City Property . . . .

### ODT Online Sat, 10 Jun 2017
Property boss quits
By Chris Morris
The man in charge of the Dunedin City Council’s multimillion-dollar property portfolio has quit following a review by independent auditor Deloitte. [A] Council spokesman ….yesterday confirmed city property manager Kevin Taylor resigned last week. [DCC] responding to Otago Daily Times questions by email, declined to say what Deloitte’s review had found, insisting the final report was “still being considered”. The development came three months after the ODT reported the department responsible for property worth hundreds of millions of dollars was being reviewed ….The role was expected to change in future, with a “specific focus” on community and civic properties ….Mr Taylor’s departure was the latest upheaval for the city property department, following the departure of former city property manager Robert Clark in 2014, and his assistant manager, Rhonda Abercrombie, the following year.
Read more

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### ODT Online Fri, 10 Mar 2017
Council’s property department under review
By Chris Morris
The performance of the Dunedin City Council’s city property department is under the scrutiny of an independent auditor. It was confirmed yesterday Deloitte had been called in to examine the department responsible for property worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It is understood the review’s focus was on the department’s performance, and any suggestion of impropriety has been ruled out. Deloitte has been brought in to provide extra resources for the review, but city property manager Kevin Taylor has been replaced in the day-to-day running of the department.
Read more

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### ODT Online Tue, 15 Sep 2015
Property manager quits DCC
By Chris Morris
Dunedin City Council manager Rhonda Abercrombie has resigned abruptly, but nobody is prepared to say why. Mrs Abercrombie, the council’s assistant city property manager, handed in her notice last week but was no longer working at the council’s Civic Centre building.
Read more

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### ODT Online Tue, 29 Apr 2014
Quick exit for another DCC senior manager
By Debbie Porteous
Another senior manager is to have a quick exit from the Dunedin City Council after the announcement yesterday of his departure. Economic development and property group manager Robert Clark will clear his desk on Friday. He is returning to the commercial sector after six years with the council. Mr Clark’s withdrawal from the organisation comes after a proposal was circulated to staff last month in which his position was effectively disestablished, his responsibilities split between new positions to be created under a new council operating structure. The structure was developed by chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose in a review of the council’s property and economic development operations.
Read more

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Manager Economic Development and Property moving on
This item was published on 28 Apr 2014
The Dunedin City Council’s Group Manager Economic Development and Property Robert Clark is leaving the organisation after six years to return to the commercial sector. General Manager Infrastructure and Networks Tony Avery says Mr Clark’s last day at the DCC will be on Friday, although he will continue to do transitional consulting work in the coming months on some significant projects.
Read more

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For some weeks, independently of today’s news, the Dunedin grapevine has been rattling (autumn leaves) with tales of the missing City Property reserves, worth millions.

WHAT, you say. Noooooo.

Let’s hope our elected representatives are onto it.
Historical, it appears.

Thus the shadow boxing about town: raising all the circular questions of who and how, historically.

New blood to a system is supposed to flush out nasties, this takes hard analysis of past annual reports and investments, and of ‘figures’ present and correct —or not. Anything strange or unseemly, a mere whiff of stray fur, should be swiftly signalled to the chief executive for immediate independent audit, especially if to do with a property division.

The age-old question for local government continues to be: if you’re not a business person, how do you smell rats in your balance sheets and upon whom do you rely for sound advice, internally and externally, for the health and solid whereabouts of your ratepayer funds and assets. Indeed, without this staunch critical oversight how on earth can a council operate or even run its companies.

And how do you screen applicants; and monitor job performance.
Without great gaping holes in the cheese and skirtings, People!

[pennlive.com]

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Related Post and Comments:
A selection only. Some comments or links to related posts under these post titles are very telling in the collective sense.
26.2.17 No news : Appointment of Group CFO
14.2.17 DCC not Delta #EpicFail : Wall Street falsehoods and a world class debt
22.1.17 DCC LGOIMA Response : Wall Street Mall and Town Hall Complex
9.9.16 Calvert on DCC, ‘We could have a much more democratic and transparent operation of council’
12.8.16 DCC trifecta : openness, transparency, accountability —All dead?
10.6.16 g’bye & ’ello [GCFO resigns]
3.12.15 DCC factory crew issues, ELT, CEO….
16.11.15 DCC operating deficit $1M worse than budget
6.11.15 DCC non compos mentis
8.9.15 DCC Citifleet: Council steered off SFO investigation
17.3.15 DCC whistleblowing —what is open government ?
23.2.15 Wall Street Mall drops glazing panel to George Street
29.12.14 DCC gets QLDC talent…. the weft and warp deviously weaves
18.12.14 DCC: Deloitte report released on Citifleet
18.9.14 DCC considers sale of “149 properties”
15.9.14 Cull’s council spent the cash
11.9.14 DCTL: New treasury manager
8.9.14 Jim Harland and the stadium MESS
1.9.14 DCC Fraud: Further official information in reply to Cr Vandervis
28.4.14 DCC loses City Property manager in restructuring
28.8.14 DCC: Tony Avery resigns
22.8.14 DCC: Deloitte report referred to the police #Citifleet
31.7.14 DCC: Services and development #staffappointment
3.7.14 Stuff: Alleged vehicle fraud at DCC
1.7.14 DCC: Far-reaching fraud investigation Citifleet
3.6.14 DCC unit under investigation
2.5.14 DCC $tar-ship enterprise
24.1.14 Stadium: It came to pass . . .
28.12.13 Sue Bidrose, DCC chief executive
18.11.13 DCC: New chief executive
24.9.13 DCC chief executive Paul Orders recommended for Cardiff
14.10.13 DCC: New chief financial officer
7.9.13 Stadium: $266 million, more or less?
2.8.13 DCC, Stadium —sorry picture
24.7.13 DCC / DCHL shake up !!!
4.7.13 Carisbrook: DCC losses
25.5.13 Paul Orders: Dunedin or Cardiff ???
11.5.13 Stadium: Truth, usual whitewash or prosecution ?
21.3.13 DCC: Opportunity created by Stephens’ departure
20.11.12 Dunedin City Council vs Anzide Properties decision: The road “has no legal basis”
31.10.12 Dunedin City Council – all reports posted, belatedly!
26.10.12 DCHL borrowed $23 million to bail DCC
22.8.12 Mr Orders, sir! About your staff expertise…
9.6.12 City Property to compete more obviously in the market (their excuse: PPP)
4.5.12 Who was it – Malcolm Farry? Peter Brown?…
9.11.11 Paul Orders for change!
17.9.11 Paul Orders starts Monday
19.5.11 Information received today
29.12.10 Jim Harland
29.10.10 DCC Chief Executive resigns – timing is everything!
16.8.10 Dunedin City Council security for borrowings
29.7.10 Dunedin social housing
12.6.10 DCC Media Release – CEO salary and performance
18.5.09 Mayor Peter Chin: ‘not about social housing’

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

Bully Regime? Speak Out #health

“[There is] a sense of bullying from the highest level; that’s the executive leadership team and the group managers,” the source said. Dr Bidrose was “part of the problem”.

### ODT Online Tue, 14 Jun 2016
Claim no DCC bully culture
By Vaughan Elder
A senior Dunedin City Council manager has denied claims there is a culture of bullying at the highest levels of the organisation as details of restructuring emerge. […] This comes as a source, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Otago Daily Times morale remained poor at the council despite chief executive Sue Bidrose insisting otherwise at a staff meeting held at Dunedin City Library in recent weeks.
Read more

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W O R K S A F E New Zealand
Bullying – Preventing and responding to workplace bullying
— filed under: Hazard – Psychosocial
This best practice guideline gives options and examples of how to prevent and respond to workplace bullying.

█ Bullying Guidelines Last updated 11 May 2016
Download: Bullying – Preventing and responding to workplace bullying
(PDF, 1.7 MB)

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E M P L O Y M E N T New Zealand
Dealing with bullying
Bullying can mean many things. It can be offensive, intimidating, malicious, humiliating or insulting behaviour.
If you think you’re being bullied, keep a diary of the incidents of bullying behaviour and if it seems there is a pattern, let your employer know. It’s a good idea to follow up any discussion with a formal letter outlining what has been discussed and any proposed actions. This can provide you with valuable support if the problem continues.
Just because bullying doesn’t affect you directly, doesn’t mean that it’s ok. Be ready to help your workmates and encourage them to raise the issue with their employer. A little friendly support is often all that is needed to turn a situation around.

If you’re not comfortable approaching your employer, talk to either your Union or the health and safety officer where you work, and see if they can support you.

█ If you feel that discussions with your employer have failed, you can find out what you can do next by calling the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Contact Centre on 0800 20 90 20. This is a free service and is available to both employers and employees.

Visit the problems solving page for further information.
█ Read more at Employment NZ

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SnowPatrolVEVO Uploaded on Dec 23, 2009
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars (2007 version)
Music video by Snow Patrol performing Chasing Cars. (C)2006 Polydor Ltd (UK)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: takepart.com – AntiBullyingSign

Cr Vandervis co-operates with investigators #mediaslant

Updated post
Thu, 17 Mar 2016 at 4:50 p.m.

███ [Deletions at the behest of Dunedin City Council – instruction by recorded voicemail received from Communications and Marketing Manager on Thu, 17 Mar 2015 at 4:24 p.m.]

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Received from Cr Lee Vandervis
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 at 3:48 p.m.

█ Message: Please feel free to print all of the emails and attachments below, as at least some of the Dunedin public should know what they actually contain.

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[begins]

—— Forwarded Message
From: Lee Vandervis
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2016 11:06:18 +1300
To: EditorODT, Nicholas George S Smith, Julian Smith, Vaughan Elder
Conversation: My job is to represent ratepayers’ concerns and allegations…. [words deleted]
Subject: My job is to represent ratepayers’ concerns and allegations…. [words deleted]

Dear Editor,
Your ‘reporter’ Chris Morris has [word deleted] in the article below [word deleted] claimed:

– “The ODT understands Cr Vandervis has also refused to co-operate with investigators examining his latest claims.”

This is provably untrue as evidenced by some of my communications with Crowe Horwarth through my lawyer as attached. [It also slurs my previous claims, especially regarding Citifleet almost all of which have been publicly proven.]
All it would have taken to get the reported co-operating truth would have been for your reporter to call Crowe Horwarth and establish that I have been responding to their inquiries and have gone to some trouble to supply them with an affidavit and supporting email showing how wrong again Mayor Cull was to claim that I had not provided evidence to him, the DCC CEO or our previous CEO. As well as evidence I have provided verbally, I have included my affidavit and one example of an evidential email, parts of which must remain redacted for obvious reasons.

My previous 19/9/15 complaint of Chris Morris ‘reporting’ which may be of interest to you is also below. There have been many others, yet Morris has wondered why I will not talk to him.

[paragraph deleted]

Kind regards,
Cr. Lee Vandervis

Vandervis inquiry ongoing
Home » News » Dunedin
By Chris Morris on Sat, 27 Feb 2016
News: Dunedin
6 1 Share This
The outspoken councillor levelling fraud claims at the Dunedin City Council is remaining tight-lipped as the investigation continues.

Cr Lee Vandervis, speaking at a full council meeting in December, claimed to have paid a backhander to council staff to secure a council contract.

The allegation prompted a furious exchange with Mayor Dave Cull and an investigation by the council’s internal auditors, Crowe Horwath, which was continuing.

Cr Vandervis has repeatedly refused Otago Daily Times requests to produce his evidence and has not responded to fresh requests for comment this week.

The ODT understands Cr Vandervis has also refused to co-operate with investigators examining his latest claims.

That followed a series of allegations levelled against council staff by Cr Vandervis in recent years, only for the councillor to then refuse to co-operate with council staff by providing evidence to back his claims, emails released in December showed.

Council group chief financial officer Grant McKenzie, contacted this week, would only say the latest investigation was continuing with no set date for completion.

Asked if Cr Vandervis had been spoken to, or provided evidence, Mr McKenzie would only say: “The investigators are still working through their process, which includes hearing from Cr Vandervis.”

Crowe Horwath was expected to provide a report to the council on its findings but subsequent steps – and the timeframe to complete the inquiry – depended on what was discovered, he said.

“We’re waiting on some information. Once we know what that information says, that will then drive where the next step is in the investigation.”

Mr Cull was reluctant to comment while the investigation continued but hoped any evidence would be forthcoming.

“Clearly, it’s in everyone’s interests for any allegation, or any wrongdoing, to be brought to light and dealt with.”

chris.morris @odt.co.nz

{Link: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/374580/vandervis-inquiry-ongoing -Eds}

From: Lee Vandervis
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2015 09:06:12 +1300
To: EditorODT, Nicholas George S Smith, Julian Smith
Cc: Chris Morris, David Loughrey
Conversation: Reporters reporting gossip instead of serious Council issues
Subject: Reporters reporting gossip instead of serious Council issues

Dear Editor,

Your reported Chris Morris has [again] seriously misrepresented me in today’s ODT story “Information requests irk Councillors”.
In this story where Council chairs Benson Pope and Thomson are fully indulged, reporter Morris fails to find balance or grasp the real issues [again].

Minimal quotes from my emails [fully published on What If] should have included:

“Do you not realise that most of my LGOIMA request arise from questions and allegations from members of the public that I represent?”

“don’t you dare suggest that my approach has failed to identify fraudulemt behaviour, as you similarly do not know what has gone into, for instance, Citifleet…. [words deleted].

Additional insightful material from my emails that has been ignored includes:

“If all my 2011 LGOIMA requests for Citifleet information, including all credit card information had been made available as requested under LGOIMA, think how many subsequently stolen vehicles would have been saved and perhaps even the life of a bent manager. Put a price on that David and make sure to request the full cost thereof.
The horrendous cost of not having required relevant information on which to make decisions is the reason we have LGOIMA.
In my opinion, not using the LGOIMA process suggests that you are not doing your job as an elected representative.”

“if rate-paid reports like the $300,000 Deloitte investigation information were made available to us who need to make related decisions, none of this tedious LGOIMA process would be necessary. It is a shame that I have to go to so much effort just get basic information, and that so few others can be bothered.”

There is real meat in what my emails reveal here [you should take 4 minutes to read them in full] Morris’ gossip columnist treatment of the non-issues, making me look perverse in the process, is the main reason I no longer risk talking to him.

Ditto Loughrey who recently reported mainly Thomson’s comment re sale of Wall st. ignoring Cr Calvert’s excellent questions and debate, and completely failing to report the much bigger Finance Committee discussion issue of $15 million per year interest costs on DCC debt and the urgent need to investigate the sale of DELTA and Aurora to deal with DCC debt.

Perhaps you might be interested in meeting to discuss?

Kind regards,
Cr. Lee Vandervis

(6) Attachments:

CCE03152016_0001 Affidavit of L Vandervis 1/3/16
CCE01212016_0003[1] GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 21/1/2016
CCE12212015_0016 GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 21/12/2015
CCE12182015_0005 GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 18/12/2015

croweH1/2.jpg [click to enlarge]

croweH2/2.jpg [click to enlarge]

[ends]

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

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC: Not shite (?) hitting the fan but DVL

BAD UTTERLY BALD moral decrepitude —roll on corruption/rorts/rorters Delta, Luggate/Jacks Point, Noble Village, Carisbrook Stadium, Otago Rugby Football Union, Carisbrook Stadium Charitable Trust, Town Hall Redevelopment, Wall Street, High Performance Sport NZ, Taieri Community Facilities Trust, et al.

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In future, property matters could be referred to the new board of Dunedin Venues Ltd, the company which owned the stadium building.

The group would advise council on its $89million investment property portfolio, including Wall Street mall, although council would still make final decisions about the portfolio’s future.

### ODT Online Mon, 21 Sep 2015
Wider advisory role mooted for stadium board
By Chris Morris
A new board being recruited to oversee Forsyth Barr Stadium’s physical requirements could also advise the Dunedin City Council on its $89 million investment property portfolio, it has been suggested. Council staff have been referring significant property matters to the full council in recent years, after an earlier property subcommittee lapsed after the last local body elections in 2013. But a council staff report, to be considered at today’s full council meeting, suggested that could be about to change.
Read more

█ Report – Council – 21/09/2015 (PDF, 118.9 KB)
Proposal for new Property Governance Arrangements (Sandy! wth ?)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Stadium: Climate change benefits

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 at 6:49 p.m.
YouTube link received with comment — “The Ratepayers will be praying for a climate change storm that puts the stadium in the hands of insurers but without reaching Emerson’s Brewery.”

Published on May 11, 2014

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Climate Change Debate (HBO)
John Oliver hosts a mathematically representative climate change debate, with the help of special guest Bill Nye the Science Guy, of course.

Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight YouTube channel for more almost news as it almost happens: www.youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight

Find LWT on Facebook like your mom would:
http://Facebook.com/LastWeekTonight

Follow LWT on Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news:
http://Twitter.com/LastWeekTonight

Visit LWT’s official site for all that other stuff at once:
http://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-…

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

ODT “stories” —parochial sun rays

Email received from Grahame Sydney
Saturday, 27 April 2013 1:22 p.m.

re ODT

My heart goes out to the loyal reporters at the ODT having to file garbage promotional stories extolling the fabulousness and phenomenal success of the Plastic Stadium, most of which “stories” are given front page treatment: since when did a “story” on the Aerosmith gear-haulage convoy rate as front page “news”, let alone the disgraceful banner headline and page-wide photograph of the band performing (“SILVER SPANGLED SPECTACLE” -Thursday 25 April) ? Is there no limit to the depths to which the editorial staff at ODT will sink in order to underwrite the foundering stadium, at the cost of editorial integrity ?

But while such transparent commercialism makes the opening of the ODT an increasingly difficult daily ritual, testing to the limits one’s own parochial tendencies, and the assault of full-page advertisements (7 in the first 22 page section today, not counting half-page ads…) makes the reading an habitual speed-read, is there any explanation for the strange appearance on page 12 today (27.3.13) of a colourful little child’s world picture of six happy Small People, one on a bike, one with a pet dog, two with a ball, all beaming innocently as yellow sun rays glow from a distant unseen horizon and five dinky, driverless vehicles crowd the streets ?

Below this merry fantasy is the exhortation: “Spend QUALITY TIME” at Dunedin’s intersections… there’s so much to see !”

No clue offered as to who is responsible for this mysterious insertion, nor why, what it might mean, or who it is aimed at. If it’s the DCC Traffic people, the message is highly questionable. Perhaps it’s the start of a new branding exercise, in the “It’s All Right Here” mould. If it’s a new campaign from the city’s tourist promotional wing, embarking on a bold new initiative to identify the REAL attractions of the town – I can see the entrance billboards and the bumper-stickers now: IGNORE THE HOTEL: COME AND EXPERIENCE OUR INTERSECTIONS !” – then someone needs to be singled out and front-paged for their imaginative genius.

It’d be a change from yet another damned propagandist sell on the Stadium, if nothing else.

[ends]

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Dunedin city was ranked at the top of the agency’s [NZTA] list for urban intersection crashes causing either fatal or serious injuries during the five years from 2006 to 2010. The city also featured in the top five for the crash categories involving pedestrians (second), motorcycles (third), older drivers (third), cyclists (fourth) and young drivers (fourth), and ranked sixth for accidents caused by distracted drivers. ODT 24.3.12

Dunedin is ranked the third-worst local authority area in New Zealand for fatal and serious injury crashes, statistics in the NZTA’s “communities at risk” register show. The NZTA has compiled lists ranking local authorities across 12 categories, although there is some contention about the methodology used to record the statistics. ODT 23.10.11

Related Post and Comments:
6.2.13 Editorial bias

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr