Just beginning…. inquiries into council company rogues

Updated post
Thu, 29 Dec 2016 at 1:47 p.m.

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ODT 28.12.16 (page 12)

*smartphone tweak by whatifdunedin

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THANK YOU LEAKS

Another demonstration, published via ODT today (see link below), of Lame Brains and Arrogance —Grady Cameron BULLSHIT and BLUSTER

Grady says !! “one of the largest construction projects in Otago during 2017” because…. since he was first appointed, Grady has COMPLETELY FAILED as chief executive of Delta and Aurora. Increasingly weak and witless. He is criminally negligent under New Zealand’s health and safety legislation. If WorkSafe tries to diminish that truth by applying the soft touch – there will be an Otago Riot.

As for Steve Thompson, given his latest offerings (and his past with Otago Rugby Football Union et al), he appears f’g clueless, a seller of hype, awesomely unfit to be (interim!) chairman of Aurora:

“Mr Thompson also told staff it was an “exciting” time to work for Delta…. “As a new chair and board we’re clear that the network needs modernising, that enough hasn’t been done in the past, that we’ll do more and faster in future.””

Modernising. Modernising.

One man dead.
Very little money at bank.

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Whistleblower Richard Healey questioned Mr Brosnan’s appointment, saying his background was in management, not engineering. Delta did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

### ODT Online Thu, 29 Dec 2016
Director for $30m pole project
By Vaughan Elder
Lines company Aurora Energy has appointed a director to oversee its $30.25million pole replacement programme. Two memos sent to staff at Aurora’s sister company, Delta, before Christmas have been leaked to the Otago Daily Times. One is from chief executive Grady Cameron and the other from newly appointed chairman Steve Thompson. Mr Cameron outlined progress on the company’s accelerated plan to replace nearly 3000 poles in Aurora’s electricity network which is spread across Dunedin, Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes area. […] Godfrey Brosnan had been appointed programme director and would report directly to Mr Cameron.
Read more

Not an auspicious start.

[More poles! Let’s pull in slave labour from overseas….. hmm maybe we don’t even have money for that…..]

Lots of legal clouds beginning to hover over Delta/Aurora HQ at 10 Halsey St – how long can Grady Cameron, Gary Johnson, Godfrey Brosnan and Steve Thompson keep their pay ?

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Images: newshub.co.nz – Grady Cameron | 10 Halsey St (web image) tweaked by whatifdunedin

What GIVES : Aurora/Delta/DCHL/DCC ?? Energy Safety/WorkSafe ?? ComCom ??

Due process and natural justice demand a different outcome in the Delta/Aurora case, writes Robert Hamlin. (ODT)

### ODT Online Thu, 22 Dec 2016
Rotten process needs fixing, too
By Rob Hamlin
OPINION Employment law is a minefield, which only those who assiduously apply due process can navigate. After the publication of the damning report by Deloitte, there have been calls in this community and this newspaper for Grady Cameron, the CEO of Delta, to be removed. Any lawyer will tell you that even with this report in hand, there will be a procedure to be followed before any such removal can occur. […] Enough time has now elapsed since the Deloitte report was published for the boards of Delta and DCHL along with the DCC to make their intentions clear to the community.
Read more

● Robert Hamlin is a senior lecturer at University of Otago Department of Marketing, commenting in a personal capacity.

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Comments at What if? Dunedin:

russandbev
2016/12/22 at 11:45 am
Of course the Dunedin Mayor, DCHL, Aurora and Delta will always say that the network is “safe” because once they admit to it NOT being safe then they are liable. Actually that raises an interesting issue. My understanding is that if an officer of the Council is aware, or made aware, of an unsafe environment or practice on or around any Council property – and that includes roadways, pathways, parks etc and does nothing about it, then that officer is personally liable for any subsequent issue. Surely Cull, as an officer, is now aware through his much delayed meeting with Richard Healey that the network is unsafe. He only needs to read the ODT to learn of the continued failures if he still can’t bring himself to accept the truth from Mr Healey. Why then is Cull not being pursued by Energy Safety or WorkSafe or the DCC internal Health and Safety personnel?

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Alex Brown
2016/12/22 at 12:39 pm

Click to access leadership-sme-guide.pdf

Page 2 Directors Duties – “ensure company has appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise those risks and uses them”
Prioritising funds for a sports stadium would not be a defence.
Ask any small business (easy target) slapped with instant fines for incorrect scaffold or any commercial truck driver who receive huge fines for safety issues.
If ever the law should be applied it is in this case. WorkSafe needs to send a clear message to troughers who love sitting on boards under the safety of Council always backed up by the ratepayer.

Alex Brown
2016/12/22 at 12:51 pm
Penalty for the Directors – 5 years imprisonment, $600k fine.
So our lawmakers also intended it be taken very seriously.

█ For more, enter the terms *aurora*, *delta*, *grady*, *luggate*, *jacks point*, *dchl*, *auditor-general*, *noble*, *yaldhurst* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: googlesnipers.org – topsecret1

Aurora/Delta : RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan with Rod Oram

Updated post
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 at 10:41 p.m.

ODT tomorrow….
On Channel 39 news, editor Barry Stewart says “Half of the Delta executive management team have jumped ship, since the pole scandal erupted.”
http://www.thinkdelta.co.nz/about-us/executive-leadership-team/

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### radionz.co.nz Tue, 20 Dec 2016 at 11:06 am
Nine to Noon Link
Among the topics Kathryn Ryan talks to Rod Oram about, is the Electricity Authority’s tweaking of its controversial re-pricing of transmission charges, amid a chorus of opposition.
Audio | Download: Ogg MP3 (14′58″)

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Within the interview Oram speaks to the Deloitte report for Aurora/Delta.
He finds the report sobering “although the language was very moderate”.
Listen from 04:05 to 08:09

Kathryn Ryan: “…possibly they’ve dodged a really really bad news story and a really really bad event in the process.”

Oram: “They have.”

Oram: “…I just find it pretty inexplicable that council owned companies should have… I’m choosing my language, obviously, carefully here …have had inadequate oversight from the Council over such a long period and that there hasn’t been a disaster as a result of this.”

He goes on to say “the potential for one is identified”…
See Aurora/Delta’s prioritisation of pole replacements around schools and hospitals.

[The numbers for pole replacements in the Deloitte report goes under-reported.]

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It will be a very very long while before the dangerous Aurora electricity network is made SAFE. In that time a really really bad news story or more could hit.

Sadly, the death of Delta lineman Roger Allan Steel (63) near Millers Flat on 9 December 2010 was the first really really bad story….

NZ Herald (30.1.13) —“Delta was prosecuted under the Health and Safety in Employment Act and was fined $75,000 in the Alexandra District Court in October 2011 after pleading guilty to a charge of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its employees while at work. The charge was laid by the then Labour Department … The pole that fell had earlier been placed by a Delta work gang, in the footing of the pole it replaced … The hazard identification procedure adopted by Delta and its employees was unsuitable and needed to be improved, Coroner David Crerar said.”

Famous last words.
Grady Cameron: “As the coroner noted, Delta has reviewed and made enhancements to our work practices. We wanted to make sure that we never have another workmate in this position again.”

“Cameron said Delta had taken remedial action including red-tagging all poles deemed unsafe to climb, the introduction of systems to quickly locate vehicles and employees wherever they were working and had also made changes to work instruction forms.”

Fast-forward to October 2016. Whistleblower Richard Healey reveals major SAFETY CONCERNS with the Aurora/Delta electricity network. As a consequence, Grady Cameron is found severely wanting in not meeting the claims he made to Coroner Crerar about taking remedial action ….sufficient to safeguard the lives of lines staff and the public. Gross mismanagement and negligence applies.

█ For more, enter the terms *aurora*, *delta*, *grady*, *luggate*, *jacks point*, *dchl*, *auditor-general*, *noble*, *yaldhurst* or *epic fraud* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Image: radionz.co.nz.co.nz – rod oram

The EVIL Blend: Delta, Aurora, Fubar Stadium, Our Rates

Received from nick
2016/11/22 at 11:06 pm

DELTA
Think Rundown Infrastructure
Think Pigs in Troughs
Think High Living at Ratepayers Expense
Think Cynical PR Spin
Think Appalling Attitude to Public Safety
Think Expendable Linesmen
Think Bloody Hard about What Comes Next
Think Richard Healey has Shown Us Up
Think the Game Might Be Over.

****

Angina attack.

Oh my lord! Nooooo. The DCC can’t be ‘surprised’ after ALL these years (each and every year) of information slung at it about ongoing stadium spending and subvention payments (particularly by the likes of Calvin Oaten!), Not after the (effortless?) Stadium Review…. Which planet are you on, DCC ?

Some backside covering ERUPTS at ‘city hall’.

Then there’s poor Grady Cameron, he’s someone just not coping with Questions these days. Mr Cameron has turned into quite the veritable rapidly depreciating, $417M cracked record. After the ‘concretising’ Drifting event, let’s see him Put Out To Pasture at the Stadium —once DVML restores the hallowed Otago Rugby turf, of course.

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“It is patently clear that Delta/Aurora/Dunedin City Holdings Ltd’s priority over the last few years has been to support a rugby stadium at the expense of public safety by way of subsidies/subvention payments.” –Bev Butler

### ODT Online Mon, 28 Nov 2016
Delta payments to stadium queried
By David Loughrey
The Dunedin councillor charged with overseeing Delta and Aurora says the beleaguered companies should be concentrating on their business and health and safety before pouring money into the Forsyth Barr Stadium. That came after it was revealed the companies have paid $29.9 million in subvention payments to the stadium in the past five years. It also appears a Deloitte investigation into the companies will consider the payments issue.

“In no way should people’s health and safety be compromised because we’re trying to pay for a stadium.” –Cr Mike Lord

A Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) request from stadium critic Bev Butler, passed to the Otago Daily Times, showed the extent of the payments. It also showed Delta had paid $392,499 on its corporate suite and other costs at the stadium since 2010. The details of the spending come after weeks of criticism of the companies in which it has been revealed infrastructure has not been maintained, leaving thousands of power poles compromised and potentially dangerous.
Read more

● ODT: Stadium drifting track build ‘ambitious’
The turf at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin handles 1600kg scrums with ease but it is now bearing a load 500 times heavier….

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On the issue of the corporate suite, Mr Cameron said like any large business, “from time to time we host our customers to strengthen the working relationships”. (ODT)

So, Grady:
Question, you splurge Many Dollars on your main customer – Aurora Energy – by entertaining them at the Stadium? The champagne lifestyle. On Our Money.

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Related Post and Comments: [THE CHEAPIE INVOICES]
22.11.16 Delta/Aurora spend-up at Stadium —Degraded electricity network, Us ? (said the GOBs) #LGOIMA #Rugby

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Douglas Field 18.11.16 [click to enlarge]

Delta poles : CODC beats DCC to the safety gun, SO not surprising

Tomorrow’s ODT….

At Channel 39 News this evening editor Barry Stewart says:

“Central Otago District Council has turned up the heat on Delta over unsafe poles. So they’re calling for a report on all their endangered poles, and they want to get that sorted.”

Well. It’s not like DCC is nearly so proactive. Mayor Cull’s dwindling idea of Leadership does not accord with Social Responsibility. What. No, at Dunedin there is only THE PERCEPTION of a problem, worth $30M.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Bullswool at Delta never ends

Far from being bullet proof – the credibility is by now well and truly SCORCHED and in tatters. Time to walk, or be pushed. A liability to all power users in Dunedin and Central Otago.

It’s not just about the poles. The Aurora Energy electricity network, managed by Delta Utility Services, is degraded and downright dangerous.

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“I rejected the claim that shareholder [Dunedin City Council] demands were impacting safety outcomes.” –Grady Cameron (email)

### ODT Online Wed, 23 Nov 2016
Delta/Aurora ‘in good hands with advisers’
By Vaughan Elder
Aurora Energy chief executive Grady Cameron was told to keep his head up and “not get too stressed” as accusations mounted over rotten power poles. The email exchange between Mr Cameron and an unnamed person from another lines company was one of a number of documents provided to the Otago Daily Times after a Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act request. The short exchange on October 21 came only days after former Delta worker Richard Healey went public with his concerns, setting off a chain of events which culminated in multiple investigations and an accelerated plan to replace ageing poles.
Read more

34% of staff thought senior management were honest and straightforward in their dealings with staff. (Which is 19 percentage points below average) –The Survey (Cerno)

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Spotted ….allegedly, ‘loud-mouthed’ and under the influence in Dunedin’s main street the same day Richard Healey went public…. the executive cares so much for the companies, the staff, and the general public. Epitaph to a young fool with no management expertise or health and safety learning.

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Delta’s PR consultant

WHEN Delta’s ‘award winning’ young executive Grady Cameron, the Delta Board – woebegone* directors Ian Parton (from 25 Oct 2012), Stuart McLauchlan (1 Jun 2007), David Frow (25 Oct 2012), Trevor Kempton (1 Nov 2013) and Stephen Thompson [Deloitte!] (1 Jun 2016) – the rotten-tooth chair of DCHL Graham Crombie, and the Mayor of City Liabilities and Risk Dave Cull FAIL to Communicate Honestly with the concerned public on Delta’s utter degradation and collapse of Our electricity network —What Do You Do ?

You send in the crows or, a PR clown.

None other than public relations consultant and former broadcaster Spiro Anastasiou. Mr Ana-sneeze rates himself as “a strategic communications specialist with extensive experience in managing issues of public and political sensitivity”. The newest partner in SenateSHJ’s Wellington office, who heads their government relations practice. He returns to consulting “from a role leading strategic communications at the Ministry of Health where he managed the Ministry’s public information programme during the Swine Flu pandemic and was seconded to the Canterbury earthquake response in the All of Government communications role during the two and half month state of national emergency”. Ana-sneeze joined the Ministry of Health “….after more than 10 years consulting in a range of sectors where he provided strategic advice and tactical support to CEOs and senior leaders. This included specialist projects such as industrial relations and change, many with a very high public profile.” Ana-sneeze’s strength is his experience in “….building successful working relationships and a proven track record in government relations. He has excellent media and communication skills developed during a 15 year career in broadcast journalism before he entered consultancy….a native Wellingtonian [blahblah] He enjoys reading and cooking, is a keen fisherman and an enthusiastic golfer.”

Let’s see where this goes —and if Grady and Spiro darling, are to be seen golfing together or co-occupying Delta’s corporate box at the Stadium – on which we have cameras trained. It was bad enough having to secret-squirrel GPS trackers to All (excessive numbers of) company vehicles two weeks ago.

*Understatement, meaning incompetent and grossly negligent.

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The Varmints:

● Delta Utility Services Ltd http://www.companies.govt.nz/co/453486

● Aurora Energy Ltd http://www.companies.govt.nz/co/471661
[Mr Thompson of Deloitte appointed 20 Jun 2016]

● Dunedin City Holdings Ltd http://www.companies.govt.nz/co/559098

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Delta mobile substation, Willis St [industrial/port area]

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 at 3.13 p.m.
Christchurch Driver [CD] phones in a query about the Delta truck parked at Dunedin harbourside: “This jury rig set-up has been in place for at least 6 months – Richard may have more info.”

Photos received at 10:21 p.m.

Images: CD

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What if? query to Richard
Sat, 12 Nov 2016 at 5:42 p.m.
Someone is about to send me photos (not sure when today), of what I think from their description must be a mobile substation? There’s a Delta truck hooked into the network on Willis St, Dunedin harbourside, it’s been there for a few months – can you tell me what the truck is and what it’s there for? – Presumably delivering for local businesses in the industrial zone ? Typically these trucks (if a substation?) are used for continuous supply while maintenance is carried out but given how long this one’s been parked we wonder why the lengthy deployment.

DCC Webmap – Location of Delta mobile substation (arrowed), 24 Willis St

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Reply from Richard Healey
Sat, 12 Nov 2016 at 6:03 p.m.

Yes, that is a mobile substation. It was installed to take the load of a failed transformer nearby. Classic Delta story.
The network refuse to keep strategic spares. Transformers have a 12-week lead time. In this case we ordered a transformer and installed it near that mobile sub but another transformer failed just as we were about to liven it and we pulled it out again to replace the new failure.

A short while ago we had five transformers fail in one night (lightning). Because there are no spares we ended up going to the scrap pile and pulling out five discarded transformers. After painting over the letter s on the side of each one we changed the oil, tested them and put them back on poles.

The second failed transformer was on the corner of Strathallen Street and Andy Bay Road. It was hit by a car.
That means waiting another 12 weeks for a replacement.

[ends]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Delta/Aurora : Current strategy to “fix on failure” [extreme neglect]

ODT stories provide truly abhorrent insights.

█ Power poles are just the tip of the iceberg as Dunedin’s creaking electricity network shows signs of neglect across the board.

“In 10 years, we’re looking at re-reticulating the entire CBD of Dunedin. What do you think that’s going to cost? Hundreds of millions ain’t gonna touch it.” –Richard Healey

### ODT Online Sat, 12 Nov 2016
Insight | Aurora’s woes
Network ‘decayed, neglected’
By Chris Morris
Richard Healey says it is a miracle the lights have stayed on in Dunedin as parts of the city’s ageing electricity network threaten to implode. The former Delta worker, who resigned to blow the whistle last month, has been outspoken about the state of thousands of power poles across Aurora’s network. But the poles were just one symptom of wider neglect that has left Aurora’s network at risk of multiple failures, Mr Healey believed. And nowhere was that threat more critical than within the ageing web of high-voltage 33kV underground electricity cables, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, still powering Dunedin. […] It was a claim reinforced by Aurora, which identified the cables as “perhaps the most significant risk of a catastrophic asset failure” facing the city in its 10-year asset management plan. The risk was also pinpointed by consultant Strata Energy Ltd, in a report on Aurora’s network for the Commerce Commission, in 2013. Despite that, Aurora’s asset management plan said failure of the 33kV cables remained “extremely rare”, and “as a result our current strategy is to fix on failure”.

Mr Healey said the network’s problems were the inevitable consequences of inadequate investment. “It’s not aged — it’s decayed. It’s not deferred maintenance — it’s neglect.

What was known was that other cities had “vigorously” replaced their cables, and Dunedin appeared to be “out of whack with the rest of the world”. He described a network littered with equipment either broken or operating well beyond manufacturers’ specifications. […] Delta chief executive Grady Cameron would not answer questions about the state of the network, the risks it posed to safety, or the likely total cost of renewal, this week. Instead, Aurora board chairman Dr Ian Parton, in an email, would say only the issues were being addressed “at an operational level” and it was not appropriate to discuss them with media.
Read more + Videos

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### ODT Online Sat, 12 Nov 2016
Every day at Delta a ‘storm’
By Chris Morris
Aurora Energy is still insisting its electricity network is safe, despite logging more than 60 “high or extreme risk” public safety incidents — most involving falling power poles — in a year, it has been confirmed. The revelation came as another former Delta worker came forward to tell the Otago Daily Times it was a struggle on a “daily basis” to keep the lights on in Dunedin. Delta manages Aurora’s network. Geoff Lyell said he was shocked by the state of Aurora’s network when he took a job as system control operator in 2013.
….There were good staff at Delta but many kept their heads down and asset management staff were victims of the company’s “financial constraint”, he said. That constraint was a result of Delta and Aurora being expected to deliver large profits to the Dunedin City Council, which was “mainlining” on profits. “They can’t get off this drug.”
Read more

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### ODT Online Sat, 12 Nov 2016
Pole hit, power cut to two houses
By Vaughan Elder
Power was cut to two houses in Mornington when an 86-year-old power pole was struck by a truck yesterday afternoon. A spokeswoman said police were called to Argyle St just before 2pm after a truck struck the pole, bringing down a telephone line. […] The Otago Daily Times understands the pole, which was red-tagged indicating it was unsafe to climb, was installed in 1930 and in 2013 was identified as “condition one”, meaning it was not fit for design load.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
11.11.16 Healey responds to statements in today’s ODT —Delta #WorkSafety…
10.11.16 Delta goes for *cheapie Chinese steel poles in replacement
9.11.16 Delta/Aurora warned, renewed calls for Grady Cameron to resign
8.11.16 Delta/Aurora neglect, letters to ODT
6.11.16 Healey responds to DCHL terms of reference for Delta review
4.11.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail 6 – Thick as a Brick
2.11.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail 5 : Grady Cameron on RNZ : How many Asset…
1.11.16 Delta/Aurora/DCHL corporate whitewash #dangerousnetwork
● 31.10.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail 4 : Delta/Aurora, Drugs and Dividends
29.10.16 Mr Crombie, not quite the spent force
28.10.16 Heads of Delta/ Aurora/ DCHL/ DCC out to lunch
27.10.16 Bev Butler says ‘Come in, Grady’ #LGOIMA #Delta
27.10.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail 3 : Rotten Poles and Greedy Algorithms
25.10.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail 2 : Plaudits to Saunders & Elder : Delta…
22.10.16 DCC struggles with Governance…. Delta/Aurora/DCHL…
21.10.16 Dunedin City Council must hang the companies out to dry
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: clipart – power pole silhouette by robert kim karen on deviantart

Healey responds to statements in today’s ODT —Delta #WorkSafety #PublicSafety

From: Richard Healey
Sent: Friday, 11 November 2016 9:04 a.m.
To: Elizabeth Kerr
Subject: Latest ODT article response (also posted to FB)

Uh huh….. “while some functions and responsibilities might change”. Translation: Some of the people who have been fighting to get the hazards on the network fixed will now be reporting directly to the people who have been refusing to fix them.

Overall staff numbers will increase slightly – an accountant, two engineers and an asset management guy have already resigned in the last month. Yes, with an additional $30M dollars to spend you might need a few more people.

Why are you spending that money again? Oh yes, to appease public perception.

When I am told by my ex colleagues that their staff are coming to them in tears and that stress levels are through the roof then I am pretty sure that the guys minds will not be concentrating on keeping safe or keeping their workmates safe.

Remember what the chairman and the mayor were saying two weeks ago? If the allegations that the condition of the network posed a threat to the safety of the people who worked on it or the public then heads would roll.

I asked Deloitte, the terms of reference do not include that question. They ask if there are “other” high risk safety issues on the network. Mayor Cull is on record as saying he is now happy with Delta’s approach to handling the 3000 unsafe poles. An approach completely out of step with every other company in New Zealand.

And about Deloitte, the office managing partner of the Deloite Dunedin office, Stephen Thompson, is on the board of – you guessed it – Delta. Grady Cameron won the Deloitte young executive of the year award in 2014.

All you guys still battling at Delta, look after yourselves and look after each other. Your bosses may have their blinkers superglued in place but you and I know the stress you are under.

So here is my offer, I will take any Council member, or any Delta/Aurora board member on a tour of the network. I will show them at first hand dangers that are present. I will answer any relevant question they have. The offer applies to any Councillor who represents an area covered by the Aurora Network.

[ends]

The Question
DOES THE STATE OF THE AURORA NETWORK POSE AN UNACCEPTABLE RISK TO THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK ON IT AND TO THE WIDER COMMUNITY ?

█ 27.10.16 Detailed map of dangerous poles [Dunedin]
The Otago Daily Times has been leaked a detailed map showing the location of dangerous power poles in Dunedin.

█ 29.10.16 Detailed map of dangerous poles – Central Otago and Queenstown
The Otago Daily Times has been leaked a detailed map showing the location of dangerous power poles in Central Otago and Queenstown.

Note: Aurora’s “aged network” also comprises other assets and facilities requiring replacement, not just power poles.

****

### ODT Online Fri, 11 Nov 2016
Lines staff also facing restructure
By Vaughan Elder
Delta staff already reeling from the power-poles scandal are being hit with the threat of restructuring. This comes as Mayor Dave Cull suggested whistleblower Richard Healey should stop being critical in the media and instead focus on helping the Deloitte investigation into Aurora and Delta. Mr Healey said Delta should put its restructure on hold for a few months while the company rolled out its accelerated plan to replace almost 3000 poles and dealt with three separate investigations. This meant already stressed staff members had the added stress of potentially losing their jobs, which was a “recipe for disaster”. […] Mr Healey had been told almost 70 positions could be affected by the restructuring, which included people losing their job or their roles changing. He was also concerned Deloitte, which was appointed by Dunedin City Holdings Ltd to review Aurora and Delta, was not going to look at whether the state of power poles presented a safety risk to workers and the public. Poles were not mentioned in the review’s terms of reference and after speaking to a Deloitte staff member he got the impression the issue was not part of the review. He would still talk to Deloitte to highlight other safety problems with Aurora’s network but felt the review was flawed. “The primary question is not there.” He would continue to raise his concerns in the media until Mr Cull and others accepted his argument there was a serious safety issue.
Read more

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### ODT Online Fri, 11 Nov 2016
Delta/Aurora board query for DCHL
By David Loughrey
Three councillors are demanding an answer to what one says is the “big flashing light” question about Dunedin and Central Otago’s compromised power pole infrastructure. At the Dunedin City Council’s first meeting since councillors were sworn in last month they will vote on a notice of motion to ask council-owned holding company Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL) to “urgently advise” whether it still has confidence in the board  of Delta and Aurora.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Delta goes for *cheapie Chinese steel poles in replacement

Delta has 1181 red-tagged power poles. The rest of the country has 321.

### Stuff.co.nz Thu, 10 Nov 2016 Last updated 12:29 PM
Under-fire Otago lines company has most of NZ’s red-tagged power poles
By Hamish McNeilly
An under-fire Otago lines company has more than three times as many dangerous power poles as the rest of the country combined. Delta came under scrutiny after former manager-turned-whistleblower Richard Healey said its power poles were dangerous. A survey of all 29 lines companies found Delta had 1181 poles rated condition 0, the lowest level. Other lines companies had different rating systems, but together had 321 “red-tagged” poles across four companies. […] Healey said since going public there had been a rush by lines companies to secure New Zealand-made concrete power poles, “but when Delta got in there the cupboard was bare”. Instead the company was forced to secure Chinese-manufactured power poles from an Australian supplier. Given concerns raised over Chinese steel Healey feared “rushing [those poles] into service may introduce a few problems they may not expect”. In a statement the company downplayed those concerns, but declined to reveal the origin of the poles.
Read more

Steel power poles – China

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At Facebook:

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

*Note to pole image (China) sourced from diytrade.com; this does not imply Delta is using diytrade.com for supply.