Battle of the hotels : DCC meat in the sandwich (unedifying)

Cr Hilary Calvert emailed the following questions to senior council officers on Sunday, 16 September 2016 at 1:20 p.m., with regards to the DCC-owned parking area in Filleul St, proposed as the site for a new privately developed hotel.

[Staff names have been removed. -Eds]

Enterprise Dunedin provides part reply on Friday, 7 October 2016, at 5:03 p.m.

Q: How many car parks will be lost if this project goes ahead, and what would be the loss of revenue to the DCC?

A: The number of car parks that may be lost cannot be accurately determined at this point in time. The next stage in the project following the due diligence period will provide that level of detailed information.

Q: What development contribution and/or rates relief was provided on the Chief Post Office site, in total, for that site?

A: Enterprise Dunedin does not have this information. I will forward the request to Finance for them to respond.

Q: How many first class beds are we short of in Dunedin according to your information? Does the industry agree with your assessment of what we are short of?

A: In the 2012 evidence for the Resource Consent Application for Betterways Ltd, Stephen Hamilton’s (Horwath Asia Pacific Ltd) ‘Market Gap Report’ indicated “the need for an internationally branded 5 star hotel and another 4 star plus hotel for Dunedin to remain competitive with Tier 1 and Top Tier 2 destinations is 150-250 rooms”.

No reply has been received, we understand, for this fourth question which was directed to another senior council officer:

Q: What is the number of parks we will be losing as a result of … likely central city changes such as bus hub and cycleways, in the vicinity of the central city within the range of those who would park and walk to their work close to the Filleul St site (maybe Moray Place south, Princes St and George St to the outer end of the Golden Block, seaward to the far side of Cumberland)?

DCC Webmap – Filleul St council-owned parking area (shaded)

Furthermore, after noting public concerns about the loss of car parks, an OIA request by Hilary Calvert was submitted to Sandy Graham, Group Manager Corporate Services, on Friday, 14 October 2016 at 10:28 a.m.

Re: OIA Parks new hotel [Filleul Street]
Q: Would it be possible to get information from [City Property] about how many parks there are on this property and any affected by the sale i.e. any contiguous property on which DCC has parks.

Reply is pending.

****

BELATED NEWS—
Mr Tosswill (NZ Horizon Hospitality Group Ltd – incorporated 20 Jan 2016) has some competition, as does DCC on what it knows or chooses not to reveal……

There’s only ONE WINNER, it’s not likely to be DCC.
Market research shows Mrs Hagaman is quite correct.

“Ratepayers need to know the region’s five-star market is very small.”
–Lani Hagaman, Scenic Circle

### ODT Online Sat, 15 Oct 2016
Five-star hotel planned; site, height unclear
By Dene Mackenzie
The Scenic Circle Group is planning a five-star hotel in Dunedin but the company will not reveal where it will build the $34 million 120-room hotel, or its height. The hotel would have restaurants, bars, conference rooms and a luxury day spa. The hotel group, owned by Earl and Lani Hagaman, has owned and operated the 178-room, 4.5-star Dunedin Scenic Hotel Southern Cross since 1984 and, in 2003, built the 121-room four-star Scenic Hotel Dunedin City. […] Mrs Hagaman yesterday  launched stinging criticism of the council and its involvement with Mr Tosswill. She said she advised the council about Scenic’s plans for a five-star property more than three months ago and was surprised the council entered into an exclusive deal with another developer.
Read more

DCC Webmap – Scenic Circle / Hagaman properties (shaded), The Exchange

—

Related Posts and Comments:
● 5.10.16 Dunedin bauble #votecatcher
● 4.10.16 The Demon Duck freak show of partial ‘Civic’ information! Before voting closes! #Dunedin
11.1.16 Un hôtel. Dunedin.
19.8.15 Hotels ? Business ? [DCC lost +++152 fleet vehicles] —Cull in charge of building chicken coops, why ?
1.4.14 HOTEL Town Hall… Another investment group, Daaave’s pals from the communist state?

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Dunedin bauble #votecatcher

W H I C H ● F O R ● Y O U R ● C O M F O R T

Left by Ken T (via ODT), right by Kent (makers of the retail appliance)

With thanks to the local resident for his comment in Otago Daily Times.

WE VERY MUCH LIKE the Kent Mica 2400W column heater with digital display and happily endorse the smart contemporary design and total product.

—

Benson-Pope has been campaigning for re-election to Council on a platform that includes No Asset Sales. Um, “Point of Order” : The council-owned Filleul St car park is For Sale. A contradiction, perhaps, to now support the hotel development on this much used site ?

From a voter/witness who attended the Candidates meeting at Waikouaiti on the evening of 13 September: “David Benson-Pope was probably the worst; used maybe two of his three minutes; said he was opposed to asset sales and sat down.” Link

[click to enlarge]DCC Webmap – Filleul St car park site starred

—

ODT articles:
5.10.16 Positive hotel response, but design concerns
5.10.16 Drilling set to start 
4.10.16 Luxury hotel a step closer (with graphic)

Related Posts and Comments:
● 4.10.16 The Demon Duck freak show of partial ‘Civic’ information! Before voting closes! #Dunedin
11.1.16 Un hôtel. Dunedin.
19.8.15 Hotels ? Business ? [DCC lost +++152 fleet vehicles] —Cull in charge of building chicken coops, why ?
1.4.14 HOTEL Town Hall… Another investment group, Daaave’s pals from the communist state?

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

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

*Image framing and pairing by whatifdunedin

*Credit: Mica 2400W column heater with digital display by Kent [kent.co.nz]

Delta #EpicFail : Strategic Reasons & Outrageous Logic

Election Year : The following opinion is offered in the public interest. -Eds

Received from Christchurch Driver [CD]
Tue, 19 Apr 2016 at 10:48 p.m.

Readers, tonight’s exposition is to examine the Dunedin City Council (DCC) worldview that does not contemplate a sale of Delta at less than $45M. Your correspondent says that will never happen on any rational economic basis, so the next best thing is to pretend that it would not be in the ratepayers’ best interests to sell at all, seemingly at any price.

However, annoyingly, logic and reasons must intrude at some point, and in the recent report on DCHL asset values, the DCC have a crack at pushing the Delta water uphill.

█ Agenda – Council – 11/04/2016 (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Item 22 Dunedin City Council Investments and Returns (pp 109 – 123)

Tonight, readers, we shall dwell on and allow the TWO big “strategic reasons”, the DCC propose to retain Delta, to stand in splendid isolation, while readers allow the cool chill of logic to bring these clouds of hot air back to reality.

We shall also overlay some markers over Delta’s financial figures that give support to your correspondent’s contention that Delta is at risk. (careful words needed here, readers !)

Safely camouflaged at para 55 (page 117), deep in the DCC report, the following statements appear : “If Delta were to be sold by the DCC, one likely outcome…. [it could be] purchased by a competing company in the same field. One consideration…. is the potential ‘head office’ job loss to Dunedin if Delta were to be sold to an existing company which is not locally owned.”

Stop right there, readers. The DCC say the first, most important consideration in retaining Delta is to retain the Delta ‘head office jobs’ in Dunedin. At one level we can take this to mean that the DCC are very fearful that the current occupiers of the Delta head office jobs in question would not find similar work in Dunedin. Your correspondent thinks that is a very well-founded fear. But the DCC head of economic development tells us the city is growing and it is hard to attract executive staff to the city…. it is a taxing puzzle why the authors of the report ignore their own staff…. At the next level, your correspondent is vexed at the concern shown by the DCC for the six figure inhabitants of the Delta Head Office suite. (Note, there are 70 people earning in excess of $100,000 at Delta, your correspondent guesses that the Head Office inhabitants occupy the highest echelons of those salaries). This brings a whole new meaning to the (draft) Statement of Intent requirement to be a “socially responsible …. corporate citizen”. At a higher level again, the DCC appear to say that the welfare and future of the head office positions rank ahead of the core task of providing returns to the ratepayers.

Readers, remember that DCC provide these reasons as reasons not to sell Delta even if someone paid the massive premium of 300-400% over the $15.804M shareholders equity (which is about to suffer a severe Noble induced virus).

Your correspondent is very sure these revolutionary themes of Soviet Style central planning and corporate welfarism were not intended in the Delta ‘Statement of Intent’ which is meant regulate how the company is run.

Next up as the DCC apologia for retaining Delta is the statement, “the loss of Delta from the local contracting market, particularly if through acquisition from an existing contractor, would remove an element of competition from an already limited local market”.

This is illogical. Let us count the ways:

1. If competition is “limited” then margins will be high, and demand for skilled staff intense, so any logical purchaser would leave the Delta structure alone to continue its high margin work…. but of course, if there is limited competition and Delta are not making good profits, then there is a problem…. and Delta should be sold to an entity that can generate good profits in a limited market.

2. It can be safely assumed that Delta’s local competitors Fulton Hogan, Downer, SouthRoads, Whitestone, Asplundh, Waste Management, and any of the local power contracting companies are not stupid and they would have no interest in paying the DCC $45-60M for $15.804M of equity (on a good day). If Delta expired, the limited competition just got less, and paydays all round for all left standing. Your correspondent says then that any purchaser is likely to be someone who does not have a presence in the market, and sees potential for profit in this market, allegedly with limited competition. If that were true they would leave Delta as it was, maybe even with some of its precious head office jobs, to continue their (merry and profitable ?) way. (For the time being at least).

3. The bottom line is your correspondent posits that Delta will never be sold in its current form, because its competitors know, even if DCC Treasury does not, that Banks have certain standards for lending money to companies, and an important one is the debt to equity ratio. Delta has $26.9M of debt and $15.804M of equity. That is a debt : equity ratio of 183 % which this correspondent says is far too high for a contracting company. A debt : equity of 100 % or less is usual in this sector. Another is the Liquidity (Quick) Ratio which is Current Assets / Current Liabilities. Contractors should have a minimum of 1.35 and many accountants would say 2. (What would Mr McLauchlan say ….?). Delta has $17.5M of current liabilities and just $220,000 of cash in the bank. This is one seriously undercapitalised contracting company.

Delta will no doubt say their quick ratio is fine because the accounts show $25.244M in receivables, but this includes the very non-current and very illiquid Noble debt of $13.2M. They do have $2.84M of Work In Progress (WIP) which is included under inventories. They then have proper current assets of $0.22M cash, $2.84M WIP, and $12.2M Receivables, ($25.24-13.2M) for a total of $15.08M and a quick ratio of 0.88. The bottom line is : even putting aside the elephantine $26.9M in debt, Delta have serious cash flow issues with a quick ratio of less than 1, and if they have a further problem contract, or even just a delay of a month or two getting paid on a larger contract, they are not just on a cashflow knife edge, but in serious trouble. Delta has basically no cash reserves as at June 2015. Of course, Mr Cameron did not dwell on that factoid in his report….

Readers, the quality of the excuses made in support of retaining Delta are of the same quality as the prediction of its value at $45-60M.

[ends]

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

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: blog.smashwords.com – AuthorUphillBattle, tweaked by whatifdunedin

DCC LTAP 2016/17 budget discussion #ultrahelpfulhints

ODT 19.1.16 (page 6)

Comment at ODT Online:

Still on about ‘rising ground water’
Submitted by flatout on Thu, 21/01/2016 – 8:05am.

When will you…Dave…and the council admit it was a lack of mainenance that caused the flooding in Dunedin? Stop blaming climate change and rising ground water. Stop talking about high cost plans of moving South Dunedin and buying properties. Stop your endless council staff meetings about the issue of ‘what to do with South Dunedin’. Do maintenance on the stormwater. Do invest in South Dunedin to keep it a place to live and work in. All you need to do is clear drains and stormwater system that has coped with worse floods in the past…1968 for example.

—

REMOVE THE IRRITANT

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC Draft Annual Plan 2014/15 Submissions due by 15 April

### ODT Online Fri, 11 Apr 2014
Draft budget feedback pretty good: council
By Chris Morris
The Dunedin City Council says feedback on its draft budget has been “pretty good” despite some disappointing turnouts at public meetings in recent weeks. The council concluded a series of eight public meetings and drop-in sessions with a discussion of cycleway and road-widening work on Otago Peninsula at the Edgar Centre on Tuesday night.
Public submissions on the council’s 2014-15 draft annual plan were “flooding in now” and had reached 427 by late yesterday, council corporate planner Jane Nevill said. That was well above the 262 submissions received by the council on its 2013-14 draft budget.
Read more

****

DRAFT DCC ANNUAL PLAN 2014/2015
The draft annual plan sets out the Council’s proposed annual budgets and performance measures for 2014/15 and updates the information for the 2014/15 year that in contained in the Council’s ten year plan or Long Term Plan (LTP) which was put in place last year.
Please tell DCC whether you agree or disagree with spending priorities for 2014/15 outlined in the draft plan by making a submission.
The consultation period is your opportunity to “Have Your Say” about what you want to see included in the Council’s plans.

█ Submissions close at 5pm, Tuesday 15 April 2014.
Timeframes and Meeting times

█ Read more (with downloads):
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/draft-annual-plan-2014-2015

—

Related Posts and Comments:
30.3.14 Paul Pope on local body annual plans
20.1.14 DCC Draft Annual Plan 2014/15

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Paul Pope on local body annual plans

Is the Annual Plan like Christmas? Photo: Paul Pope

—

Received.
Thursday, 20 March 2014 3:17 p.m.

http://paul-pope.co.nz/2014/03/20/is-the-annual-plan-like-christmas/
I wrote this on my personal political blog partly for my own amusement, you might find parts of it amusing also, though it does have a serious message regarding participation and scrutiny of the local government annual planning process. I’m trying to write more about issues in our area.
Regards

Paul Pope
Deputy Chair Otago Peninsula Community Board

Read Paul’s personal blog about life and issues on the Community Board at www.paul-pope.co.nz

****

DRAFT DCC ANNUAL PLAN 2014/2015
The draft annual plan sets out the Council’s proposed annual budgets and performance measures for 2014/15 and updates the information for the 2014/15 year that in contained in the Council’s ten year plan or Long Term Plan (LTP) which was put in place last year.
Please tell DCC whether you agree or disagree with spending priorities for 2014/15 outlined in the draft plan by making a submission.
The consultation period is your opportunity to “Have Your Say” about what you want to see included in the Council’s plans.

Submissions close at 5pm, Tuesday 15 April 2014.
Timeframes and Meeting times

Read more (downloads):
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/draft-annual-plan-2014-2015

—

Related Posts and Comments:
20.1.14 DCC Draft Annual Plan 2014/15

For more, enter the terms *draft annual plan*, *cull*, *cycle*, *dvml*, *hotel*, *stadium*, or *annual plan* in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC Annual Plan 2013/14

DCC IS PULLING THE WOOL OVER YOUR EYES, DUNEDIN

### ODT Online Tue, 25 Jun 2013
Rates rise of 4% adopted; staff efforts praised
By Chris Morris
There were words of praise, but also of caution, as the Dunedin City Council yesterday locked in a 4% rates rise for the coming financial year. Councillors at yesterday’s full council meeting voted to adopt the 2013-14 annual plan, and the 4% rates rise, after months of discussion, debate and public consultation. The changes would come into force on July 1, but prompted little further debate yesterday, as councillors instead praised chief executive Paul Orders and his staff for their efforts.

Confirmation of the budget meant a $400,000-a-year events attraction fund for Dunedin Venues Management Ltd, the company running Forsyth Barr Stadium, and other budget proposals were confirmed.

Finance, strategy and development committee chairman Cr Syd Brown said the increase included headroom within the budget. That had allowed debt repayments to be accelerated, saving the council millions in interest payments, while keeping the rates increase within the goal of no more than 4%. Without the debt repayments, the increase would have been closer to 2%, Cr Brown said. ”I think that’s a sterling effort by the chief executive and his staff and I think the city’s been well served,” he said.
Read more

—

What is Cr Syd Brown really saying?

Is he saying the stadium debt, the council’s consolidated debt, the council’s lack of insurance for infrastructure, the seedy DCHL’s lack of traction, and DVL/DVML running significant losses requiring ‘unheard of’ ratepayer funds, is Okay and everything’s well in hand?

Or is he snide, skipping out of council before the engulfing mudslide hits, the one he’s made with help from the Good Old Boys.

Nothing like an old fox, or an old fool.
Syd Brown’s personal fortunes have been tidily aided by his position on council for the implementation of Taieri plan changes, council spending on ‘localised’ drainage, roading systems, and more. Then there are the persistent rumours about connections to pokie trusts and big brothers in racing and rugby. It’s not a clean slate.

Can you believe anything Syd Brown has to say about your council’s financial position? DCHL will soon report to councillors on the results of a review of its subsidiary companies. This will be interesting. Cr Richard Thomson opines that from the figures it appears the only way DCHL can meet its dividend payment forecasts will be by borrowing or selling assets, either of which would cause ”considerable concern”.

—

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 4.7 MB)
Dunedin City Council, 2013/14 Annual Plan for Adoption on 24 June 2013

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 72.5 KB)
Adoption of the Annual Plan 2013/14

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 703.3 KB)
Setting of Rates for 2013/14 Financial Year

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 26.6 KB)
Statements of Intent of DCHL Group Companies

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 306.1 KB)
Statement of Intent – Dunedin City Holdings Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 284.2 KB)
Statement of Intent – Aurora Energy Limited

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 251.0 KB)
Statement of Intent – Delta Utility Services Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 375.1 KB)
Statement of Intent – City Forests Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 351.4 KB)
Statement of Intent – Dunedin City Treasury Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 440.3 KB)
Statement of Intent – Taieri Gorge Railway Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 241.9 KB)
Statement of Intent – Dunedin International Airport Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 218.0 KB)
Statement of Intent – Dunedin Venues Limited

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 235.4 KB)
Statement of Intent – Dunedin Venues Management Ltd

Report – Council – 24/06/2013 (PDF, 728.7 KB)
Statement of Intent – Tourism Dunedin

Other reports tabled at yesterday’s meeting of the Dunedin City Council.

Related Post and Comments:
22.1.13 DCC Draft Annual Plan 2013/14 – ‘Liability Cull’ and council chasten for election year

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Forsyth Barr ‘should be booted’

Link supplied.

### 3news.co.nz Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:48a.m.
Forsyth Barr to stay on Mighty River panel
The Government’s rejecting a call to remove Forsyth Barr from the panel running the selldown of Mighty River Power despite a Commerce Commission ruling critical of the company’s past. In a decision last week, the Commerce Commission said Forsyth Barr and French investment bank CALYON were “misleading and deceptive” in their marketing of $91.5 million in Credit SaILS bonds to investors in 2006. The product promised 8.5 percent interest income and capital protection – but Credit SaILS failed in 2008, and the bonds are now virtually worthless. The companies have reached a settlement with the Commerce Commission to create a settlement fund of $60m to be distributed to investors.
Economics writer Bernard Hickey says Forsyth Barr should be booted from the panel overseeing Mighty River’s float, saying its involvement risks undermining confidence in the sale.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Delta purchases | Vandervis OAG complaint accepted

Read latest comments at this thread

### ODT Online Mon, 12 Nov 2012
Councillor lodges Delta purchase complaint
By Simon Hartley
A complaint has been lodged with the Office of the Auditor-General by Dunedin city councillor Lee Vandervis over Central Otago subdivision purchases which soured and left the council millions of dollars out of pocket.

DCC infrastructure company Delta bought part of a subdivision in Luggate in July 2008, and another at Jacks Point, near Queenstown, in May 2009, but their value has subsequently been written down by millions of dollars.

In mid-October, the DCC announced a $9 million write-down of Delta investments, including the subdivisions, which contributed to the Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL) group of companies’ booking a $5 million loss for the year to June.
Cr Vandervis claims pre-purchase details of the Jacks Point and Luggate subdivision acquisitions, plus details of City Forests’ mothballed wood-processing plant at Milburn, are being withheld from him.
Cr Vandervis contacted the Otago Daily Times yesterday, saying the Office of the Auditor-General had accepted his complaint and it had been passed on to its investigation unit, but he was yet to hear if the OAG would launch a full investigation.
Read more

A copy of the formal complaint was forwarded to What if? Dunedin on Thursday, 8 November 2012.

—

Fairfax | DScene publishes Cr Vandervis’ questions (page 3):

Mayor sees red over Vandervis questions (ODT, 30.10.12)

—

Related Posts:
31.10.12 Dunedin City Council – all reports posted, belatedly!
30.10.12 DCHL ‘run by a bunch of fools’ -agreed
26.10.12 No cloud has lifted off DCC, the sins are too great and numerous
26.10.12 DCHL: New directors for Aurora, Delta, City Forests
26.10.12 DCHL borrowed $23 million to bail DCC
17.10.12 The only thing up…. (for sale)
17.10.12 DCC on DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL
12.10.12 DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL
28.9.12 The End of The Golden Weather?
11.9.12 Delta Utility Services Ltd
30.8.12 DCC seen by Fairfax Business Bureau deputy editor Tim Hunter
24.8.12 Dunedin’s 3 waters, no CCO
16.8.12 Dunedin water assets
29.3.12 Dunedin City Council company sponsors Highlanders
7.3.12 DScene: Call for full inquiry into stadium project
20.12.11 Delta and the GOBs #DCHL #DCC
18.11.11 Delta rebrand
29.7.11 WE ALL SAID IT #DunedinCityCouncil #SHAME
9.2.11 DCC and DCHL, was there ever any doubt?
26.8.09 DScene: Delta, STS, DCC larks
9.7.09 Delta dawn what’s that flower…

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCHL ‘run by a bunch of fools’ -agreed

Comment received.

JimmyJones
Submitted on 2012/10/30 at 5:43 pm

DCHL is financially very sick: if it was a horse, you would have to shoot it to put it out of its misery. It is amusing to see how sensitive Dave Cull is to Lee Vandervis stating-the-bloody-obvious, that DCHL doesn’t make enough real money to pay its interest and dividends to the DCC, as well as the subsidies to DVL and DVML.
The DCC are forcing DCHL into more and more debt every year. For the 5 years that I have Annual Reports, DCHL has always paid for its distributions to the DCC by increasing their debt. Not just part of the distributions are borrowed money, but the whole amount each year.
In 2012 they added $50.3 million to their debt (page 37), so you can see that even without being forced to provide distributions of $23.2 million, it already had a severe cash-flow shortage. This negative cash-flow is the result of their own incompetence from spending very large amounts on new investments and expanding their operations. The incompetence comes from the fact that there has been no expansion in profits as a result of this low quality spending. They seem to be followers of the Homer Principle (if something doesn’t work, keep doing it), because not once in the last five years have they earned enough cash to pay for their spending on new stuff. Poor-old Dave and the new-guy, Paul, don’t seem to understand the problem. Let me summarize –

● DCHL is heading towards bankruptcy
● It is going bankrupt because DCC councillors and staff have been using it like a magic money-box where distributions are paid from debt (debt that doesn’t show up on DCC books – because of their choice)
● The LTP shows that they fully intend to continue this foolish practice, despite the DCHL Chairman’s aspirational comments to the contrary and Mayor Cull foaming at the mouth about it
● DCHL has been, and mostly still is, being run by a bunch of fools that need to be kept well away from anything financial or owned by the People Of Dunedin.

—

### ODT Online Tue, 30 Oct 2012
Mayor sees red over Vandervis questions
By Chris Morris
Sparks flew as Mayor Dave Cull and Cr Lee Vandervis clashed repeatedly over debt and dividends at yesterday’s Dunedin City Council meeting. In what at times resembled a running battle, an angry Mr Cull eventually accused Cr Vandervis of giving in to his “obsession” and threatened to prevent him from speaking. The pair found themselves at loggerheads over reports detailing Dunedin City Holdings Ltd’s latest financial results and the council’s annual report.[…]Cr Vandervis attacked the figures at yesterday’s meeting, claiming the entire $23.2 million – which helped keep council rates increases to a minimum – had been funded from loans.
Read more

—

Related Posts and Comments:
29.10.12 DCC consolidated debt substantially more than $616m…
26.10.12 DCHL borrowed $23 million to bail DCC
26.10.12 DCHL: New directors for Aurora, Delta, City Forests
25.10.12 Dunedin Venues Limited – 2012 Annual Report now 2 months overdue
17.10.12 The only thing up…. (for sale)
17.10.12 DCC on DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL
12.10.12 DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL
28.9.12 The End of The Golden Weather?
25.9.12 Cull’s state of denial…
24.9.12 DCC against imposition of local government reforms
11.9.12 Delta Utility Services Ltd
6.9.12 DCC pays out $millions to cover loss making stadium…
30.8.12 DCC seen by Fairfax Business Bureau deputy editor Tim Hunter
7.8.12 DCC, DCHL, debt, democracy (and professional rugby)
26.7.12 Cull’s council thinks $750,000 per annum to DVML…

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCHL borrowed $23 million to bail DCC

Why are the Otago Daily Times (Allied Press) and DScene (Fairfax) refusing to print the truth about Dunedin City Holdings accounts?

The $23 million that DCHL reportedly PAID as dividend etc to Dunedin City Council, is borrowed.

DCHL borrowed $23 million to bail the spendthrift DCC and make it look like we have a 5% rates increase instead of the real 25% increase without the new borrowing.

You’ll find all the details here:

DCHL Annual Report 2012 (PDF, 2.1 MB)

The ‘debt-deniers’ from DCHL are trying to characterise this year’s disastrous council-owned companies annual accounts as one of ‘ups and downs’.
ODT 18.10.12

The DCHL annual report actually shows:

● Delta business goodwill – Down
● Jacks Point/Luggate property values – Way Down
● City Forests carbon credits, log returns and valuations – All Down
● City Forests Milburn Wood Processing Mill – Down
● DCHL cashflow – Down
● DCHL profit – Down and Out and Negative: minus $5 million
● The only significant ‘Up’ is more DCHL borrowing

—

Repeat:
What DCHL has delivered is another $23 million of debt which they have had to borrow against company assets because the council has already spent it.

The claim that DCHL’s borrowing to supply dividends will stop from next year is a claim with onerous consequences.

– The council’s gross spending continues unabated.
– Together, DCC and DCHL have racked up all possible debt.

Without serious moves to slash staff and shrink the number of company directors, the only option that remains is Asset Sales.

———————————————

A note on two DCHL subsidiaries

The directors of Delta Utility Services Ltd and Delta Investments Ltd are guilty of having made the decision(s) to speculate on property at Queenstown’s Jacks Point and Luggate, using ratepayer funds. No other conclusion is able to be drawn, they are all responsible. They are all liable.

The value of the properties has been written down by millions of dollars, a loss to the ratepayers who were unaware of the purchases until the deals were concluded.

This is not simply a matter of loss of ‘book value’.

The directors of the two companies had real and perceived conflicts of interest in conducting the property deals. They continue as directors with clear conflicts of interest.

The directors should be SACKED. Meanwhile, we await news of ‘board restructuring’. [see post]

DCHL chairman Denham Shale should be SACKED for misrepresenting the facts and condoning the actions of the two boards.

Who are/were the directors responsible?

Delta Utility Services Limited
[formerly Delta Energy Limited; The Electric Company of Dunedin Limited]
Michael Owen COBURN
Norman Gilbert EVANS
Ross Douglas LIDDELL
Stuart James MCLAUCHLAN
Raymond Stuart POLSON

Delta Investments Limited – property subsidiary
[formerly Newtons Coachways (1993) Limited]
Grady CAMERON [also, Chief Executive of Delta Utility Services]
Michael Owen COBURN
Stuart James MCLAUCHLAN
Raymond Stuart POLSON

Throw out Athol Stephens, DCHL Secretary, for good measure.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCHL: New directors for Aurora, Delta, City Forests

Dunedin City Council
Media Release

New Directors for Dunedin City Holdings Company Boards

This item was published on 26 Oct 2012.

Appointment of New Directors to the Board of Aurora Energy Limited and Delta Utility Services Limited

The Board of Dunedin City Holdings Limited is very pleased to announce that Dr Ian Parton and Mr Dave Frow have been appointed as new Directors of Aurora Energy Limited (“Aurora”) and Delta Utility Services Limited (“Delta”). Both of the new Directors come to the Company with distinguished careers as engineers and extensive governance backgrounds.

Effective from 1 November 2012, the directors will join Mr Ray Polson and Mr Stuart McLauchlan on the two boards which will comprise four members in the meantime.

Dr Parton is a Distinguished Fellow and Past President of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand. Dr Parton was for fifteen years Managing Director of Meritec Group Limited (formerly Worley Group Limited) and more recently was Transition Chief Executive of Watercare Services Limited managing the integration process with respect to amalgamation of the wholesale and retail water companies which resulted from the “Super City” initiative in Auckland. Dr Parton is a Director of Auckland Transport Limited and Skellerup Holdings Limited and is also Pro-Chancellor of the University of Auckland.

Mr Frow’s background since coming to New Zealand from South Africa in 1979 has largely been in the electricity industry. He worked with the Ministry of Energy for nine years before joining Electricity Corporation of New Zealand where he became Chief Executive in 1992 through until 1999. Subsequently Mr Frow has served on the Boards of Waste Management Limited and Unison Networks Limited. He was a member of the Telecom Independent Oversight Group through to December 2011 and is currently a Director of ETEL Limited and Holmes Fire & Safety Limited both of which companies are involved in the electricity industry. Mr Frow is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand.

Dunedin City Holdings Limited is very pleased to have obtained the services of these two Directors who will bring to the Boards of Aurora and Delta vast experience in the areas in which each of these companies operate.

Appointment of New Directors to the Board of City Forests Limited

Following agreement from the Dunedin City Council, Dunedin City Holdings Limited is pleased to announce the names of two new directors for the board of City Forests Limited. The appointments are to be effective from 1 November 2012.

The two new directors, both from Dunedin, are Mr John Gallaher and Mr Tony Allison. They will join Mr Ross Liddell and Mr Mike Coburn on the board which will comprise four members.

Mr John Gallaher is a senior investment professional with Forsyth Barr Limited who began his commercial career with roles in banking, finance corporate management and marketing 35 years ago. John is Chairman of TracPlus Global Limited, Daestra Holdings Limited, United Way NZ Limited, Tui Motu Foundation Inc. and the Upstart Investment Committee and he has several other directorships.

Mr Tony Allison is currently the CEO of Night ‘N Day Foodstores Limited that in the last few days ranked very highly in the Deloitte Fast 50 List. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer and a director of Calder Stewart Industries Limited where he gained experience of forestry operations. Tony is also currently a director of AA Cleaners (Otago) Limited, St Clair Beach Resort, Southern Team Co 2008 Limited and the Southern Steel Netball Team.

Both these two Dunedin directors have excellent corporate governance understanding and collectively they will bring to the board experience of governance and the forestry industry relevant to the business of City Forests Limited.

Contact Denham Shale, Chairman, DCHL on 021 375 112.

DCC Link

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

The only thing up…. (for sale)

Email received.

—— Forwarded Message
From: Lee Vandervis
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:51:39 +1300
To: Debbie Porteous , Chris Morris
Cc: EditorODT
Conversation: DCHL claim of ups and downs
Subject: DCHL claim of ups and downs

Hi Debbie and Chris,

The debt-deniers from DCHL are trying to characterise this year’s City Companies Annual Reports as one of ups and downs.
Delta business goodwill is down.
Jacks Point/Luggate property values are way down.
[City Forests] carbon credits, log returns and valuations are down.
[City Forests] Wood Processing Mill is down.
DCHL cash flow is down and profit is down and out and negative.

The only thing significantly up is DCC funding requirements for the Stadium, met by significant borrowing again this year, but with a promise that the DCHL borrowing will now stop.
Without the courage to slash and burn staff costs and biff all directors responsible for scandalously speculative Jacks Point/Luggate, Wood Processing Mill etc, the only option that remains is asset sales.
Look out City Properties, Waipori Fund, Forests etc.

Kind regards,
Lee

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC on DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL

UPDATED POST 18.10.12

“It’s probably good to take all your bad news at the same time and look forward to the future.” -Denham Shale, DCHL

PROPERTY SPECULATION BY DELTA DIRECTORS WITH LOCAL COMPANY LINKS, IS THE MISUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS. STOP.
GLARING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ARE INVOLVED. STOP.
DCHL CHAIRMAN IS FULLY COMPLICIT, ALONG WITH DCHL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. STOP.
DUNEDIN CITY COUNCILLORS FAIL RATEPAYERS AND RESIDENTS SEVERALLY. STOP.

See link to ODT report added below.

—

DCHL Annual Report 2012 (PDF, 2.1 MB)
Dunedin City Holdings Ltd Annual Report 2012

Warren Larsen Report (PDF, 3.9 MB)
Governance review of all companies in which Dunedin City Council and/or Dunedin City Holdings Limited has an equity interest of 50% or more.

BUT WHAT’S THE REAL STORY?

—

Dunedin city Council
Media Release

Dunedin City Holdings Limited Annual Result for the year ended 30 June 2012

This item was published on 17 Oct 2012.

This past year has been a challenging year in which there has been a well publicised change in governance of the parent company. It has been a year that has been affected by a slow economy and poor export log prices and a year in which the subsidiary companies decided to write down the values of assets where impairment occurred.

Revenue has increased for the year by 3.7% to $254.9m, however, the profit has been affected by a series of factors that are fully explained in the Annual Report of the company. These factors are the effect of the Dunedin City Holdings (DCHL) group providing subvention payments directly to Dunedin Venues Limited in lieu of dividends to the Council, the effect of asset impairment provisions made by the Delta group in respect of goodwill on a number of past business acquisitions and land at Luggate and Jacks Point, pressure on margins in a slow economy, and lower carbon credit income in comparison with last year.

Separately from the activities of the subsidiaries the holding company board has been active working on a number of issues arising from the Larsen report. “Last December I stated that we have been charged with restructuring a number of aspects within the group. You have seen the recent appointment of two additional directors to the parent company board. We anticipate further announcements by year end from suggestions to be made to the Council over the next two months.” comments DCHL Chairman, Denham Shale.

“As a matter of principle, the current board has taken the view that borrowing should not be entered into for the payment of dividends. But it is important to note that much of the drop in profit last year was caused by the agreement in respect of Dunedin Venues Limited and accounting provisions rather than cash outflows. Against this, dividends in this current year will be paid from surpluses that we would expect to make over the year to June 2013. Therefore it is not necessarily correct to assume that because last year was poor that there will be no dividend this year. ”

Aurora Energy Limited has traded well although the economy has slowed the growth in the quantity of electricity carried on the network.

The NZ forestry industry has had another difficult year and, as the public is aware, City Forests Limited decided to cease operating its timber processing mill. The Milburn asset has been leased to Craigpine Timber Limited.

The electrical asset planning and maintenance businesses of Delta Utility Services Limited have operated well. But the demand for other infrastructure services weakened and company was forced to conduct a series of adjustments to reposition the company to match reduced demand. The land holdings of the Delta group, which have attracted media attention, are under close management.

The summer tourism season last year was well underpinned by the visits of cruise ships. We expect an improving cruise ship season over this next summer.

Overall passenger numbers into Dunedin International Airport were 9.9% up for the year. The operating surplus after tax achieved by the company for the year was an improvement on both budget and the same period last year. A substantial revaluation of the assets of the company has increased the carrying value of the investment in the books of the DCHL parent company.

Contact Denham Shale, Chairman, DCHL on 021 375 112.

DCC Link

—

### ODT Online Thu, 18 Oct 2012
$5m loss for DCC group
By Chris Morris
A $9 million write-down in Delta’s investments – including property at Jacks Point and Luggate – is partly to blame for a multimillion-dollar loss booked by the Dunedin City Council’s group of companies.[…]Mr Shale was reluctant to criticise yesterday when asked if the property purchases had proven to be a mistake. “I wouldn’t call it a mistake, no. As we see it today, it could be called an unfortunate decision, but that is very much in hindsight. It’s very easy in hindsight.” He also saw no need for the new DCHL board to investigate the rationale behind the purchases, saying they were “a fact that’s there”. “We can’t do anything to change it.” He blamed the result on the world economy…
Read more

—

Related Posts:
12.10.12 DCHL, subsidiaries and DCTL
30.8.12 Dunedin City Council seen by Fairfax Business Bureau deputy editor Tim Hunter

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Asset sales (remember the days)

One of our correspondents supplied copy today of an email by Tim Calder, sent to the Our Stadium mailing list (May 2007).

Note the mention of asset sales in the paragraph we have highlighted.

The correspondent says: “It is obvious that the original plan when they pushed the stadium was to partly fund it from asset sales. I also remember Malcolm Farry and Damien Newell (fawning over Farry) on the Ch9 debate back in 2007 talking about selling Citibus and City Forests. People shouldn’t be surprised about asset sales.”

Tim Calder is now based in London, working as an analyst for Aviate Global [financial services]. His personal profile notes past positions as chief executive at EZY STOR Self Storage, general manager at Willowbank Quarter, International Trade at Otago Chamber of Commerce. Educated at University of Otago. His blog has not been touched since 2009.

—

—– Original Message —–
From: Our Stadium
To: supporters@ourstadium.co.nz
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 3:58 PM
Subject: [Our Stadium] Our Stadium News Update 16 May 2007

NO STADIUM MEANS… NO MORE TEST MATCHES AND GOODBYE HIGHLANDERS FRANCHISE

Join the positive and proactive www.ourstadium.co.nz to keep international rugby in Otago and help create an on-going future for the city, the university and the next generation of young people.

National TV News and Radio have been carrying the headline over the last few days that Otago will lose the Highlanders Super 14 franchise within three years unless a new stadium is built. Already Dunedin has lost test matches. The threat to the Highlanders is real and if you care you need to act now.

So what’s the significance for people in the region? The answer is plenty. Rugby is a national and international event that gets screened into households throughout New Zealand and around the world. Without All Black tests and the Super 14 showcase Otago will fall of the radar. Without rugby there will be no stadium. Neither Carisbrook as it stands, nor the new covered Logan Park complex will exist.

Why is that important for people who don’t follow rugby? The answer lies in the region’s biggest employer – the University of Otago. Seventy percent of students come from outside the region. They bypass six other first class universities, dozens of polytechnics and pay many thousands of dollars more to come to Otago. Without rugby to keep Otago on the map for prospective students, and with other universities stepping up their marketing, this trend could easily be reversed.

What difference will a few students make? Plenty. The economic benefit generated from each student is more than $60,000 a year. Do the maths yourself. One hundred fewer students is $6 million less for the region. One thousand is $60 million. Once a trend starts it will be hard to stop.

But the ratepayers of Dunedin can’t afford to pay for the new stadium? There has been an enormous amount of hype around the cost to ratepayers. The Otago Daily Times figures are $1.13 a week for an average householder. Our Stadium acknowledges even this amount is significant for some homeowners and a member of the executive team is working on ways to lower this cost to individuals who need it. We also don’t know how Dunedin City will fund its share. DCC may in fact exchange an asset like their forest for the stadium, or reprioritise their asset programme, which may reduce the individual cost to ratepayers even further.

Why should rugby get such a huge handout when it’s professional? The beauty of the stadium is that it’s not exclusively for rugby. It is multi-use and with the completely covered pitch it will be the second largest indoor venue in the southern hemisphere, second only to Melbourne’s Telstra Dome. This means it becomes more internationally marketable than any other stadium in New Zealand. In addition, part of the complex will used by the University meaning it will be in use seven days a week, rather than just for an 80 minute rugby match. Being covered also makes it attractive for conferences and exhibitions.

Could everyone that receives this email please forward it to your entire address book. For those of you that indicated that you would volunteer your time could you please make an effort to sign up at least 10 new members. Nobody is too young or old to have a say so if your children, parents, friends or colleagues are supportive get them to sign up. Our membership database will be used to show the council the support there is for the proposed multi purpose Stadium. So keep those new members rolling in.

IF YOU CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF YOUR CITY AND YOUR REGION
JOIN UP ON LINE WWW.OURSTADIUM.CO.NZ

Tim Calder
Secretary
Our Stadium Visionaries Club Inc.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Asset sales (would Dave’s council sell us up)

YOU BETCHA BUT NOT THE STADIUM, WHY NOT THE STADIUM, MALCOLM ALWAYS SAW IT AS A LEGACY, OH, NOT TO UPSET MALCOLM THEN, ANYWAY STUART SAYS THE WATER KEEPS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY

—

### 3news.co.nz Mon, 28 May 2012 7:00p.m.
Local councils under pressure to use asset sales
Assets sales are never far from the headlines, and always, it seems, controversial. The Government is pressing ahead with the partial sale of four state-owned energy companies and Air New Zealand. They made their plans clear during the elections and therefore claim a mandate to sell, but how far does that go? Because it’s no longer just state-owned assets being eyed for potential sale, local councils are under increasing pressure to consider asset sales to fund new projects and reduce debt. Auckland has already said no, and now Christchurch has suggested in a very polite fashion that central Government should sod off. The Christchurch Council and ratepayers face extraordinary costs following the earthquake, but the mayor is firm that there will be no sale of the family silver.
Read more + Video

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC living beyond its means [all spending and debt not declared]

Mr Cull said he was not alarmed by the level of debt, and believed the issues Dunedin faced could be addressed. “Headroom” created by lower debt levels was important.

### ODT Online Tue, 17 Jan 2012
As debt peaks, Cull talks of asset sales
By David Loughrey
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has raised the prospect of asset sales to deal with the city’s debt, as the amount owed hit a historic peak this financial year. The figure reached a grand total of $327.4 million this financial year which ends on June 31, just over 10 times what the city owed in 1999.

“The council could not stop developing the city, fixing things, or thinking about new things.”

Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

You (New Zealanders) already own the state assets. Why sell them to the rich and conniving?

### ODT Online Wed, 23 Nov 2011
Opinion
Asset sales likely nail in coffin of fair society
By Simon Cunliffe

Power generators are strategic state assets guaranteed to return consistent dividends. They deal in a currency not only necessary to underpin economic growth in this country, but also critical to the comfort and health of every citizen. They are also already in the collective ownership of all New Zealanders.

There is no doubt, as Prime Minister John Key is fond of pointing out, the mixed-ownership model that he and his party are proposing for their partial sale of state assets can work extremely well. You only have to look as far as Air New Zealand, a successful company majority-owned by the Government and partly in private hands. The problem is not with the model; it is with the targeted assets.
Read more

• Simon Cunliffe is deputy editor (news) at the Otago Daily Times.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

INSANE, Dave! Occupy Dunedin STAYS in the Octagon.

DON’T MOVE. DON’T ACCEPT THE MARKET RESERVE. KEEP THE PROTEST CENTRAL AND HIGHLY VISIBLE . . . WHILE DUNEDIN CITY COUNCILLORS CONTINUE TO SELL OUR FUTURE DOWN THE TUBES.

### ODT Online Fri, 21 Oct 2011
Occupy protesters offered other site
By David Loughrey
Protesters in the Octagon have been offered an alternative site at the Market Reserve in Dunedin, a move Mayor Dave Cull said was designed to return the Octagon to all city residents. Mr Cull last night said council chief executive Paul Orders had organised a staff member to pass on the message to the group yesterday afternoon. The protesters had been invited to the council today to speak to Mr Orders, and give their response.
Read more

Images ©2011 Elizabeth Kerr

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Octagon protest occupies minds!

Images ©2011 Elizabeth Kerr

—

### ODT Online Wed, 19 Oct 2011
Opinion
Campers strike a common chord
By Simon Cunliffe
Brrrrr! Not great weather for camping. It’ll soon be a bog up there in the Octagon – where the good folk of the “Occupy Dunedin” movement have parked their tents. Can’t imagine they’ll want to stay long in this sort of weather but one or two of them seem determined to remain. There’s been a bit of a squabble over statutes governing occupation of the site. It’s been said a 19th-century bylaw allowing immigrants en route to the Central Otago goldfields to squat temporarily in the city centre is still in force. A neat irony that: it’s a gold rush of a different kind this mob have set up shop to condemn. Their focus is corporate greed, social inequality, free-market economics and environmental issues, much of which they would undoubtedly argue arises from the unfettered accumulation of the aforementioned “gold”. And, interestingly, it’s an echo that has been witnessed in large-scale demonstrations across the world.
Read more

• Simon Cunliffe is deputy editor (news) at the Otago Daily Times.

—

### ODT Online Wed, 19 Oct 2011
Spirit of protest not dampened by rain
By John Lewis
Anti-capitalism protesters are yet to decide how long they intend to stay in the Octagon, but the Dunedin City Council is going out of its way not to put pressure on the group to respond to its request for a timeline.
Read more

—

### ODT Online Wed, 19 Oct 2011
Opinion
Importance of sharing our common wealth forgotten
By Alison MacTavish
The Rugby World Cup has predictably given rise to plenty of discussions about whether rugby is our national religion, or about its importance to our national identity. Election proposals that run counter to the more fundamental values of being a New Zealander, however, have attracted far less discussion.

John Key and his Government have said they will take re-election as a mandate for selling our assets. With most New Zealanders reportedly against asset sales, but with the National Party odds on to form the next government, the danger is that a vote for the National Party will be a vote for asset sales. And, of course, the National Government prefers to focus on how we can divvy up the spoils, rather than discussing the fundamental social justice issue.

Read more

• Alison MacTavish lives near Moeraki.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DScene: Cull & Co planning asset sales

We’ve heard or read comments about ‘considering’ the possibility of asset sales from Dave Cull, Kate Wilson, and Andrew Noone… anyone else?

Register to read D Scene online at
http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/

### D Scene 21-9-11 (page 3)
City Forests faces chop
By Wilma McCorkindale
City Forests may be the next ratepayer asset for the chop to pay for Dunedin City Council debt, sources say. A reliable informant said some councillors on the Dunedin City Council, including Mayor Dave Cull, had a secret agenda of asset sales. The source said the councillors were in favour of the sale of City Forests, a subsidiary of Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL).

City Forests chairman Ross Liddell said he did not want to see assets sold to pay for debt. “I would much prefer capital expenditure slow down within the council. You can sell assets once and you don’t get any income from them in the future . . . [Asset sales] That’s not something that’s coming to Dunedin City Holdings at the moment.”

{continues} #bookmark

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Which boys have their hands out for Carisbrook?

As the great rort continues…

### ODT Online Wed, 20 Apr 2011
Decision soon on Carisbrook’s fate
By David Loughrey
A final decision on the future of Dunedin’s historic Carisbrook stadium should be only weeks away, with one last round of discussion on the issue to start soon. Asked where the Carisbrook matter stood, Dunedin City Council finance, strategy and development committee chairman Cr Syd Brown said a resolution passed in January had been included for public consultation in the annual plan, and a decision would be made after deliberations.
Read more

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr