otago’s councils and community boards. While candidates regularly leave nominations until the last minute, electoral officers across the southern region say for this election the response is particularly slow. Dunedin’s community boards have just 10 nominations for 30 positions, while in the Clutha district there have been only five nominations so far for the 27 positions available. Electoral officers have called on candidates to get cracking and submit their nominations before they close at noon on Friday, 12 August.

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[older item]

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Only a week to go

This item was published on [FRIDAY] 05 Aug 2016

Candidates wishing to stand for this year’s local authority elections have a week left to put in their nominations.

Nominations close at 12 noon on Friday, 12 August.

The Electoral Officer for the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council, Pam Jordan, says the following numbers of nominations had been received by 10am today [Fri, 5 Aug].

Dunedin City Council (DCC):
● Mayor of Dunedin – 1
● Council – 8
● Community Boards (six vacancies for each of six boards) – 5 in total

Otago Regional Council (ORC):
● Dunedin Constituency (six vacancies) – 0
● Dunstan Constituency (three vacancies) – 4
● Moeraki Constituency (one vacancy) – 1
● Molyneux Constituency (two vacancies) – 1

Anyone wishing to stand as a candidate for the DCC (including their local community board) or the ORC can obtain nomination forms and candidate information at www.dunedin.govt.nz/elections or phone 03 4774000.

Candidates can also get further information from Local Government New Zealand at www.lgnz.co.nz/vote2016/candidates.

The names of candidates are put on the DCC website as nominations are received and processed. Candidate profiles will be published once nominations close. The elections are held by postal vote and voting papers will be sent out from 16 September. These must be mailed back in time to be received by 12 noon on Election Day, Saturday, 8 October.

Contact Electoral Officer on 03 4774000.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

ODT circulation mutterings

L A S T ● W E E K ● T H E ● O D T ● P A Y W A L L ● H I T

This week a new reader at What if? Dunedin, Jonathon O’Donohue, mentioned he’d heard that “ODT circulation has dropped 40%”.

With no timeframe to qualify that, we rang around only to be told that “at peak” (whenever that was ?) ODT had had a circulation of 55,000 —now dropped to about 33-34,000.

Welcome to the Internet.

Interestingly, this came to one of my Twitter accounts yesterday from ODT’s Chris Morris. Thanks! Depressing graph [click to enlarge].

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█ Find out more at the New Zealand Audit Bureau of Circulations Inc (ABC):
http://www.abc.org.nz/about.html
http://www.abc.org.nz/ (magazine and newspaper circulations)

█ For more at What if? Dunedin, use the search terms *allied press*, *odt* or *editor* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.