| Question 1. The Carisbrook Stadium Trust has promoted the stadium as a well-equipped, multi-purpose venue with a minimum of 20,000 permanent seats, and a maximum capacity of about 30,000, - but what are we really getting? Single-use venue / Multi-use venue |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett, Chair, Economic Development Committee |
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| Cr Syd Brown, Deputy Mayor |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
My position on the stadium stands. It’s a really dumb idea that is being driven by a group of people who are in denial about the environmental crises we are facing. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest, Chair, Planning and Environment Committee |
Just what we have promoted. Nothing less. Hopefully something more. |
| Cr Paul Hudson, Chairperson of Dunedin City Holdings Ltd |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
It has yet to be seen what we will actually get in terms of seating. Note the staff informed us that the same number of games were proposed for the world cup in the old Carisbrook as in the new roofed stadium. |
| Cr Richard Walls, Chair, Finance and Strategy Committee & Property Subcommittee |
Cr Walls declines to answer any questionnaires that are restricted to a Yes/No answer. He advises that the relevant questions raised by the three Councillors have been referred to the Stakeholder’s Group for response and/or will be addressed at upcoming meetings of the Finance and Strategy Committee and Council. Any action taken by Council must then relate to the resolutions that Council has passed. As Chair of Finance and Strategy, Cr Walls says he accepts responsibility for ensuring that all valid questions are fairly considered and debated at meetings of the committee. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 2. Is it [...] misleading to represent the facility as being multi-purpose when clearly only rugby is catered for within the current budget? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
No, this proposition is wrong. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
Yes, it is misleading to say it is currently multi purpose. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 3. And will [...] making it multi-purpose blow that budget? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
No. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
Making it truly multi purpose will no doubt increase the budget. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 4. Is the stadium affordable? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
Yes. The majority of ratepayers will pay no more than $1 per week inclusive of ORC and DCC rates. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
The stadium is not affordable and will drain rates, will drain holding company finances and will be an opportunity cost, leaving the city unable to afford other priority activities more important for social and economic development of the community. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 5. In a time of recession is this socially acceptable? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
Yes . . . . the project is good. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
No. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 6. Is the volume of borrowing prudent? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
Yes. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
This is a bad time to get heavily in debt, borrowing for a sports amenity is not prudent. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 7. [Do you expect to create] lost opportunity costs? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
I don’t understand the question unless it is the priority issue. I accept that this is a valid concern but our LTCCP shows many other wothwhile projects and projected costs including water and sewage, parks, sports fields, the Logan Park Re-development, Settlers Museum, Art Gallery, South Dunedin library, better parking and transport strategies, prudently planned maintenance schedules, Town Hall re-development., an updated Youth Strategy, Heritage Strategy, Gasworks Museum and a whole host of other matters . . . all discussed and placed within our proposed budget for the next 10 years. The Stadium is NOT, I repeat NOT, a one off only project for the next 10 years. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
Yes, there will be lost opportunities. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 8. Does a responsible local authority commit all available resources to one project, so no new major spending is possible into the foreseeable future? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
No, a responsible local authority does not . . . but we are not doing that. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
No. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 9. Will raising $75 million for the stadium from local businesses and other community funders have a negative impact on the social fabric of Dunedin? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
No, quite the opposite . . . it will provide a boost to confidence in the future of this City. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
Yes, fund raising for the stadium will mean less funding available for other social projects. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 10. Can we afford to take that risk when few, if any major projects meet budget, when steel and concrete prices are escalating rapidly, and when our dollar is dropping? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
Yes . . . the maximum fixed price calcuated on 2011 dollars will establish that. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
No. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 11. Is the prudent way forward for our city a reliance on a vastly expensive single project at the expense of everything else? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
What a loaded question. You have posed, and answered the question yourself. What answer do you really want from me? I do not accept the basis of the question one iota. I reject your premise. You start from a factual premise which I do not accept. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
No. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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| Question 12. Final question: If the preceding questions cannot be answered confidently and satisfactorily, can we responsibly continue with the stadium project? Yes / No |
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| Cr Bill Acklin |
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| Cr John Bezett |
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| Cr Syd Brown |
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| Cr Fliss Butcher |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Mayor Peter Chin |
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| Cr Neil Collins |
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| Cr Michael Guest |
Yes. |
| Cr Paul Hudson |
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| Cr Andrew Noone |
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| Cr Teresa Stevenson |
No. |
| Cr Richard Walls |
See answer above under Question 1. |
| Cr Colin Weatherall |
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Dunedin, 29 August 2008
We wrote to the councillors and posed the questions raised in the opinion piece, hoping to discover their current thinking on these issues. Here we present the councillors’ answers, posted as we receive them: