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Otago Daily Times
8 hours ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: the hospital, rubbish and Parliament
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including so much for our "kick-arse" hospital, passing a cleanup to another generation, and the dignity of Parliament. Not so much kicking when beds announced Our new hospital is to have 424 overnight beds. That is 2.78 beds per thousand Dunedin residents. The OECD average is five beds per thousand. If we consider the hospital as serving the population of Otago then we are down to about 0.6 of a bed per thousand. Seems we might have to share a bed. So much for the "kick-arse" hospital the PM promised. Pile on Max Reid (Letters 30.5 25) notes that the new hospital outpatient building (not inpatient, as he incorrectly says) is not too far off completion, and takes me to task that my "field of piles" billboard (28.5.25) was misleading. The field of piles is where, if Labour had only been on their game, the key building, that is, the much larger inpatient building, with beds, intensive care, Xray, PET scanner, operating theatres, and so on, should at least have been well under way. They had six years in charge, but chopped and changed and faffed around and failed the people of the South. Outpatients was the easy build. It only needed lots of rooms and decent plumbing. A billboard is necessarily succinct, so this subtlety had to be left to the viewer to discern. On the other hand, he is right to berate National. The recent announcement from Minister Brown that, in respect of "... delivering the hospital that the people of Otago and Southland have been waiting far too long for", his claim that "This government is focused on delivery — and that's exactly what we are doing" is Orwellian speech at its finest. The field of piles is still, after a year and a-half of his government, out there in the open, untouched and unbuilt-upon Distasteful rubbish Jacqui Legg of Winton has said (Letters 31.5.25) that she and some other residents do not want outside-province refuse coming to AB Lime's quarry/landfill site which is 4km distant from the outskirts of Winton. AB Lime is the South Island's largest lime quarry, employing 48 people, many from Winton, and out-of-province refuse is not much different from Southland refuse except that it will help make better use of their 200 years of landfill capacity, improving AB Lime's profitability and work prospects for Wintonites. Is Ms Legg's distaste for our interprovincial refuse business just because of rugby, or is there some other rational explanation? Disgraceful behaviour Metiria Stanton Turei (Opinion ODT 30.5.25) comes out in strong support of the three Te Pāti Māori party anarchists currently facing sanctions for their disgraceful behaviour in the New Zealand Parliament. The behaviour of these three members in particular has been abhorrent from the moment they entered Parliament. They show zero respect for the dignity and rules by which the Parliament operates, and they make it quite clear when they are there, which isn't very often, that their intent is to disrupt the proceedings as much as possible. If Metiria Stanton Turei thinks that supporting this type of behaviour is helping Māori, then she is deluded. The majority of people in this country have had enough of this anarchy. It would be nice if Māori radicals like Metiria Turei Stanton put their energies into helping their own people grapple with the darker aspects of their culture, instead of trying to bring this country to its knees. 1995 called, and it wants its decision back Is this the best the Dunedin City Council can come up with, a decision made in 1995? They would rather put Dunedin ratepayers into even more debt just so we keep our own rubbish. What are they thinking? They are about to spend millions removing rubbish dumped a hundred years ago. As usual passing another cleanup to another generation. Our beautiful beach at Brighton will be at risk. Dunedin airport already at risk of bird strike. We are minimising rubbish sent to landfill now. We could do better. Building and manufacturing waste won't be using Smooth Hill, it will be far to expensive. DCC needs to remember who is paying the bills. Honorable discharge It will be interesting , indeed enlightening, to learn what punishment those responsible for capsizing that new warship in North Korea receive, and compare it with our own recent naval debacle in Samoa. Given the Samoan incident was described by Minister of Defence Judith Collins as ' a maritime success' can we expect that the skipper featured in the King's Birthday Honours? Bug repellant After reading your excellent editorial "A moth in the night" (28.5.25) I would not be surprised if Shane Jones was seen lurking around Macraes with a can of fly spray. Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: landfill, hospital cuts and spouting
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including the new Smooth Hill landfill site, another round of cuts to the hospital, and just how important is spouting? Message to Lee: keep rubbish close to home As a resident of Winton I would like to inform Cr Lee Vandervis that many of us here do not want refuse from other centres outside our province coming to AB Lime's site. Build your own. We don't want to be the dumping ground for other provinces' refuse/waste. Dunedin has been dithering for 32 years. Just imagine what could have been done with the $85.4 million if action had been taken all those years ago when $7m was mooted. Consultancy fees have cost Dunedin ratepayers huge sums too. Anyway, why on earth are you talking landfill when very efficient incinerators are available and are multifunctional? Contradictory votes? Dunedin City Council just voted to go ahead with the Smooth Hill landfill. So on one hand they want to dig a big hole on Smooth Hill, so we can truck our rubbish there. But on the very same day they debated carbon-friendly projects. The landfill in Winton could be accessed by rail, so no need to burn tons and tons of diesel to build a new landfill that will never be accessible by rail. Looking for carbon-friendly projects? Being dumped on Many Dunedin councillors today (27.5.25) in their meeting say they don't support "at any cost dumping landfill waste on other regions". Good to hear but I'm a bit confused over their values when they support dumping diverted sewage waste from the hill suburbs on South Dunedin? Which side are you on? Last Friday, another round of cuts to our hospital was revealed: after five long years of construction, the government will deliver a facility with 26 fewer beds than the current hospital, which is already over capacity. This would plainly be a disaster for the South. If this plan goes ahead it will increase waiting times for ED and for life-saving surgeries, and will ultimately force many who need frequent care out of the city. Our honorable Mayor, Jules Radich, has welcomed the announcement as "a great result". Even ignoring his ethical and democratic responsibilities, this is an election year; Jules has little to lose and everything to gain by opposing these cuts. I cannot fathom why he is assenting to this plan which will plainly cause great harm to the city. Which side are you on, Jules? [Mickey Treadwell is a Green mayoral candidate.] What He says Re "Claim hub sale call guided by God" ( ODT 24.5.25), I would have been surprised had it been otherwise: the decision to sell was made after "the local churches in the region discerned the mind of Christ together over a long period of time . . . together they felt this was the decision God would have them make." Is it likely that after consultation among a group of like-thinking people strongly desirous of selling the property, they would not get the desired response from their God? A neutral arbitrator would have been equally persuasively informed regarding current claims of rightful use of the property, and history of the provision of the land, buildings and improvements over the time it has been used both as a religious and community facility. Good try but China can be seen another way Mercy Fonoti's article on the rise of China (Opinion ODT 23.5.25) was an admirable attempt at trying to be evenhanded, but it still failed. This is because it views China through a Western minority world lens, which has at its core a deliberate omission of historical context, painting the actions of China as either capricious acts or interpreting their motivations as if they are the same kinds of imperialistic motivations that Western nations have had for 500 years. The 'contradictions' of China's behaviour she cites are not contradictions at all. Their actions in the South China Sea are solely in response to the Obama administration's initiation of 'The Pivot to Asia' in 2011, which has at its core the military containment of China. As part of this, the US and its allies conduct an annual naval exercise, explicitly practising the closure of the Straits of Molucca through which the huge bulk of China's exports and imports transit. At the same time on the eastern side of the SCS, America and its allies began ramping up relatively dormant diplomatic and military relations with Taiwan in contravention of agreements going back 50 years, that recognise the island as Chinese sovereign territory, to a point where the Biden administration actually stated they would militarily defend Taipei from invasion – an explicit abandoning of five decades of strategic ambiguity. In response, China activated its long but disputed claim to the SCS (and built its own equally illegal Diego Garcia type island base close to the Straits of Molucca) and conducts naval exercises off Taiwan (and in the Tasman Sea). These are defensive acts in response to obvious provocation, not signs of any kind of expansionist agenda. Mushrooms, ridge lines, and mould Re the recent article on the MBIE inspection of student flats. I have the greatest sympathy for the tenants suffering damp and mushrooms as I did almost within the photograph where Liam White is standing, in an old masonry house where the damp proof course had failed, some decades ago. I went to extreme lengths to replace the foundations and damp proof course and was thrilled when I managed to persuade the next door neighbour to do the same much more efficiently than I had via a masonry saw. However, seeing from a careful read of the article that most of the problems with the flats, apart from three which seemed to be in a bad way, were the same minor home maintenance issues that most home owners of old villas would find if they inspected their own home, I feel that the whole thing is what people refer to as a beat-up these days. Yes, spouting is important. I have some pulled down twice a year on a flat in that area by young ones trying (and succeeding) to get on to the roof. I have seen photos of about 20 sitting on the ridge line on numerous occasions. I would see non-functioning heat pumps as a more serious issue. Ironically, they have proved the opposite point of view to their own by their survey: that the vast majority of flats in that area despite the beating they get are fine. The MBIE tenancy and compliance team has made me agree for the first time of the government's slashing of government employees. It reminds me of a survey done a few years ago when all the houses failed, even brand-new ones. A house of someone I know failed because the footpath was always wet. They said the concrete path needed dug up and replaced. Actually, it was the spouting leaking, Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Councillors told option the riskiest
Councillors who backed going it alone on building a new Dunedin landfill were warned by independent experts it was the riskiest option being considered. The report on Smooth Hill, developed by consultancy Morrison Low, was released publicly last week ahead of deliberations on the Dunedin City Council Long Term Plan. In November, councillors voted 11-2 to build a landfill at Smooth Hill independently, subject to long-term-plan funding, rather than exporting waste out of the district or building in partnership with a private company. Cr Sophie Barker said she was "satisfied" the council made the right decision, while Cr Andrew Whiley was concerned the proposed model could be affected by private competitors. Council staff recommended the council go it alone, but Morrison Low's report advised the Smooth Hill landfill be built in partnership. In 2023, Morrison Low said although a council-owned and operated landfill would have a lower impact on annual rates, it had significant capital requirements and was the highest risk of the final options. Morrison Low also ranked the option 12 from 13 longlisted options, where it scored low in potential affordability and achievability. Building in partnership would provide the council with industry expertise and access to a wider disposal market while disposing of waste out-of-district was "not a viable" alternative. In a 2024 update, Morrison Low told councillors building alone had the highest potential revenue but remained the highest financial risk. Running with a commercial partner was highly dependent on the commercial model and "deficiencies in contractual arrangements" between councils and private waste companies had been recently highlighted. "Overall, the difference between [building alone or in partnership] is small." If the council built the landfill alone, there was a risk of competition from commercial waste companies. "AB Lime have already signalled they would look to develop their own transfer station in Dunedin, attract commercial customers away from DCC and transport waste to their landfill in Southland." In their report to the council, staff said building independently provided more autonomy to dispose of its own waste and meet waste reduction goals. It did rely on annual waste to the Smooth Hill landfill remaining "the same or similar" to current tonnages to the Green Island Landfill. "There may be measures that could mitigate this risk, such as a landfill management contract with appropriate incentives," the report said. It also noted Morrison Low estimated the landfill would cost $80 million, including 20% contingency. The council had included $92.4m in the draft long-term-plan budget, which included a further contingency. Cr Barker said councillors had "ample opportunity" to ask questions during the process and she was "satisfied" with the decision. Risks were able to be managed through the contingency and Dunedin had "mountains of waste to dispose of", she said. Cr Andrew Whiley opposed building the Smooth Hill landfill and said he was surprised to hear of AB Lime's planned transfer station. "That was mentioned briefly in our papers, but yet when you look at our modelling and everything else, I found that revelation actually quite concerning because I believe that does change our business model on that basis." Mayoral candidate Andrew Simms said he welcomed the release of information which allowed greater scrutiny of the council's decision but urged councillors to be certain they had considered all options. "At first read of the report there are some figures that are difficult to reconcile with my evaluation of the business case for Smooth Hill. This requires more investigation and more questions before I could be in any way confident that council is making the correct decision." Councillors are expected to vote on funding for the Smooth Hill landfill today, as part of long-term-plan deliberations.
Otago Daily Times
11-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
‘Gagged' over benefits of Winton landfill
AB Lime general manager Steven Smith speaks at the DCC 2034 LTP at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery last Thursday. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON A regional landfill operator has been given the cold shoulder by the Dunedin City Council and was not approached for information while ratepayers could be stung with a $92.4 million "gamble" instead, its manager says. Exporting waste out of the city has been largely discounted by the council as a long-term option, but a leading contender to receive municipal waste — AB Lime in Winton, Southland — had apparently been unable to make the case. Its general manager made references at a council hearing last week to being "gagged". The council's preferred option in its 2025-34 draft long-term plan is to continue using the Green Island landfill until a planned and consented $92.4m landfill at Smooth Hill is ready in about 2030. AB Lime general manager Steve Smith was the final speaker at last week's hearing, taking the unusual step of talking to councillors directly in an open meeting. "The reality is we've kind of been silenced or gagged through this whole Smooth Hill-Green Island process," he said. Mr Smith noted discussions with senior council staff were done on a confidential basis. He then said he had sent a couple of emails to the Otago Regional Council relating to consenting processes to ensure AB Lime's information was correct. "I received back emails of disappointment from DCC staff for actually getting involved in that process." Mr Smith said he was copied in on "cease and desist-type letters" from lawyers for the council, Anderson Lloyd: "So that's some pretty scary stuff. "All of my invites to council staff and the mayor himself and the councillors have sort of been knocked back at this stage, or graciously declined." Concerning consultancy Morrison Low, which carried out an options analysis for the council, Mr Smith said "they've actually never spoken to us". He also noted significant amounts of content provided to councillors were redacted when some information was released to the public. Mr Smith acknowledged he had a vested interest in the landfill not going ahead. Smooth Hill had been a hot topic at the hearing. City businessmen Allan Dippie and Andrew Simms — Mr Simms also being a mayoral candidate — had clashed on the subject in dramatic fashion, leading to lively emails between them being disclosed. Points by Mr Dippie, a Smooth Hill supporter, included that landfill operators would rather not have a strong competitor in the vicinity and he said a new landfill would be a fantastic asset for Dunedin. Mr Simms has called Smooth Hill an unnecessary capital spend that would add to council debt. Mr Smith described Smooth Hill as a gamble with ratepayers' money and said trucking waste to Winton was a less risky option. "Building Smooth Hill just locks you into a plan that I don't believe is fiscally prudent." Council staff had concluded exporting waste out of Dunedin was "not economically favourable when compared with the option of building Smooth Hill". Exporting would also reduce the council's level of control over its waste. Cr Jim O'Malley asked if building Smooth Hill would lead to AB Lime looking to compete with the council facility. "I think we have to," Mr Smith said. "The reality is you're talking about spending an astronomical amount of money." He also referred to gate prices for the council's existing Green Island facility. "Based on your fees and charges for the 2025-26 year, and based on our own, the landfill gate price at AB Lime is going to be $71 lower than Green Island." Grey Power Otago president Jo Millar said last week she wanted the council to provide clear information about how much money would be saved by proceeding with Smooth Hill. Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said this would be done.
Otago Daily Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Councillors' conduct ‘appalling'
The volunteer driver of Dunedin's campaigning ambulance has called out councillors for showing a lack of respect and laughing while he presented at a hearing. Mike Waddell was making a submission on the Dunedin City Council's 2025-34 long-term plan yesterday when he observed conduct from a few elected representatives that appalled him. ''It's a sad reflection when people are starting to laugh around the table,'' he said. ''Where is the respect? ''I find that, actually, pretty appalling.'' Mike Waddell makes a submission to the Dunedin City Council yesterday about the proposed Smooth Hill landfill. Mr Waddell's background includes being the Otago Polytechnic external relations director before his retirement and driving Cliff the ambulance for the council's hospital campaign. He made a submission about the proposed $92.4 million Smooth Hill landfill, questioning the council's decision-making. Mr Waddell and Pam Munro volunteered to drive Cliff the ambulance during the council's Save Our Southern Hospital campaign. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON In answer to a question from Cr Carmen Houlahan about the sources of his information, Mr Waddell said he had talked to a range of people, including GHC Consulting director Dave Hanan, as well as the AB Lime firm. ''It's just a case of trying to do my homework and find out, and then for people to start actually sort of laughing, with body language like that, that's not acceptable.'' Cr Jim O'Malley asked if Mr Waddell understood the people he talked to had ''a fiduciary interest in making the contract go to them''. Answering a question from Mr Waddell, Cr O'Malley said ''yes, it has been out to tender'' and AB Lime in Winton had been talked to. Jim O'Malley Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich highlighted councillors were not supposed to enter into debates with submitters. ''The point of hearing these submissions is not to have a debate here,'' he said. The discussion was among a series of incidents at the hearing yesterday. Soon after the day began, three councillors walked out ahead of a presentation by Strath Taieri Community Board chairman Barry Williams, who was censured in 2023 for a racist slur. The councillors were Steve Walker, Marie Laufiso and Christine Garey, and they returned to the table after Mr Williams had finished. Cr Walker said he left the hearing because he had zero tolerance for racism. ''Given Mr Williams' racist outburst toward a local pub worker a couple of years ago, I could not in good conscience remain in the same room and listen to him,'' Cr Walker said. Steve Walker Mr Williams said afterwards councillors going back and forth was ''bloody ridiculous''. In 2023, the council invited Mr Williams to consider resigning as board chairman. He apologised to his victim, and to the public, but did not resign. Later in the morning session, Cr Walker was ejected from the hearing after he did not accept a ruling from Mr Radich. Cr Walker had challenged an assertion by Cr Lee Vandervis cycleway use had not increased in the past four years, saying data Cr Vandervis relied on had been debunked and staff had explained it. ''I won't withdraw a remark that is factually correct,'' Cr Walker said. Mr Radich said this was arguable. Cr Walker was then asked to leave. He returned to the table after the lunch break. A submission by Robyn Vintiner prompted a series of points of order from councillors relating to disrespect of council staff. The mayor cautioned Ms Vintiner about repeatedly casting aspersions.
