ORFU chairman quits —no thanks to DCC for all its help *sniff

Of course —with Professional Rugby the sense of entitlement goes a terrible long way. The Dunedin City Council, cracked and broken, has been unfairly or dishonestly “short-changed” by Otago Rugby and big brother NZRU. So too is the community of South Auckland (history: Jokers Bars, Gambling money spent out of area on Otago Rugby and Racing). What a delightful experiential and lucrative background exists to the Otago Union.

Straight up and rational, in the course of a chairman’s work, it’s simply the case that there’s been no mandate to name the rugby sponges who misused millions of dollars of public funds; although Jeremy Curragh, former ORFU change manager, suffered a moment when he was forced to blurt that a lesser amount of charitable funds had been misused by the union in yet another of its darkest hours. [enter *curragh* in the search box at right]

Nor has prosecution of ‘the deserving’ been progressed (fact), but then NZRU and DIA are fully committed to ‘looking forward’ rather than back at their contentious and damning files that might be, suddenly(!), lost or misplaced, or smoothly sealed and suppressed. That’s the political climate, nefariously yet continuously supported by a line-up of senior government ministers along with NZ Police, IPCA, SFO, the Auditor-general, and yes, the Ombudsmen.

Doug Harvie will be glad he is now (personally) out of the spotlight.
Like it never happened. Not on his watch. Like it would not in future.
A clipped accounting English.

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### ODT Online Wed, 21 Jan 2015
Rugby: Harvie stepping down after getting tough job done
By Steve Hepburn
Doug Harvie will step down from the Otago Rugby Football Union’s board with the sport in a much better position than when he arrived. Harvie, a Dunedin chartered accountant, became chairman of the newly structured board in May, 2012. He was shoulder-tapped to stand and felt he could not say no.
Harvie (57), a former loose forward for the University and Dunedin clubs, said the new board did not want to look back on why it found itself in such a tough position. It was focused on getting the business of rugby back into a good shape in Otago.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image tweaked by whatifdunedin

Southern complainants: IPCA won’t ensure upfront investigation #politics

The Police have joined both the Charities Commission and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in picking off low hanging fruit to justify their existence. There’s no mongrel in the public service any more and all they want is the easy life. It’s why the Police love traffic enforcement, particularly speed and drink driving – so instant, so easy and oh so profitable. –Anonymous

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Southern police officers were investigated for a range of complaints, including failure to investigate, attitude/language, and inadequate service.

### ODT Online 9:20 AM Sunday Jan 11, 2015
Dozens of police faced disciplinary procedures
By Hamish McNeilly
Complaints about bad language and bullying are just some of the reasons for disciplinary actions against some Southern district police officers. Figures released to the Otago Daily Times show dozens of southern officers have been involved in disciplinary action over the past five years, with 12 officers resigning.
Read more

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IPCA: “It’s our job to keep watch over Police” !!!!

Independent Police Conduct Authority of New Zealand
Sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Independent Police Complaints Authority. The Independent Police Conduct Authority is an independent body that considers complaints against New Zealand Police and oversees their conduct. http://ipca.govt.nz/

IPCA Role and powers
The Authority has the following functions and powers under the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988.
Functions: Under section 12 of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988, the Authority’s functions are to:
● receive complaints (i) alleging misconduct or neglect of duty by any member of Police or (ii) concerning any Police practice, policy or procedure affecting a complainant; or
● investigate incidents in which a member of Police (acting in the execution of his or her duty) causes or appears to have caused death or serious bodily harm.
Action on complaints: Under the Act, when the Authority receives a complaint, it may carry out its own investigation, or refer the matter to the Police for investigation under the Authority’s oversight. If a complaint is referred to the Police for investigation, the Authority will take steps to ensure that it is properly resolved. This may include directing or actively overseeing the Police investigation, or reviewing or auditing the Police investigation once it is completed. The Authority may also decline to take action on a complaint – for example, if the complaint is very minor or outside the Authority’s jurisdiction. The Authority’s powers in relation to complaints are set out in section 17 and section 19 of the Act. Read more

IPCA Vision and values
The Authority’s mission is to promote public trust and confidence in New Zealand Police. […] The Authority’s values include independence, trustworthiness, accountability, vigilance, and integrity. The Authority exists to support public expectations – as expressed by Parliament – for the justice system to be trusted and effective.
Outcomes: The Authority is funded through Vote: Justice and contributes to the overall justice sector outcome ‘A safe and just society’ and to the following three justice sector goals: accessible justice services, effective constitutional arrangements, and trusted justice system. The work done by the Authority also contributes to Police outcomes of ‘Confident, safe and secure communities’ and ‘Organisational development’, and Police values of integrity and professionalism as outlined in the Police Statement of Intent 2008/09. Read more

IPCA Accountability
The Authority is an independent Crown entity, which means it is accountable to Parliament for its use of taxpayer funding. The Authority is independent in its day-to-day operations. It cannot be told how to handle an investigation, or what the outcome of any investigation should be. However, the Authority is taxpayer-funded and it must account to the responsible Minister and to Parliament for its use of those funds. Read more

IPCA Independence
The Independent Police Conduct Authority is fully independent – it is not part of the Police. ‘Independence’ means that the Authority makes its findings based on the facts and the law. It does not answer to the Police or anyone else over those findings. In this way, its independence is similar to that of a Court. There are three aspects to the Authority’s independence: Legislative independence, Operational independence, and The perception of independence. Read more

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) was established in November 2007, replacing the Police Complaints Authority.
The Police Complaints Authority had been established in 1989, following several years of debate about Police accountability, sparked in part by the role of Police during the 1981 Springbok Tour. Prior to 1989, complaints against the Police were investigated internally. Through most of its life, the Police Complaints Authority comprised a single person with a small number of support staff conducting reviews of Police investigations. Because of its reliance on Police investigations, the Authority was perceived as lacking independence. Recent changes, including the appointment of independent investigators, are addressing that perception.
Key milestones in the history of the Police Complaints Authority include:
● the October 2000 Review of the Police Complaints Authority by Sir Rodney Gallen, who recommended the appointment of independent investigators;
● the appointment in late 2003 of the first independent investigators;
● the March 2007 report of the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, which recommended a number of changes to the Authority, including enhanced powers and improved communication with complainants;
● the Independent Police Conduct Authority Amendment Act 2007, which changed the Authority’s name and made changes to the Authority’s powers.
The period since the establishment of the Independent Police Conduct Authority in November 2007 has been one of transformation, as the Authority shifts its focus towards independent and transparent investigation of the most serious incidents and complaints. This period of change has included the appointment of additional investigators, and changes to the Authority’s legislation, structure and operations.
[IPCA History] Read more

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### stuff.co.nz Last updated 10:00 10/01/2015
‘Zero tolerance’ policy should be scrapped
By Duncan Garner
OPINION Police like to roll out statistics when it suits them so here’s one that hurts – 17 people killed on the roads during the holiday period. That’s more than double the death toll compared with last year. And it’s despite the police’s misguided efforts to target speeding drivers with the hopelessly designed zero tolerance for speeding campaign. It’s a campaign that has utterly failed. It’s a stupid policy that needs to be scrapped. Hundreds of thousands of us will have broken the zero tolerance policy over the holidays. Good on you. I did. It was safer to do so.
Read more

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### stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, January 11 2015
Uber taxi battle sees police vs cabbies
By Shabnam Dastgheib and Marika Hill
Police are cracking down on Uber, the cheap and trendy new-kid-on-the-taxi rank, leaving paying customers on the pavement. After complaints from the old-school taxi firms, police have begun fining the Uber drivers whose lower fares have been hurting the big cab companies. The private car hire service has hit back, lodging a complaint of police harassment with the Independent Police Complaints (sic) Authority. Uber operates as a private hire service which means the fare has to be set at the time of booking, rather than using a meter. This means Uber does not have to abide by taxi regulations, thus saving on operating costs.
Read more

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Citifleet —Related Posts and Comments:
3.1.15 DCC: Street talk NEVER HAPPENED
25.12.14 Daaave stole Christmas from #DUD
● 24.12.14 Dunedin: Watching the detectives
23.12.14 Our Leaders: if commonalities
● 19.12.14 DCC: Limited Citifleet investigation about insurance
19.12.14 Vandervis: Deloitte and Police Citifleet investigations
19.12.14 DCC Citifleet by email . . . . woops! (another timeline proof)
18.12.14 DCC: Deloitte report released on Citifleet #whitewash
24.10.14 DCC Citifleet, more revelations….
21.10.14 DCC Citifleet, undetectable….

Otago Rugby —For more information, enter the terms *orfu*, *rugby*, *racing*, *pokies*, *auditor-general*, *audit nz*, *dia*, *oag*, *sfo*, *operation chestnut* and *whistleblower* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: 3news.co.nz – police generic

DCC says Logan Park Dr trees to go —pressure from Otago Cricket

Twelve Ontario poplars in Logan Park Dr between the entrance to the University Oval and the Logan Park tennis courts are to be removed. No consent was required to fell the trees because they were considered to be a shelter belt.

### ODT Online Sat, 13 Sep 2014
Logan Park tree removal sparks anger
By Debbie Porteous
As the chop looms, plans to remove 12 established poplars in Logan Park Dr have fired up Dunedin residents, some of whom say the decision appears to be out of the blue and even “horrifying”. But the Dunedin City Council says the removal of the trees, which will come down next week, is part of a 2007 plan to redevelop Logan Park. This included the eventual removal, and partial replacement, of the entire avenue of poplars. […] Concerns aired range from a loss of ambience, to whether the options had been fully canvassed, to giving in to sporting codes’ demands and confusion about process.
Read more

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### ODT Online Tue, 9 Sep 2014
University Oval poplars to be removed
By Debbie Porteous
Twelve trees that threatened the future of international cricket fixtures in Dunedin will be removed next week. The Otago Cricket Association has pushed for the trees on Logan Park Dr to be removed for several years, but the Dunedin City Council, which has been deferring the trees’ removal because of the cost, says its decision to bring the work forward is not purely the result of cricket’s demands. The Ontario poplars were originally scheduled for removal as part of the redevelopment of Logan Park.
Read more

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Updated post 14.9.14 at 3:07 p.m.

█ Comment from UglyBob (@UglyBobNZ)
Submitted on 2014/09/14 at 2:14 pm
What about Otago Cricket’s annual plan request around closing the road, making a grass embankment where the trees are now and installing lights. This is strangely absent from all talk about the removal of the poplars.

Related Posts and Comments:
16.6.11 Logan Park redevelopment
4.12.10 Old Logan Park Art Gallery
19.11.09 Logan Park Redevelopment: Compromise for Old Art Gallery
9.10.09 Former Logan Park Art Gallery talks
30.7.09 Logan Park hits the brakes

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: DCC Webmap – Logan Park Drive (avenue); [thumbnail] odt.co.nz – Ontario poplars at Logan Park

ODT preamble on Davies story

UPDATED POST 30.9.12

Released via Twitter.

### ODT Online Sat, 29 Sep 2012
Stadium boss fires some parting shots
David Davies is a happy yet frustrated man. The former Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive has ended nearly three years as the public face of the Forsyth Barr Stadium, but not before firing some parting shots in an exclusive interview with Otago Daily Times reporter Chris Morris. He has precious memories of his time in Dunedin, insisting the city would – in time – be convinced one of the most controversial projects in its history was worth it. But Mr Davies admitted to “mixed feelings” about the results of his time at DVML, and urged the city to do more to work together if its citizens wanted to make the most of the stadium.

For the full story, buy today’s Otago Daily Times.
ODT Link

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Former Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive David Davies is winging his way back to England after firing some parting shots in the Forsyth Barr Stadium debate. He gave his final interview to reporter Chris Morris.

### ODT Online Sun, 30 Sep 2012
Promises, politics and the stadium
By Chris Morris
David Davies is flying home a happy yet frustrated man. The former Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive last night boarded a plane for England, ending nearly three years as the public face of the Forsyth Barr Stadium.[…]Since arriving, Mr Davies said, he had confronted unrealistic promises and expectations about the venue, a flawed funding model and, in some cases, a lack of political will to do what was needed. “I came here to do a job I have never been able to do, for various political reasons. I go back happy with my time here, but disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to do the job that I was recruited to do.”[…]The details of any settlement package with Mr Davies were not yet known, and he was coy when asked about his future.
Read more

### ODT Online Sun, 30 Sep 2012
Chin: no regrets; Cull: need lure
By Chris Morris
Former Dunedin mayor Peter Chin rejects claims Forsyth Barr Stadium was oversold and says he has no regrets over the decision to build it. However, the man who replaced him as mayor, Dave Cull, has reiterated his belief the stadium model was designed “to convince people to build it”, and says changes are needed. That could include a new events fund to pay incentives to lure promoters to Dunedin, which would be considered as part of the review of the stadium and Dunedin Venues Management Ltd.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

RUGBY, awful quiet

Tweet (04 Aug 15:09):

@whatifdunedin Short comment on rugby’s free lunch and Dunedin City Council’s financial ruin http://bit.ly/pMu5RD | ODT Online

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Logan Park redevelopment

The plans for the area have been on the council’s books since 2005, when the Logan Park development plan included proposals for new facilities for tennis, athletics, squash and the New Zealand Academy of Sport, South Island.

An update last week, with council funding of $12.08 million, proposed new or upgraded facilities for the city’s sporting codes, including a new multipurpose artificial all-weather turf for a variety of sports, another artificial turf for football only, paid for in part by Fifa, a new hockey turf and tennis courts, and a possible new life for the former art gallery building as an administration centre for Sport Otago and other regional sporting bodies.

### ODT Online Thu, 16 Jun 2011
Vandervis fails in bid to downgrade sporting hub
By David Loughrey
Plans for a $14.6 million transformation of Logan Park survived an attempt by two councillors to drop much of the funding from the Dunedin City Council’s budget yesterday. The plans, which supporters say will turn the park into a major metropolitan sporting hub, appear set to face another attack later this month, when they go before a full council meeting.
Read more

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Report – CDC – 15/06/2011 (PDF, 572.5 KB)
Logan Park Development Plan – Review Update

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Related Posts:
31.5.11 Controlled funding pies and the suit-wearers for professional sport
30.7.09 Logan Park hits the brakes

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Controlled funding pies and the suit-wearers for professional sport

A new home for the academy was signalled as part of the $15.7 million Logan Park redevelopment plan, initially released in 2005, and the cost would come from that budget. The city agreed to provide the academy with a headquarters when Dunedin was picked as its South Island home. Sparc confirmed a $1 million grant for the two-storey building. The Dunedin City Council would meet the remainder of the cost.

The building would be owned by Dunedin Venues Management and run by Dunedin Venues Management Ltd . . . the academy would occupy one end of the building, and the Highlanders the other.

Carisbrook Stadium Trust chairman Malcolm Farry said he expected the facility, with input from the scientific community, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic, along with technology work by Dunedin businessman Ian Taylor, could eventually attract more international interest than the stadium itself.

### ODT Online Tue, 31 May 2011
Piling begun for academy building
By David Loughrey
Work has begun on the new Academy of Sport building on the north end of the Forsyth Barr Stadium, which later this year will house both the academy and the Highlanders rugby team. Dunedin City Council community life general manager Graeme Hall said piling work had begun last week, and the two-storey structure was still on track to be completed before the Rugby World Cup begins in September.
Read more

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### ODT Online Tue, 31 May 2011
Boost for academy
By David Loughrey
The Otago Community Trust has donated $65,000 to the New Zealand Academy of Sport South Island, the trust announced yesterday. The funding would be used to build a high-performance floor for the new facility. The floor would have a seamless surface with an indoor track built into it. The money would also help build a recovery centre with a heated hydrotherapy spa.
ODT Link

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Related Posts
14.12.10 New Zealand Academy of Sport, South Island
2.12.10 Stadium: private sector funding
29.7.10 Perceived conflicts of interest, what’s new?
1.6.10 Surprise! (yawn) Shift them out.
10.3.10 The bull**** from National continues unabated
3.3.10 Yep, Kereyn Smith thinks like ‘stadium boys’
22.12.09 DCC appoints Highlanders’ Board representative
30.7.09 Logan Park hits the brakes

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Stadium: private sector funding

### ODT Online Thu, 2 Dec 2010
$2.7m donated to stadium
By Stu Oldham
Four anonymous benefactors have donated $2.7 million to Dunedin’s new stadium, pitching total fundraising close to $38 million. Two of the donations are in the very high hundreds of thousands of dollars, and two more are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Carisbrook Stadium Trust, and by extension DVML, was tasked to raise $45.5 million toward the stadium project.

Read more

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On changes to the stadium layout, options for the Academy of Sport moving to the back of the North Stand, and relocatable seating…

### ODT Online Thu, 2 Dec 2010
New plans for media box
By Stu Oldham
Sports journalists may get a different home in the Forsyth Barr Stadium, as its developers look for new ways to maximise its income. The Carisbrook Stadium Trust is considering moving the media box from the south to the north stand in a move it hopes will ultimately be cost-neutral.

[It] would mean the venue had more seats and corporate packages to sell, and more chance to develop a solid stream of new operational income.

Read more

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

Yep, Kereyn Smith thinks like ‘stadium boys’

She apparently hopes DCC ratepayers will soak up the cost of her empire building dreams.

D Scene, hello! This is NOT a $198 million stadium precinct – do your sums or read other media news of the spiralling stadium cost. We don’t want to use the words pig ignorance.

### DScene 3-3-10 (page 6)
Indoor pool mooted
By Michelle Sutton
An indoor swimming pool has been mooted as a second stage development at Dunedin’s $198 million stadium precinct. The NZ Academy of Sport South Island, headquarters in Dunedin, confirmed to D Scene that it would like a pool included in the stadium precinct, where it hopes to be based at in the future. The Awatea street roofed venue – branded the Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza – is currently under construction, with a August 1 2011 Rugby World Cup deadline.
Meanwhile, as a pool at the stadium dvelopment is suggested, Dunedin City Council is also reviewing its pool facilities.
{continues} #Bookmark

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr