Dunedin to host LGNZ 2016 conference —FFS TIME TO TAKE IT OUT

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Dunedin to Host 2016 LGNZ Conference

This item was published on 21 Jul 2015

Dunedin is all set to host the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Conference for 2016 as this year’s conference wraps up in Rotorua today. LGNZ announced Dunedin as the host city for next year’s conference this week. The conference will bring up to 600 delegates to the city from 24-26 July 2016. Delegates will include mayors, chairs, chief executives, councillors and senior management from New Zealand’s councils as well as senior government ministers and stakeholders from the private sector, businesses, central government and non-government agencies.

[PROFLIGATE SPENDER ALERT] Mayor of Dunedin, Dave Cull says, “This is great opportunity for us to showcase Dunedin as a conference destination to the rest of the local government family. We don’t often get the chance to welcome people to Dunedin from every part of New Zealand at once. Delegates will get to experience New Zealand’s only UNESCO City of Literature, Gigatown winner and the country’s wildlife capital firsthand. It will also be an opportunity for all kind of councils to look at the challenges they have in common and discuss solutions.”

[DEBT-SPENDING PROPONENT ALERT] LGNZ President, Lawrence Yule says he is delighted the conference is returning to the deep south. “We have had a number of conferences in Dunedin over the past 20 years and the southern hospitality is always great,” he says. “The city has completed a significant upgrade of the hosting facilities at the Dunedin Centre and Town Hall and you put forward a very strong bid.”

The conference bid was made by Dunedin Venues and Enterprise Dunedin at the start of the year. They presented the Dunedin Centre and Town Hall facilities for the event and used Dunedin’s reputation for innovation, creativity and wildlife as a drawcard.

Contact Dave Cull, Mayor of Dunedin on 477 4000. DCC Link

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Related Posts and Comments:
21.5.15 DCC and LGNZ, total losers
2.2.15 LGNZ run by Mad Rooster Yule, end of story
14.1.15 DCC Draft Long Term Plan: more inanity from Cull’s crew pending
13.1.15 Government’s council tax freeze
27.11.14 Auditor-general Lyn Provost #Resign
3.11.14 DCC: What happened to $20 million cash on hand? #LGOIMA
10.10.14 Cull consorts with losers at LGNZ
8.10.14 Stadium: Liability Cull warns ratepayers could pay more to DVML
18.9.14 DCC considers sale of “149 properties”
5.8.14 DCC staff-led CBD projects that impact ratepayers….
30.7.14 Dunedin City Council | Consolidated council debt
5.7.14 DCC’s debt level — who do you believe?
26.6.14 LGNZ #blaggardliars
23.6.14 DCC Annual Plan 2014/15 + Rugby and Rates
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11.4.14 Councils: Unaccountable, ready to tax? #DCC #ORC
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7.10.13 DCC councillors, no idea annual cost of owning, operating FB Stadium
29.9.13 Alert: Dunedin voters —Mayors gain more powers
29.6.13 Audit NZ and OAG clean bill of health —Suspicious!
26.9.13 DCC: Council consolidated debt $623 million
21.4.13 Councils “in schtook” —finance & policy analyst Larry Mitchell
29.10.12 DCC consolidated debt substantially more than $616m to June 30, 2012
30.5.12 Larry Mitchell: 2012 Local Govt League Table Summary
4.7.11 Local government finances

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

LGNZ run by Mad Rooster Yule, end of story

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

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

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TAX PAYERS’ UNION – MEDIA RELEASE
LGNZ PUSH FOR LOCAL INCOME TAXES, FUEL TAXES AND REGIONAL GST

2 February 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Cull consorts with losers at LGNZ

### dunedintv.co.nz October 10, 2014 – 7:21pm
Nightly interview: Dave Cull
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has just been involved in the national council strategy day, held in Wellington and organised by Local Government New Zealand. He joins us to explain what it was, and why it was important to attend.
Video

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At the Local Government New Zealand website:

National Council
The LGNZ National Council is the elected leadership of LGNZ.
As well as being a Mayor, Chair, Deputy Mayor or Councillor, National Council members also act as the governing body of LGNZ, set and guide policies and oversee them to point of achievement.

The current members of the LGNZ National Council are:
• Lawrence Yule | President | Mayor, Hastings District Council
• Brendan Duffy | Vice President | Provincial Sector | Mayor, Horowhenua District Council
• John Forbes | Rural Sector | Mayor, Opotiki District Council
• John Carter | Zone One | Mayor, Far North District Council
• Penny Webster | Zone One | Councillor, Auckland Council
• John Tregidga | Zone Two | Mayor, Hauraki District Council
• Jono Naylor | Zone Three | Mayor, Palmerston North City Council
• Adrienne Staples | Zone Four | Mayor, South Wairarapa District Council
• Richard Kempthorne | Zone Five | Mayor, Tasman District Council
• Tracy Hicks | Zone Six | Mayor, Gore District Council
• Len Brown | Metro Sector | Mayor, Auckland Council
• Dave Cull | Metro Sector | Mayor, Dunedin City Council
• Stuart Crosby | Metro Sector | Mayor, Tauranga City Council
• Stephen Woodhead | Regional Sector | Chair, Otago Regional Council
• Fran Wilde | Regional Sector | Chair, Greater Wellington Regional Council

Individual profiles here.

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We know president Lawrence Yule (left) from his fluffy comments on the ‘positive’ health of local councils and his backing for debt funding… Now, Brendan Duffy wants Yule’s job at LGNZ (for $80k). Mr Duffy got Horowhenua into major debt, it’s one of the most indebted councils in New Zealand. We hear his private business isn’t doing too well.

Liability Cull gets $3k for being on the LGNZ Council —like that’s any investment in clear thinking.

It is LGNZ’s collective stupidity that hits New Zealand ratepayers in the back pocket – LGNZ policy and strategy is all about the increase and furtherment of ‘make-work’ schemes for council staff, until councils like Dunedin’s go down in a screaming heap [we’re well on the way, complicated by layers of fraud and corruption started in the Harland era and continuing today, as subject to Deloitte massage, the go-lightly investigation in play -> admit no council liability].

Best thing we could do is shut down LGNZ, immediately.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

LGNZ #blaggardliars

Received from Anonymous
Thu, 26 Jun 2014 at 3:17 p.m.

Horowhenua Chronicle 25.6.14

[Anonymous] “Another report by another highly paid expert, strategically placed on the front page to calm the masses only weeks after Horowhenua District Council (HDC) announced rate hikes of 10%.”

[Evidence] No-one believes his crap. Slippery Lawrence Yule treated like yesterday’s scrumpled chip paper.

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Our reading preference:

█ The Ratepayers’ Report is based on data collated by the Taxpayers’ Union, a lobby group, from councils’ annual reports. It also includes information collected independently from the Department of Internal Affairs and Statistics New Zealand. All of this has been checked and sent to the 67 councils involved for them to review. See local government league tables published by analyst Larry Mitchell since 2010.

Related Post and Comments:
12.6.14 Fairfax Media [not ODT] initiative on Local Bodies
21.4.13 Councils “in stchook” —finance & policy analyst Larry.N.Mitchell
30.5.12 Larry.N.Mitchell: 2012 Local Govt League Table Executive Summary

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Councils: Unaccountable, ready to tax? #DCC #ORC

When decisions are made in secret, and councillors know that the people will never know what was said and done at the meeting, there is no way of holding them to account.

### ODT Online Fri, 11 Apr 2014
Wherefores of council decisions should be public | Secret democracy is an oxymoron
By Hilary Calvert
OPINION The DCC has come a long way in providing more transparency and therefore more accountability. Fewer meetings are held behind closed doors. More information is made available after meetings when there have been non-public proceedings. However, we should not give up the search for more transparency with the job half done. All sorts of things still happen behind closed doors in council chambers.
Read more

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There is no doubt debate on the matter is needed – but giving councils the option to impose extra taxes, without some guarantee the profligate spending of some will be closely monitored, will be a recipe for disaster.

### ODT Online Fri, 11 Apr 2014
Editorial: Property rates not enough
OPINION Local Government New Zealand says basing rates on property values alone may soon be no longer sustainable as the sole form of taxation for many councils. Instead, it says, it will investigate other forms of taxation, such as local consumption and local income taxes, as complementary alternatives. This may lead to residents, workers, visitors and motorists within a council boundary contributing to a council’s bottom line through targeted taxes.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image critic.co.nz – Hilary Calvert (Critic Issue 17, 2013. Article 3175, posted 28.7.13 at 4:45pm by Jack Montgomerie). Re-imaged by whatifdunedin.