A third hello …

I’ve been incredibly slack over the last 12 months or so about this blog so please forgive me if you have been visiting from time to time.  A recent comment out of the blue on an old post has prompted me to get going again.

If you look at past posts you’ll see I’ve spent several years being fairly outspoken about Dunedin City Council affairs, and particularly the stadium. In recent times I’ve backed off this position to concentrate more fully on my research, and most importantly on my family and our business.  This has been and still is a good place for me to be at this stage in life, but for those who are interested I’ll make an effort to post something once in a while.

Nominations received for the Dunedin City Council

Just downloaded the following from the DCC website:

Mayor (1)
CHIN, Peter   Independent
CULL, Dave Greater Dunedin
DWYER, Kevin
HAWKINS, Aaron Independent
KNOWLES, Jimmy
LEQUEUX, Olivier
VANDERVIS, Lee

Central Ward (11)
ACKLIN, Bill Independent
BEZETT, John Independent
BUTCHER, Fliss Independent
BUTLER, Bev Independent
CLARK, Jono Community VISION
COLLINS, Neil
CRAMPTON SMITH, Tracey Independent
CULL, Dave Greater Dunedin
DIXON, Malcolm Independent
DOUGLAS, Paul Independent
EAMES, Andrew Community VISION
GALLAGHER, Shane Greater Dunedin
GILLANDERS, Bob
GUEST, Michael Independent
HAWKINS, Aaron Independent
HUDSON, Paul Independent
KOCH, Hendrik Community VISION
LEQUEUX, Olivier
MacTAVISH, Jinty Greater Dunedin
MANN, Samuel Greater Dunedin
MARLOW, Chris Independent
McRAE, Olive Independent
MORRISON, George Independent
O’CONNOR, Steve Independent
RATANA, Randall Independent
SIMPSON, Barry Independent
SMITH, Lindsay Greater Dunedin
STAYNES, Chris Greater Dunedin
STEVENSON, Teresa Independent
THOMSON, Richard Greater Dunedin
TOZER, Lynn Greater Dunedin
TURNER, Trevor Independent
USHER, Jonathan
VANDERVIS, Lee
WALLS, Richard
WEATHERALL, Colin Independent
WHILEY, Andrew Independent
WILSON, Lloyd Independent

Mosgiel Taieri Ward (2)
ANNGOW, Malcolm Independent
BROWN, Syd Independent
MILLER, Brian Independent
PRENDERGAST, Maurice Independent
WATSON, Craig
WILSON, Kate Greater Dunedin

Waikouaiti Coast – Chalmers Ward (1)
NOONE, Andrew Independent
TAIT, Geraldine Community VISION

See here for the full list of all candidates, including community boards and the Southern District Health Board.

A second hello …

I’ve been absent for some time from the blogosphere and have decided to make a come back.  I’ve merged some earlier blogs into this one including some odd posts about issues I’ve been interested in since 2004.  From now on, anything could turn up on this blog.  I’ll post from time to time things which have caught my imagination or matters which I might contemplate in a public way.  I welcome your comments always, as long as they are not abusive.

Palmers quarry extension opposed

3rd Sep 2009

ODT Article by David Loughrey

An opponent of Palmers Quarry’s plan to extend its excavation at Logan Point, Dunedin, says the land in question was supposed to have formed a barrier between the quarry and the reserve next to it.

Signal Hill Rd resident Nicola Holman said the extension would mean a planned focal point of the reserve, with grassy areas and a pond, would now not be possible.

Read more

Extending quarry will ‘destroy hilltop’

ODT Opinion Piece by Ken Holman

Dunedin needs to debate the merits of still having a quarry in its midst, Ken Holman, of Signal Hill, says. He also argues the hilltop beside Palmers Quarry should be zoned a significant landscape area

Read more

Quarry plan will knock off knoll

ODT Article by David Loughrey

Palmers Quarry is planning to expand its excavation at Logan Point in Dunedin over the next 40 years, knocking the top off a “highly visible knoll”on the hill above the original quarry.

But the company is planning extensive planting it says will mitigate the changes, and has hired a landscape architect despite the area not being within a landscape management zone in the Dunedin City Council district plan.

Read more

The $15m dollar day – update

This morning the ORC met to talk about whether to continue with the stadium given the condition for $15m funding from other sources to be found by yesterday.

After going into committee to talk about the “new information” Councillors came out 20 mins later.  Stephen Cairns read a statement which went something like this:

I am pleased to confirm the Crown is prepared in principle to underwrite the construction of the Stadium up to the sum of $15m.

The letter was written to Mayor Chin of the DCC and he had given Cr Cairns permission to read the first line.  Any request for further information was to be referred to Peter Chin for comment.

It was apparent from the following discussions there would be conditions attached to the $15m and these weren’t yet known.

Although not a grant, the underwrite could be seen as a form of guarantee or insurance policy should the Carisbrook Stadium Trust (CST) fail in its efforts to collect the $15m shortfall.

The ODT have the story online here -

 http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/45836/govt-meets-15m-stadium-shortfall 

Wasn't today 15 million dollar day?

At the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) meeting on 11th February 2009, Councillors resolved among other things that their funding of $37.5m be conditional on:

… assurance acceptable to Council by 2 March 2009, of a likely Government or other sources capital contribution of $15,000,000 to help meet the shortfall of private sector capital funding.

Today I was at a Dunedin City Council (DCC) meeting to approve its Draft Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) for consultation.  Just after the start, the meeting went into non-public for a stadium update.  I wondered if this would mean an announcement was imminent.  After 1 1/2 hours there was no announcement or even comment on what was discussed.

I guess the $15m hasn’t been found yet.

The ORC have a meeting tommorrow at 10:30am to decide whether this condition has been met.

Bring back the brook

Stuff reports an article by Tony Smith in the Press today.  The last few comments make interesting reading …

 

I may be swimming against the tide, but I’ll miss Carisbrook as a rugby test venue. Never mind the creature comforts of flash food and liquor outlets and corporate boxes.

 

At the mighty Brook, you’re much closer to the action than at any other major rugby ground outside Waikato Stadium.

 

I’ll never forget Carisbrook for the endless hours of pleasure I had there viewing Gordon Hunter’s early 1990s Otago side, a more exciting side to watch than any provincial team I’ve seen in the professional era until Dan Carter’s emergence at the Crusaders.

 

I’m surprised Dunedin’s canny council is set to swat away the moths as it opens its sporran to fund a new super-duper white elephant, er, stadium. Never mind Bring Back Buck, how about Bring Back the Brook.

Nothing new under the sun

Solomon was a very wise man.

After the last couple of posts about consultation, check out my earlier post of an article I wrote for the ODT in 2004.