Tuesday, 27 August 2019

"Tosswill Towers" - 5-star hotel, Moray Pl car park


Developer has rivals for site


Tekapo businessman Anthony Tosswill has been trying to win support for his hotel and apartment project, to be built on the Moray Pl car park site, since unveiling plans for a 17-storey tower in 2016.

...  Mr Tosswill now faced competition from other possible developers to use the site....

...Council chief executive Sue Bidrose, contacted this week, said she did not know what Mr Tosswill's plans were, "but I do know there's other interest in the site"....

........Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford unveiled a proposed new strategy this week which would, if approved, allow the Government to direct councils to free up planning rules in some areas, including height restrictions.
Mr Cull, in a radio interview last week, said the failure to see a five-star hotel built in the city was one of the disappointments from his time as mayor.........

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

COMMENT 

  KeithMcC Sat, 24/08/2019 - 12:29pm
 
If it is so important to get rid of the car park then DCC should be maximising return to ratepayers via an open public sale.
And as to Mr Culls disappointments, yeah well lets not really get started on our disappointment in him. A bloke who came to the mayoralty on the back of cutting costs and working for ratepayers. Well that didn't work out quite so well did it.

Sunday, 25 August 2019

"Impromptu nailed pole testing on Riselaw Road"

  • Bit of impromptu nailed pole testing on Riselaw Road just now.
    Well done Aurora, Richard Fletcher and Glen Coates. Looks like nailing a poor condition pole means that it snaps a metre higher than usual as well as at ground line. Strangely enough reduced fibre strength doesn't stop at the ground.
    Cocks.

    Comments
    • Mark Jefferies Well - the nails did stop the car in an efficient manner by the look of it - so credit where credit is due Richard 🙂
      2

  • Wayne Pennington It would appear they may created a stress point the same as when you put a cut in a piece of wood and break it
     
    • Wayne Pennington yes. A well documented failure of reinforcing systems. Often referred to as a barber's chair failure although here the more typical bit of timber left sticking upright isn't present.

      That strap makes a very efficient stress raiser. It acts in precisely the same way as a notch in the pole would, concentrating stress at one point until failures occurs.

Friday, 23 August 2019

"Three-day hearing into oil giant discharge cost $51,000"

 OIO was needed, again. Transparency is a word restricted to election campaigns.

"A breakdown of the cost of the hearing has been released to Stuff under the Official Information Act."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/115151202/threeday-hearing-into-oil-giant-discharge-cost-51000

"An oil giant will pick up the tab for a three-day hearing on its application to discharge a harmful substance off the Otago coast....
...The Great Southern Basin is home to protected species including yellow-eyed penguins, albatross, southern right whales and New Zealand fur seals.,,,

,,,Under OMV's Great South Basin permit, the company is required to drill one exploration well before July 10, 2021.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced an end to any new offshore oil exploration permits in April 2018."

This is how top pay rates get ratchetted up

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/big-rise-dcc-chief-executive

...Mr Cull said the rise reflected the need to bring Dr Bidrose's pay into line with market value, which had been independently assessed.
He also wanted to reward her "simply outstanding" performance and address a gender pay gap.
Despite that, Dr Bidrose had tried to turn it down, asking instead for a small increase in line with those received by other council staff, Mr Cull said.....

Anzac Ave - Harrow St site

Wait and see.

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/future-site-unknown-after-sale

23 August 2019

The property in Anzac Ave and Harrow St changed hands on Monday after its owner reached an agreement to sell in June.
The site includes the 2100sqm building of design-and-build firm Miller Creative, leased until 2020.
It also contains a light industrial-use premises leased to Otago Polytechnic as a workshop, three student flats, a four-bedroom house, 30 storage units and a 250sqm warehouse.
It was investigated by the Otago Regional Council as a potential headquarters location, but the ORC was unsuccessful in securing the site.

Tuesday, 20 August 2019

Power cuts - "resilient network" ain't a thing

Resilient network, see below, is how the internet was designed. Inter-connected so if  pathway A<>G was blocked the digi-postman could go by detour A>C>K>W>D> and end up at G, gasping "The mail must get through."
  • Once again the people of Central Otago get the rough end of the stick.
    High winds, hmmm... That's why god gave us anamometers and real time weather monitoring. Peak gust in Hawea 68kmh, which means that the biggest gust was officially in the high wind bracket, but the description of the average wind is strong breeze.
    When will Aurora stop blaming the weather for their incompetence and lack off maintenence.
    Yes trees blow over - no the company isn't usually responsible - but they are responsible for what happens next. Aurora have a regulatory obligation to trim trees clear of lines. Anyone think they meet that obligation?
    They also have a responsibility to build a resilient network. That means lots of interconnection points and the ability to restore power from adjacent areas. In Dunedin that happens. In Central Otago not so much.
    Sometimes it's as simple as having lots of break points, switches and links, along a line so that the affected area can be kept as small as possible. Once again, Central Otago is poorly served.
    But if you think Makarora has it rough spare a thought for Glenorchy. Although the wind there hasn't been above a mild breeze all day, if they want a hot lunch they will have to dig out the barbeque.
    Thanks Aurora, you've done out again.
    About this website
    odt.co.nz
    Power is out north of Lake Hawea after high winds brought branches…
    Comments
    • John Evans Richard, four times within a week there were power outages in Portobello. My freezer will be stuffed
    • Richard Healey John which wouldn't be quite as bad if you could see an end to it or if the work that was being completed was indeed the most urgent that could be done. But you can't and it's not.

      The waste and inefficiency around this program of works is mind boggling.
  • John Evans There’s no end, this is the beginning. The financial rapists at the DCC snd their excessive borrowing for pet projects including stadiums with no return to the city, bus hubs with nompsssengers, traffic lights causing more pollution and walker friendly CVD with no way to park and get there.

Monday, 19 August 2019

Doug Hall is backing a new logging terminal at Milburn

About time someone on the Council pushed for practicalities. There is plenty of pious talk about sustainability, the evils of fossil fuels, the vital importance of signing feel-good good intentions aimed at stopping climate change, yet the majority of action has been plonking cycle lanes in unsafe roads because it's cheaper for DCC when there's a subsidy.
Doug Hall isn't my favourite person - long story, not relevant in this context. He knows transport though, and he knows business and practicality.

Hall backs new logging terminal


Logs are loaded at the Beach St wharf in Port Chalmers. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery
Logs are loaded at the Beach St wharf in Port Chalmers. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery 
 
 
Dunedin businessman and city councillor Doug Hall is backing a new logging terminal at Milburn, north of Milton. Mr Hall purchased the former City Forest's Milburn timber processing plant two years ago. It came with 10ha of land adjoining the Milburn railway siding.
"At the outset it was about saving the 10 jobs at the former City Forest-owned drying plant, though the site would be ideal for the proposed Milburn logging terminal," he said.
Port Otago operations general manager Kevin Kearney yesterday confirmed the port was continuing to look at inland alternatives to its Port Chalmers and Dunedin storage and berthage, although he did not add any detail as to where it might be.
KiwiRail executive sales and commercial general manager Alan Piper confirmed KiwiRail was investigating the potential for a road-rail hub in the Milton/Milburn area as part of a larger feasibility study covering Otago and Southland through the Government's Provincial Growth Fund.
Mr Piper said the study was expected to be finished towards the end of the year and would be be sent to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for ministers to consider.
"KiwiRail is well aware of the benefits of shifting more South Island freight on to rail, including for the environment."
A case study included in a just-released South Island freight study suggested the potential volume of railed freight from a Milburn site could be 50,000 tonnes of logs, to both Port Otago and South Port....

...The South Island generates about a third of the nation's freight, about 80million tonnes per year, with the forecasted increase mostly due to the agriculture and mineral industries, and population growth.
https://www.odt.co.nz/business/hall-backs-new-logging-terminal

Candidates: nominations and brief sketches

Further snippets will be added at the bottom of the list when they come to hand. Please help by contributing anything you know to whatiffer@gmail.com. With so many contenders the more we know about them the better.



 https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/local-body-elections-2019-nominations:

Dunedin City Council

MAYORALTY
(One required)
Scout Barbour-Evans, Bob Barlin, Finn Campbell (Independent Youth), *Rachel Elder (* = sitting member), *Christine Garey, *Aaron Hawkins (Green Dunedin), Carmen Houlahan, Mandy Mayhem-Bullock, Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle, *Jim O'Malley, Jules Radich, Richard Seager, *Lee Vandervis, *Andrew Whiley.
COUNCIL
(14 required)
Scout Barbour-Evans, Sophie Barker, Bob Barlin, *David Benson-Pope, Finn Campbell (Independent Youth), Sarah Davie-Nitis, *Rachel Elder, Hugh Forsyth, *Christine Garey, John Guthrie, *Doug Hall, Dave Hanan, *Aaron Hawkins (Green Dunedin), Carmen Houlahan, Muthiah James, Neville K Jemett, Anthony Kenny, *Marie Laufiso (Green Dunedin), Jason Lindsey, *Mike Lord, Russell Lund, Peter Mackenzie, John Marrable, Mandy Mayhem-Bullock, Brian Miller, Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle, George Morris, *Damian Newell, *Jim O'Malley, Jules Radich, Hadley Robinson-Lewis, Richard Seager, *Chris Staynes, Callum Steele-MacIntosh, *Lee Vandervis, Steve Walker (NZ Labour Party), *Andrew Whiley.
COMMUNITY BOARDS
Strath-Taieri Community Board
(Six required)
Blair Dale, David (Jock) Frew, Leann McLew (Barnes), Mark O'Neill, Robin Thomas, Barry Williams.
Waikouaiti Coast Community Board
(Six required)
Andy Barratt, Sonya Billyard, Mark Brown, Mandy Mayhem-Bullock, Alasdair Morrison, Rafferty Parker, Rose Stringer-Wright, Geraldine Tait.
Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board
(Six required)
Phillipa Bain, Joy Davis, Martin Dillon, Regan Horrell, Dean McAlwee, Trish McCarthy, Brian Miller, Jenny Newstead, Brian Peat.
Saddle Hill Community Board
(Six required)
Peter Gouverneur, Christina McBratney, Keith McFadyen, John Moyle , Leanne Stenhouse, Warren Voight, Scott Weatherall, Paul Weir.
West Harbour Community Board
(Six required)
Duncan Eddy, Francisca Griffin, Trevor Johnson, Ange McErlane, Jacque Ruston, Jan Tucker.
Otago Peninsula Community Board
(Six required)
Jane Clutha, Lox Kellas, Hoani Langsbury, Graham McArthur, Cheryl Neill, Paul Pope, Edna Stevenson.



• Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle.https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.moncriefspittle

  • Cr Andrew Whiley - spokesman for pro-drilling lobby group ProGas Otago

• Scout Barbour-Evans. https://twitter.com/scoutriver
Scout Barbour-Evans @scoutriver Jun 4  I have a cat and a baby and they both cost a lot of money, that is within my budget to pay for. I’m not spending emergency baby or cat money on an election.

Saturday, 10 August 2019

Fast, slow, slow-fast-slow - Port Chalmers speed limits proposed

How do you feel about this? I find it distracting as a motorist having to be constantly on the watch for changes in speed limit. Up, down, down up up ... between here and Christchurch for instance there's open road, then somewhere on the outskirts of a settlement down a bit, then the expected built-up town limit of 50kph, then up a bit, then open road. A clear 30kph limit somewhere like the obvious start and end of a through street, such as is proposed for Port Chalmers, is one thing, popping occasional 40s here and there is a damn nuisance. When I'm driving, particularly in an area with houses, drives and side roads, I'd like to put all my attention into watching the road and footpaths, including what's on either side. The need to watch for speed limit signs in odd places so as not to get punished is an unwanted distraction. It's a balance between safety and safety, with potential for unintended consequences.


Public to be asked about proposed speed limit reductions



Public consultation over whether to reduce the 50kmh speed limit in George St, Port Chalmers, will start next month....

As the street is part of State Highway 88 any changes are the responsibility of the NZTA.
The Dunedin City Council has also proposed reducing the speed limit to 40kmh in streets approaching George St and public consultation on those changes will coincide with that of the NZTA..... https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/public-be-asked-about-proposed-speed-limit-reductions

SDHB candidates - but "not there to represent the public"



14 throw hat in ring for SDHB



...With a week to go until nominations close, there have been nine nominations for the four vacancies representing the Otago constituency and five for the Southland constituency.
Three of those candidates have personal experience of how tough the job can be: Neville Cook, Kaye Crowther and John Chambers were on the SDHB in 2015 when it was controversially sacked by then health minister Jonathan Coleman and replaced by a commissioner....
Nominees include Malcolm Macpherson, Central Otago mayor for three terms from 2001 to 2010 and also a former Otago and SDHB board member for four terms.
"The sacking of the SDHB board, months after I stood down in 2013, pulled me up short, even though I had long predicted it," he said.
14 throw hat in ring for SDHB
"I was there when we didn't do well, and I've been thinking since (and writing) about why, and asking what could we have done differently.
"Not 'solving' the SDHB's deficit shows that there are systemic, nationwide, issues here, not a failure to govern by previous boards, including the four I was an elected member of."
Invercargill lawyer Ben Nettleton was among those whose nomination was announced yesterday.

[Dean of the University of Otago Business School and a professor of health policy] Dr Gauld, who has previously stood for the SDHB, has written academic articles questioning how effective health boards were, and whether they truly represented the public interest due to the traditional low election turnout.
"It is also quite clear in the legislation that these representatives are not there to represent the public, they are there to do the Government's work and I don't know the general public fully understand that," Dr Gauld said.
"It will be interesting to see what the [government-commissioned] health system review comes up with. I think everyone is waiting with bated breath to see whether they say it is time to have a rethink about the governance and organisation system itself."
Confirmed SDHB candidates are:
Otago constituency: Shanon Arnold, John Chambers, Graham Clarke, Gordon Dickson, Lyndell Kelly, Malcolm Macpherson, Lyndsay Rackley, Peter Rodwell, Rob Woodhouse.
Southland constituency: Neville Cook, Kaye Crowther, Ben Nettleton, Marion Poore, Leanne Samuel.
As well as the elected candidates, the Minister of Health can appoint up to four other board members.

Thursday, 8 August 2019

Richard Healey & ODT: Alarm after night of pole failures





Don't you sometimes wonder whose side Mayors are on? There is concern about low turnout for elections, smaller and smaller proportion of people bothering to vote. Could it be because of growing impressions that politicians, local and central government, have agendas so far removed from what ordinary people without money & influence need, the only time we matter is when our votes can put them into positions of power. Look carefully at the record of basic integrity of candidates, not what they say before an election.
 
Richard Healey
For almost three years I've tried to talk to CODC mayor Tim Cadogen about the risk that Aurora Energy's incompetence poses to his community. He has refused to engage.
For almost three years I have predicted a doubling of line charges for the customers of Aurora Energy. More recently I have highlighted the fact that Tim Cadogen's constituents already pay around double the line charges of the people of Dunedin - and only slightly less than double the line charges of customers in the Wakatipu. Tim Cadogen refuses to engage.
A couple of nights ago this happens. Tim Cadogen refuses to engage.
Clearly I need to say this again. It should by now be obvious to everyone that Aurora Energy does not operate a safe and reliable network.
Under the leadership of Richard Fletcher and Steve Thompson, it's clear to me that it continues to demonstrate that it does not have the skills or understanding necessary to identify or remediate the most dangerous structures on its network. It continues to use pole testing systems which, clearly, do not work - and that doesn't just mean Deuar. It continues to "reinforce" poles without having a clue how that changes the ultimate limit state of those structures because it does not take into account the resultant foundation strength.
All of that will be gobbeldy gook to many of you, but it's important to state it in this way because when, as I believe it surely will, this appalling situation results in death or serious injury it will be necessary to show the pattern of behaviour followed by the board and it's managers.
You might have noticed in the past few months that I've backed off Aurora somewhat. That is not because I believe their performance has improved, in my view it certainly hasn't. I've been busy helping some very brave and determined people to try to get justice for 29 men killed in another workplace disaster.
God help me, I hope that I won't soon find myself in a similar position to the Pike families. If I do it will simply be because of the complete arrogance of the people involved in the Aurora debacle, but if I do - God help them too.

____________________________ 



Alarm after night of pole failures


A new power pole is put up outside Alexandra's netball courts on Tuesday morning. Photo: Supplied
A new power pole is put up outside Alexandra's netball courts on Tuesday morning. Photo: Supplied
 
Four power poles in Alexandra fell down on one night this week, prompting the local community board to again demand answers from lines company Aurora.
The Vincent Community Board this week approved an urgent, ''last-minute'' motion from board member Russell Garbutt for board chairwoman Sharleen Stirling-Lindsay to write to Aurora ''to express our concern and disgust'' about the pole failures....

...Electricity was cut to 1900 households in the Alexandra and Omakau areas about 7pm on Monday after a high-voltage pole near the Alexandra netball courts fell during high winds.
Crews worked through the night and power was restored at 4.27am on Tuesday.
Three low-voltage poles at the quarry end of Clutha St also fell during the high winds overnight on Monday, cutting power to 90 customers in that area.
Power was restored at about 11am on Tuesday....

...But Mr Garbutt said at Tuesday's board meeting he was alarmed by the pole failures.
Mr Garbutt has led other previous questioning of Aurora, after three poles fell down in Alexandra in just over three months in 2017, and one in Clyde about a year later.
An Aurora delegation headed by chief executive Richard Fletcher subsequently gave presentations to the board and Central Otago District Council, earlier this year, after Mr Garbutt challenged Aurora on its pole testing regime, under-investment in the Central Otago region, failing network and lack of accountability.
The delegation outlined Aurora's increasing investment in the Otago network........https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/alarm-after-night-pole-failures#comments

Comments

Were is workplace or health and safety. It is just criminal to being putting the public in such danger.
Three years after this train wreck started we have the latest in a frightening series of asset failures in Alexandra and STILL Tim Cadogen takes no action on behalf of his community. Even more galling, the customers in Alexandra are paying twice level of line charges as those payed by a typical consumer in Dunedin for the privilege of having these dangerous structures litter their streets.
This is not, and never had been, a simple story of . This is, and always has been, a story of chronic mismanagement.
How Aurora identifies which of its power poles are not up to standard regarding resistance to an acceptable wind speed. Waits for them to fall over. They need more than a SMACK for this!

Posts succumbed to Localised Extreme Weather Event - !

Windy as, factual as, sang the Tui.

(Bold emphasis added by blog editor)

It never fails to amaze me how gullible people can be. Aurora seem to be suggesting that the four poles that fell in Alexandra were the victim of high winds.
Richard Fletcher's lack of background in powerline engineering might explain any ignorance on the topic but it seems to me that it wouldn't absolve him from seeking decent advice. So before you read the stupid, but predictable, excuses that I'm sure are coming you might like to consider this:
According to the Council owned weather station located at Molyneux Park in Alexandra, 500 metres away from Netball courts, the peak wind gust for the day was measured at 78.5 km/h = 22 m/s > 301 Pa (Historic Design load 850 Pa).
Let me put it as simply as possible for you Richard, the pole fell under loading that was a fraction over a third of the load it was designed to withstand.
The pole should have laughed at the gusts, instead it screamed all the way to the ground.

Wednesday, 7 August 2019

And another pole hit the dust

Looks like Richard had a bit of spellcheck trouble. You'll get the meaning though.

  • The most disturbing of the multiple Alexandra pole collapses occurred at the Alexandra netball courts. This pole has been in the ground a relatively modest (by Aurora "standards"!) Fifty odd years. Like many of the poles before out, it carried high voltage ( the feed to Omakau) but this thome out also castigated a transformer. The last time I saw one of those hit the ground was also in Alex... on the day I left the company.
    It suffered from extensive groundline rot, just like most of the poles before it. Can't wait for Aurora's laughable "investigation into these four.

    Comments
    • Margaret Livingstone Toppling over like 9 pins down there. The luck can't possibly hold, it is just a matter of time before a pole hits somebody.

  • John Graham Keep up the good work
    Are you running for Counsel this year you have my vote if you do

Tuesday, 6 August 2019

Then more poles fell down

Richard Healey
on Facebook   06/08/19

ANOTHER pole hit the the ground in Central Alexandra last night. Right outside the squash club... and the squash court... bang across the road from a freedom camping site... on CODC controlled land.
Does this council care about it's people at all? This is the fourth recent pole collapse in an urban area and the mayor and CEO have done absolutely NOTHING to protect their citizens. If these were ANY other structure in their area the council would be all over it.
Can you imagine the council going to the owner of a derelict building and the owner saying to them "it's ok mate, we've got this all under control"? Would the council say "ok then, carry on" or would they slap them with fines and notices until they collapsed under the weight of them?
This pole carried high voltage and a bloody transformer! Read extreme hazard and an oil spill.
I wonder if the CODC followed DOC's problem with the tree that collapsed on land it administered near the Shotover Jet building injuring a family? Does the CODC really believe that when the enviable happens they will be able to claim that they took all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the public?
I think not - which is why I've gone to some trouble to document all of these events.
Richard Fletcher - I hope you're feeling bloody ashamed. Your "leadership" has contributed to this debacle. Both you and Glenn Coates are now looking down the barrel of the same gun that Steve Thompson is holding.
Let's be very clear. You are using a pole testing system that does not work.
You are using a pole testing system for which you have no evidence that it works.
You are "reinforcing" poles in a way which takes no account of foundation strength and can say precisely nothing about the point at which out will fail.
You haven't got a leg to stand on when you eventually; and inevitably; kill or seriously injure someone.
The clock is ticking. Just how many near misses do you think you will get away with before you buy a winning ticket?

Comments
  • Diane Yeldon Falling trees are often claimed to be Acts of God, meaning no-one has liability for damage. Sometimes both sides of a dispute will employ their own pet arborist as a hired liar. With power poles, I can’t see that there is not an indisputable ‘duty of care’. Don’t the OHS laws updated after Cave Creek make INDIVIDUALS liable now? So they can’t hide behind the collective lack of responsibility of the organisation?
 
Richard Healey     (on facebook a couple of hours later)

Good god. There were FOUR POLES THAT COLLAPSED IN Alexandra last night. Three of them were in Clutha Street.
Someone buy Fletcher and Coates a soap on a rope, they're going to need it any day.

Comments
  • Ani Persson: Nothing wrong with the poles, it was an unexpected Extreme Gravity Event 😂

Monday, 5 August 2019

Hilary Calvert ORC candidate: "it was clear the regional council could do better"




Calvert returning to local politics



Hilary Calvert
Hilary Calvert
A former member of Parliament and Dunedin city councillor is having another crack at local government. Hilary Calvert yesterday announced she will stand in this year's local body elections for a seat on the Otago Regional Council.
The former Act New Zealand list MP and one-term city councillor said it was clear the regional council could do better.
Particular areas of focus would be pest control, making sure rivers and lakes were looked after and ensuring the council carried out its regulatory functions, Ms Calvert said.
"We are at a crossroads with some of these issues.
"I believe I could help refocus the Otago Regional Council on it's obligations and opportunities to lead Otago in looking after our environment, rather than the current fixation on the endless quest for new premises," Ms Calvert said..........
www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/calvert-returning-local-politics

Bad news for those facebook wishers, below - Hilary says 

"Running for DCC and ORC is not allowed.

The thing is that with the people who will get on to the DCC it does not look possible to make useful\necessary change."



Facebook, following the odt article:


Kathleen Foliaki So pleased but are you running for mayor?
1

  • Wendy Northcoat
    Wendy Northcoat Oh how I would LOVE you to run for mayor someone with integrity and common sense
    2