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Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Wise Water Use Protests Central Hawkes Bay Consumers' Trust's Backing Of Decision To Commit $100K To Ruataniwha Dam V.2
Wise Water Use Hawkes Bay led protest action today outside a meeting of the trustees of the Central Hawkes Bay Consumers' Trust (the Trust), held outside the Centralines' offices in Waipukurau. 'Our community is protesting against the trustees' unwillingness to act in the best interests' of their beneficiaries, the power consumers of Central Hawkes Bay, by refusing to tell the Centralines Board to rescind their commitment of $100,000.00 to the Ruataniwha dam v.2,' said spokesperson, Dr Trevor Le Lievre,' adding: 'it's infuriating that the Trust is refusing to act, and is allowing the Board to treat money which should be returned to beneficiaries like a personal slush fund, to be used for their pet project, Ruataniwha v.2'. A group of over 20 attended the protest, gathering at 12:30 p.m. to ensure the trustees arriving for the 1:00 p.m. meeting heard their collective voices. The protest was good natured, with plenty of colourfully-worded signs leaving the trustees in no doubt as to how their beneficiaries felt. Board Chair, Fenton Wilson, led a delegation of trustees out to hear the protesters' concerns, and after a respectful exchange they returned to their meeting to discuss the concerns raised. 'There is only one right decision to be made here, and that is for the Board to rescind their decision,' said Le Lievre, adding: 'watch this space; however, community anger against this decision is growing so we certainly hope both the Trust and Board can read the room.' Wise Water Use is calling for Trust Chair, Karen Middeleberg, to follow in the footsteps of fellow trustee, Tony Murphy, who recently resigned in protest at the Trust's endorsement of the Board's decision. Murphy stated at the time that he believed the spend, coupled with a previous $200,000 gift to the dam promoters in 2021, raised questions about potential cronyism and Centralines' priorities. He said he 'just couldn't support them anymore, because I'm a bit of a lone voice around the table'.[1] 'We agree with recently resigned trustee, Tony Murphy, that there is small-town cronyism at play here,' said Le Lievre, citing links between Board members and the Ruataniwha dam project: Board Chair, Fenton Wilson, was the former-HB Regional Council Chair who was the main driver of Ruataniwha v.1; Board Director, Sarah von Dadelszen, was an original member of the Tukituki Water Security Project (TWSP), announced in 2021, and as far as we know is still part of that group; Sam Robinson who, along with Mike Petersen (TWSP Chair), presented the case to the Board to advance money for Ruataniwha v. 2. Robinson was the Chair of HB Regional Council Investment Company (HBRIC), the Regional Council's financial wing which sunk $20 million of ratepayers' money into the failed Ruataniwha v.1. project. Robinson is also a former-chair of the Centralines Board; Ian Walker, another original member of TWSP, was the former-Chair of the Centralines Board which in 2021 gifted $200,000 to the dam promoters without ever making a public announcement. Fenton Wilson was asked by the protesters whether any of the 5 Board members had declared conflicts of interest when making their decision to commit $100,000.00; however, never received a clear answer. This important matter remains to be cleared up. Wise Water Use has also spoken to local consumer-beneficiary, Murray Rosser, who wrote to Middelberg requesting a speaking slot at today's meeting, and was refused. Rosser has a background in risk analysis, running his own underwriting agency, Rosser Underwriting, for over 20 years. He expressed concern in his letter about the use of consumers' money in this way and also cited the trustees legal obligations, as below: 'Trustees have a fiduciary obligation to act in the best interests and to protect the assets of beneficiaries (clause 12.1 of Trust Deed). The decision to endorse the Centralines Board's decision is a clear breach of that obligation, with possible legal ramifications for trustees' After being refused a speaking slot, Rosser made a request to attend that part of the meeting where the Board's decision would be discussed (as confirmed by Middleberg) as an observer, and was again knocked back. Rosser told Wise Water Use: 'There can be little doubt that Ms Middelberg and her fellow trustees are completely out of touch with their beneficiaries, whose interests they purport to represent,' adding: 'Ms Middleberg told me in her response that 'the trustees are aware of consumer opinions around this subject', but how can that possibly be when they're not in the least bit interested in hearing from them? 'Instead of addressing the issue of reckless use of beneficiaries' money, Ms Middleberg has circled the wagons around the Board, and is hiding behind the fig leaf of the Board being able to make expenditure decisions without having to inform the Trust if the amount is below a certain threshold.[2] This is highly disingenuous given the history of public dissent about beneficiary money being used to subsidise the Ruataniwha dam, and highlights the cosy relationship between the Consumers' Power Trust trustees, Board members, and the dam promoters,' Rosser told Wise Water Use. Wise Water Use agrees with both Murphy and Rosser, and is calling cronyism on this ongoing use of beneficiaries' money to promote the Ruataniwha dam, and is calling on Karen Middleberg to tell the Board to rescind their decision, or to resign immediately. 'The Trust appoints the Board members, and is also able to remove them,' finished Le Lievre. [2] WWU understands this expenditure threshold is 3% of Centralines' asset value of $80 million = $2.4 million.
Pink Villa
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
4 South movies to binge-watch on OTT this week: Retro, Thudarum, and more
South movies have been making a strong showing at the box office recently, with some impressive ventures. After the massive box office collections, these films are all set to hit the streaming space soon. As the week of film releases on OTT makes it perfect for a binge-watch moment, let's dive more in-depth into the ventures. 4 South movies to binge-watch on OTT this week 1. Retro Cast: Suriya, Pooja Hegde, Joju George, Jayaram, Nassar, Prakash Raj, Vidhu, Sanjay, Karunakaran, Gajaraj, Swasika Director: Karthik Subbaraj Language: Tamil OTT Release Date: May 30, 2025 Where to watch: Netflix Suriya starrer romantic actioner Retro, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, is all geared up to hit the streaming space after its big-screen release on May 1, 2025. Precisely 4 weeks after its theatrical run, the film is slated to hit the OTT platform Netflix. The movie features the tale of Paari, a young man who was taken in as an orphan by a kingpin's wife. Despite the kingpin never considering him as his son, the man realizes Paari's effectiveness as a fighting machine, making use of him in all of his nefarious ventures. However, Paari's life takes a turn when he finds the love of his life, Rukmini, a veterinarian doctor who asks him to stay away from the world of crime and lead a life with her. While Paari attempts at the same time, several conflicts arise, leading them to fall apart. With no other resolution in his mind, the man searches for her, leading him to an island locality. Unwavering in his decision, Paari soon realizes his destiny is much bigger than what he envisioned, making this romantic actioner a genre-defining venture. As Suriya plays the lead, the film features Pooja Hegde as the female co-lead, alongside an ensemble cast. 2. Tourist Family Cast: M Sasikumar, Simran Bagga, Mithun Jai Sankar, Yogi Babu, Kamalesh Jagan, MS Bhaskar, Ramkumar Prasanna, Ramesh Thilak Director: Abishan Jeevinth Language: Tamil OTT Release Date: June 2, 2025 Where to watch: JioHotstar Tourist Family is undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises from Tamil cinema to come out this year, becoming a massive blockbuster. The comedy-drama movie, directed by debutant Abishan Jeevinth, features M. Sasikumar and Simran Bagga in the lead roles. The film follows the life of a family who decides to move out of their village in Sri Lanka due to the economic crisis. In hopes of starting a new life in India, the family of four consisting of Dharmadas, his wife Vasanthi, and their two sons - Nithushan and Murali make their way to Vasanthi's brother Prakash's home. With their initial arrival itself, the family comes under police scrutiny but is let go after being considered naive. Owing to this, the family decides to pass themselves off as Malayalees, not to create any animosity among neighbors, and expects to keep a low profile. However, considering their personalities, the family develops deep bonds with their neighbors and more. As the film progresses, the comedy drama promises a feel-good effect, making it a must-watch. 3. HIT: The Third Case Cast: Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Surya Srinivas, Adil Pala, Rao Ramesh, Samuthirakani, Komalee Prasad, Adivi Sesh, Karthi Director: Sailesh Kolanu Language: Telugu OTT Release Date: May 29, 2025 Where to watch: Netflix HIT: The Third Case starring Nani and Srinidhi Shetty had hit the theaters on May 1, 2025, and is now all geared up for its OTT debut. The film, directed by Sailesh Kolanu, is an action thriller that is the 3rd installment in the HIT Cinematic Universe. The film follows the tale of SP Arjun Sarkaar, an officer from the HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) section of Vishakapatnam. The movie starts with the man being imprisoned for a heinous crime and serving his jail sentence. During this time, he befriends a convict and reveals to him the case that changed his life. Starting his narration, Arjun is seen committing a murder and capturing the visuals. Later on, the man is revealed to have been doing such activities to infiltrate a cult gang. How the man manages to capture them makes up the rest of the film. With Nani in the lead role, the film had Srinidhi Shetty as the female lead. Moreover, the movie ended on a high note with the post-credit scene teasing the next film, HIT: The Fourth Case, with Karthi donning the avatar of ACP Veerappan, HIT officer from Chennai. 4. Thudarum Thudarum, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, is a crime drama movie directed by Tharun Moorthy. The blockbuster venture, which premiered in theaters on April 25, 2025, has generated substantial box office revenue and is set to debut on JioHotstar on May 30, 2025. The film features the story of Shanmugham, a beloved man from a quaint town in Kerala, who lives his life with his wife, Lalitha, and their two kids. Affectionately known by the name Benz, the man keeps an old Ambassador car as his prized possession, treating it like a member of his family. However, matters take a turn for the worse when his car is caught in a police investigation. As the man faces heat from a bigoted officer, a kind-hearted senior policeman, soon to retire, helps him out and asks him to give them a ride to a nearby marriage. During their travels, Benz soon realizes that the senior officer is a dreaded person and has been using him for a nefarious purpose. Soon, the former realizes a shocking truth, leaving him to take vengeance upon the people who wronged him. The above-mentioned films are all set to arrive for streaming soon, making it a treat for fans and cinephiles alike.
