Vandervis apologises to Mayor Cull #councilpowerplays

[DCC profiles]

█ Refer to the Agenda for the Council meeting on Tuesday 25 October 2016.

Dave Cull initially offered highest vote scoring councillor Lee Vandervis the chairship of Hearings as well as two deputy chair positions in Infrastructure and in the Bylaws and Regulatory area. Cr Vandervis turned these down thinking Hearings would lie outside Council. However, Cr Vandervis received encouragement from various colleagues to pursue what was offered…. After receiving clarification from senior staff the councillor wrote an apology to Mayor Cull in the hope of securing the positions. We await further news.

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Mayor – Dave Cull
Deputy Mayor – Cr Chris Staynes

Mayor Cull says (via the Agenda and associated reports):

COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL

6. I establish the following Committees as committees of the whole:
a) Finance and Council Controlled Organisations
b) Community and Culture
c) Infrastructure Services and Networks
d) Planning and Environment
e) Economic Development.

7. I further establish the following Subcommittees, with some membership to be confirmed:
a) Hearings Subcommittee (directly to Council)
b) Bylaws Subcommittee (directly to Council)
c) Audit and Risk Subcommittee (directly to Council)
d) Grants Subcommittee (reporting to Community and Culture)
e) CEO Appraisal Subcommittee. (directly to Council)

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CHAIRS AND DEPUTY CHAIRS FOR COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL

Committees

Finance and CCOs
Chair: Cr Mike Lord | Deputy Chair: Cr Doug Hall

Community and Culture
Chair: Cr Aaron Hawkins | Deputy Chair: Cr Rachel Elder, Cr Marie Laufiso

Infrastructure Services and Networks
Chair: Cr Kate Wilson | Deputy Chair: Cr Jim O’Malley

Planning and Environment
Chair: Cr David Benson-Pope | Deputy Chair: Cr Damian Newell, Cr Conrad Stedman

Economic Development
Chair: Cr Chris Staynes | Deputy Chair: Cr Andrew Whiley, Cr Christine Garey

Subcommittees

Hearings
Chair: [Cr Kate Wilson] | Deputy Chair: To be confirmed

Bylaws
Chair: Cr Andrew Whiley | Deputy Chair: To be confirmed

Grants
Chair: Cr Aaron Hawkins | Deputy Chair: To be confirmed

Audit and Risk
Chair: To be confirmed but an independent member | Deputy Chair: To be confirmed

CEO Appraisal
Chair: The Mayor | Deputy Chair: Cr Chris Staynes

8. I have made the following Councillor appointments to Community Boards:
Mosgiel Taieri Community Board – Cr Mike Lord
Strath Taieri Community Board – Cr Christine Garey
West Harbour Community Board – Cr Aaron Hawkins
Saddle Hill Community Board – Cr Conrad Stedman
Otago Peninsula Community Board – Cr Andrew Whiley
Waikouaiti Coast Community Board – Cr Jim O’Malley

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION – BRIEFING FOR THE INAUGURAL COUNCIL MEETING 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Clause 21 of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 requires that, at the inaugural meeting of the Council and Community Boards following the triennial election, the Chief Executive Officer must provide a general explanation of the following legislation:
a) The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987;
b) The Local Authorities (Members’ Interests) Act 1968;
c) Sections 99, 105 and 105A of the Crimes Act 1961;
d) The Secret Commissions Act 1910; and
e) The Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:
a) Notes the advice regarding key legislation that applies to members of Council, its Committees and Community Boards.

█ Related Council report
[worth skimming the discussion of each Act as it applies to Councillors]

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Fri, 21 Oct 2016
ODT: Rejected position; apology ensued
The Dunedin City Council’s committee appointments may be in for a change before they have even been approved, after Cr Lee Vandervis refused a role then realised it could have been “an acceptable position after all”. Cr Vandervis apologised to Mayor Dave Cull after realising a hearings committee role he had declined “as a sop to council involvement” was in fact a more responsible appointment. But by that time, the role had been changed and offered to another councillor. Cont/

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Dunedin City Council must hang the companies out to dry

Serious state of neglect in Aurora’s electricity network has potential to kill residents and leave Dunedin with a power crisis

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AGAIN, why is the Otago Faily Times not taking out Grady Cameron and Graham Crombie from them there poles.

### ODT Online Fri, 21 Oct 2016
Fears poles could kill
By John Lewis
….Aurora Energy has said it would invest more money into its pole maintenance and replacement programme, and had contacted the Energy Safety Service to organise a compliance and safety audit, in a bid to ensure Aurora Energy’s infrastructure met safety requirements.
….[Richard] Healey said the Electricity Safety Act 2010 stated power poles that  were in poor condition had to be red-tagged and classified as either “Condition One  — not fit for design load” which meant it could fall down if the wind blows; or “Condition Zero — not fit for actual load”, which meant it could fall down without any environmental influences.
….“In total, there are about 3200 Condition One and Condition Zero poles. That’s a concern. The magnitude of the problem is fairly large.” [Richard Healey]
….Mr Healey said another big concern was the North City Two power cable, a 33,000 volt power cable which feeds the Dunedin city centre. The cable had been daily leaking about two litres of oil, used to insulate the cable,  for the past six years. There had been “token” efforts to find where the oil was going.
Read more + Videos

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“In terms of proximity to schools, hospital, rest homes… it is just out of control.” –Richard Healey

Delta had not advised WorkSafe of the pole replacement issue.

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 18:45, October 20 2016
Dunedin lines company Delta under audit after whistleblower’s claims
By Jamie Small, Hamish McNeilly and Michael Hayward
WorkSafe has started an audit of lines company Delta after a whistleblower claimed its power poles were unsafe. A WorkSafe spokesman said the “immediate documentation audit” would be followed by an on-site review of Delta in mid-November. Delta, a Dunedin and Otago lines company, came under fire after former manager-turned-whistleblower Richard Healey said its power poles were neglected and dangerous.
….The Worksafe spokesman said it was not yet known when the audit would end. Energy Safety, a division of WorkSafe, is the national regulator for electrical safety and will conduct the audit. The audit will look at Delta’s safety management system and its performance. Identification, management and replacement practices for damaged poles would be part of the audit.
….WorkSafe was unable to comment on whether other lines companies in New Zealand had similar problems with rotting poles. All major lines companies contacted by Stuff said they had no problem.
Read more

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### channel39.co.nz Thu, 20 Oct 2016
Delta gets flack over neglected poles
A southern electricity company is under scrutiny for allegedly failing to repair and replace dangerous power poles. A random sample reportedly revealed that 99% of poles needing replacement within a year didn’t have the required red warning tags on them. Delta manages the electricity network in Dunedin and Central Otago and is part of the Dunedin City Council’s financial arm.
Ch39 article + Video

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Earlier story, the LINESMEN’S VOICES…..

### ODT Online Mon, 12 Sep 2016
Linesmen suggest powerpoles and lines a danger
By John Lewis
Electricity linesmen say it is only a matter of time before someone is killed by Dunedin’s decaying power network, after several poles and lines were downed by strong gales last week.
….A person from the industry, who declined to be named, said he and his colleagues were becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of the city’s network, particularly following the strong gales which buffeted the area on Wednesday.
….Another anonymous person, who appears to work in the industry, agreed. They sent an email to the Otago Daily Times expressing grave concerns about the condition of the city’s ageing power poles and lines, which were being severely damaged by “years of under-investment in the Aurora network”.
Read more

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WorkSafe New Zealand
Contact WorkSafe 0800 030 040
█ http://www.worksafe.govt.nz/worksafe

Energy Safety
Part of WorkSafe New Zealand, Energy Safety acts as the regulator for ensuring the safe supply and use of electricity and gas in New Zealand. Energy Safety is responsible for providing an effective investigation, compliance, enforcement, and conformance regime for achieving electrical and gas safety outcomes.
█ http://www.energysafety.govt.nz/

Note: On Monday 4 April 2016, the new Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) came into effect. HSWA repeals the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, with immediate effect.

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Related Posts and Comments:
20.10.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail : Delta fulfils Adam Smith’s 1776 Prophecy
19.10.16 Grady Cameron and Graham Crombie : Eyes tightly shut #FAIL
13.10.16 COMPLETE Dis-satisfaction with DCC, DCHL, DVML, DVL, Delta….
9.6.16 Aurora Energy Ltd warned by regulator

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: bbc.com – bear, tweaked by whatifdunedin