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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
'Perfect' property funded by drug money, police say
A Central Otago beauty-clinic owner has had her $1.4 million home frozen after allegedly benefiting from her dead partner's drug crimes. The High Court has restrained the Tarras property and a vehicle of Wendy Maree Davison under criminal-proceeds legislation after police claimed Clinton Lee Forman made cash deposits of $156,784 to her bank account between 2017 and 2024, allegedly the result of significant cannabis offending. Davison is listed in company records as the sole director and shareholder of Wanaka's Revive Beauty Therapy Ltd. Company documents listed her as living at the three-bedroom Tarras address on 8ha of land, bought in 2022 for $1.4m, which is now under the control of the Official Assignee. A real-estate listing billed the home as 'the perfect place to unwind with the amazing Central Otago mountain ranges and blue skies that provide ever-changing picturesque scenes". An online advertisement raved about the open-plan kitchen complete with granite benches and polished concrete floors, the double garage, four-bay shed, sleepout and 'a stunning mini-orchard with a variety of fruit". Davison told the Otago Daily Times she would only discuss the matter once the court case had been resolved. On April 18, 2023, police executed a search warrant at Davison's address where they found two mature cannabis plants and 'a quantity of white crystals", Detective Constable Kelsey Morgan wrote in an affidavit. The same day, officers also raided two other homes associated with the couple and found significant quantities of the class-C drug. There was also cannabis in Forman's vehicle, the court heard. While he acknowledged 'some involvement in selling cannabis" when interviewed by police, Davison denied any knowledge of a large-scale drug operation. Forman was ultimately prosecuted but the proceedings against him were stayed in July last year following his death three months earlier. Police's review of the couple's financial transactions showed $313,359 of cash deposits into their respective accounts — split almost exactly in half. Of the $156,784 banked into Davison's personal and business accounts, Det Const Kelsey Morgan said some had 'the characteristics of money laundering". She gave the example of six deposits made over 15 minutes on March 23, 2020, totaling $8000. There was evidence of cash transfers from Forman to Davison to make mortgage payments, police argued. She consented to the restraining order but whether the assets would be forfeited to the Crown would be argued later. Justice Rob Osborne said there were reasonable grounds to believe Forman and Davison benefitted from significant criminal activity and that the assets could be classified as "tainted property". Under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act a person has unlawfully benefited from significant criminal activity if they have knowingly, directly or indirectly, derived a benefit from that activity, whether or not they were involved. , Court reporter
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Property funded by cannabis, police say
A Central Otago beauty-clinic owner has had her $1.4 million home frozen after allegedly benefiting from her dead partner's drug crimes. The High Court has restrained the Tarras property and a vehicle of Wendy Maree Davison under criminal-proceeds legislation after police claimed Clinton Lee Forman made cash deposits of $156,784 to her bank account between 2017 and 2024, allegedly the result of significant cannabis offending. Davison is listed in company records as the sole director and shareholder of Wanaka's Revive Beauty Therapy Ltd. Company documents listed her as living at the three-bedroom Tarras address on 8ha of land, bought in 2022 for $1.4m, which is now under the control of the Official Assignee. A real-estate listing billed the home as 'the perfect place to unwind with the amazing Central Otago mountain ranges and blue skies that provide ever-changing picturesque scenes". An online advertisement raved about the open-plan kitchen complete with granite benches and polished concrete floors, the double garage, four-bay shed, sleepout and 'a stunning mini-orchard with a variety of fruit". Davison told the Otago Daily Times she would only discuss the matter once the court case had been resolved. On April 18, 2023, police executed a search warrant at Davison's address where they found two mature cannabis plants and 'a quantity of white crystals", Detective Constable Kelsey Morgan wrote in an affidavit. The same day, officers also raided two other homes associated with the couple and found significant quantities of the class-C drug. There was also cannabis in Forman's vehicle, the court heard. While he acknowledged 'some involvement in selling cannabis" when interviewed by police, Davison denied any knowledge of a large-scale drug operation. Forman was ultimately prosecuted but the proceedings against him were stayed in July last year following his death three months earlier. Police's review of the couple's financial transactions showed $313,359 of cash deposits into their respective accounts — split almost exactly in half. Of the $156,784 banked into Davison's personal and business accounts, Det Const Kelsey Morgan said some had 'the characteristics of money laundering". She gave the example of six deposits made over 15 minutes on March 23, 2020, totaling $8000. There was evidence of cash transfers from Forman to Davison to make mortgage payments, police argued. She consented to the restraining order but whether the assets would be forfeited to the Crown would be argued later. Justice Rob Osborne said there were reasonable grounds to believe Forman and Davison benefitted from significant criminal activity and that the assets could be classified as "tainted property". Under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act a person has unlawfully benefited from significant criminal activity if they have knowingly, directly or indirectly, derived a benefit from that activity, whether or not they were involved. , Court reporter
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Polytech boss launches withering attack on government
Otago Polytechnic's boss fears being "dragged down to the lowest common denominator" by the Open Polytechnic, as she stakes her institution's claim for independence. In an interview with the Otago Daily Times , the polytechnic's executive director, Megan Potiki, was withering in her criticism of the government. Topics she covered included Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds' failure to respond requests for meetings and her belief Otago Polytechnic had been singled out for the worst treatment of any institution in the government's shake-up of the sector. Her interview comes as the polytechnic undergoes two separate but simultaneous restructures — one affecting management; the other general staff — and grapples with the fact it has been placed into a federation with the Open Polytechnic and Universal College of Learning rather than being independent. "It feels like we have had completely different treatment to everyone else, it's been utterly unfair. "What was [Ms Simmonds'] understanding to get to this point where she decided that others were going to stand up that were clearly similar to us or worse, in some cases? "We have had no conversation with her about us going into a federation, it was a complete surprise." Dr Potiki likened the situation to "building a ship while we're actually sailing" because the minister had not met her to explain how the federation model would actually work. Otago Polytechnic had one of the highest degree completion rates in the country, and placing it in a federation with Open Polytechnic could drag down its reputation, she said. "Not to be disrespectful to the Open Polytech, but they've got very low completion of degrees. "There's a risk of being dragged down to the lowest common denominator. If our stake in the ground is that we have exceptional learning and great learning outcomes for our akonga and our community, why would we want to put that at risk?" Dr Potiki said Otago Polytechnic's management and staff "bled blue and gold" — and she had been impressed by the community response to its troubles. "We've re-engaged stakeholders and we had a really successful stakeholder meeting the other night with about nearly 80 people and we've got community people who have reached out who care and we're wanting to engage them as well." Dr Potiki said among the institutions to have received better treatment was Invercargill-based Southern Institute of Technology, which was allowed to stand alone. "SIT leadership reached out because, actually, I have a really good relationship with them through Te Pūkenga ... so those are relationships I don't want to burn. "We want to have continued strong relationships in the South Island with all polytechnics. But the minister has muddied the waters." Dr Potiki acknowledged staff would be getting mixed messages in recent times about their future. "We're receiving mixed messages from government. "We just want more clarity and a path for us. "What we're asking staff to consider now is, unfortunately, they've been through this before, and nothing happens quickly." The nature of the funding model of polytechnics meant "reviews" of staff could happen annually. "It's good practice. I think that's part of something that staff need to understand. "But actually, we want to look at our vision, our values, our future and get to that point. We haven't had the chance to really do that. So there's a lot of good work to come." Ms Simmonds said supporting Otago Polytechnic to achieve a surplus was critical. "With the support of a soon to be appointed Establishment Advisory Group (EAG), I am sure Otago Polytechnic will continue to progress along their financial viability pathway. At that stage, they would not require the support of the Federation if they did not wish to use it." She had met Dr Potiki on several occasions and "was committed to continuing open and constructive engagement". "The federation approach avoids the drawbacks of the centralised, one-size-fits-all model of Te Pūkenga and instead supports regional polytechnics to thrive, while offering the option to access system-wide efficiencies through the Federation."
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Polytech head fears reputation at risk
Otago Polytechnic's boss fears being "dragged down to the lowest common denominator" by the Open Polytechnic, as she stakes her institution's claim for independence. In an interview with the Otago Daily Times , the polytechnic's executive director, Megan Potiki, was withering in her criticism of the government. Topics she covered included Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds' failure to respond requests for meetings and her belief Otago Polytechnic had been singled out for the worst treatment of any institution in the government's shake-up of the sector. Her interview comes as the polytechnic undergoes two separate but simultaneous restructures — one affecting management; the other general staff — and grapples with the fact it has been placed into a federation with the Open Polytechnic and Universal College of Learning rather than being independent. "It feels like we have had completely different treatment to everyone else, it's been utterly unfair. "What was [Ms Simmonds'] understanding to get to this point where she decided that others were going to stand up that were clearly similar to us or worse, in some cases? "We have had no conversation with her about us going into a federation, it was a complete surprise." Dr Potiki likened the situation to "building a ship while we're actually sailing" because the minister had not met her to explain how the federation model would actually work. Otago Polytechnic had one of the highest degree completion rates in the country, and placing it in a federation with Open Polytechnic could drag down its reputation, she said. "Not to be disrespectful to the Open Polytech, but they've got very low completion of degrees. "There's a risk of being dragged down to the lowest common denominator. If our stake in the ground is that we have exceptional learning and great learning outcomes for our akonga and our community, why would we want to put that at risk?" Dr Potiki said Otago Polytechnic's management and staff "bled blue and gold" — and she had been impressed by the community response to its troubles. "We've re-engaged stakeholders and we had a really successful stakeholder meeting the other night with about nearly 80 people and we've got community people who have reached out who care and we're wanting to engage them as well." Dr Potiki said among the institutions to have received better treatment was Invercargill-based Southern Institute of Technology, which was allowed to stand alone. "SIT leadership reached out because, actually, I have a really good relationship with them through Te Pūkenga ... so those are relationships I don't want to burn. "We want to have continued strong relationships in the South Island with all polytechnics. But the minister has muddied the waters." Dr Potiki acknowledged staff would be getting mixed messages in recent times about their future. "We're receiving mixed messages from government. "We just want more clarity and a path for us. "What we're asking staff to consider now is, unfortunately, they've been through this before, and nothing happens quickly." The nature of the funding model of polytechnics meant "reviews" of staff could happen annually. "It's good practice. I think that's part of something that staff need to understand. "But actually, we want to look at our vision, our values, our future and get to that point. We haven't had the chance to really do that. So there's a lot of good work to come." Ms Simmonds said supporting Otago Polytechnic to achieve a surplus was critical. "With the support of a soon to be appointed Establishment Advisory Group (EAG), I am sure Otago Polytechnic will continue to progress along their financial viability pathway. At that stage, they would not require the support of the Federation if they did not wish to use it." She had met Dr Potiki on several occasions and "was committed to continuing open and constructive engagement". "The federation approach avoids the drawbacks of the centralised, one-size-fits-all model of Te Pūkenga and instead supports regional polytechnics to thrive, while offering the option to access system-wide efficiencies through the Federation."
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival suggested after Sheeran snub
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich says he has a solution to attract top acts after the disappointment of the city missing out on Ed Sheeran. Mr Radich believed the answer was creating a new event called "Dunedin Sounds" — which he first suggested after the death of Dunedin musician Martin Phillipps. Bands from Dunedin and around the world could perform at the event which could not be taken away from Dunedin given its name. "Maybe we could send it to Dunedin, Florida, play some shows there, and we can send it to Edinburgh because Dunedin is, after all, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh so there is a lot of synergy there. "Just as Edinburgh has sent its Tattoo to New Zealand, we could send Dunedin Sounds to Edinburgh," he said. He suggested Dunedin Sounds could be an event Ed Sheeran might one day headline along with other international artists including Taylor Swift. He felt the likelihood of Dunedin Sounds coming to fruition was strong. There had been times when there was an influx of acts to the city. "It's either a feast or a famine." Mr Radich said transport was not an insurmountable issue, despite telling the Otago Daily Times on Tuesday the city missed out on Ed Sheeran because the airport was too small. He said the problem was not many artists were touring post-Covid and it was more difficult to attract acts to smaller cities. Dunedin Venues chief executive Paul Doorn said he and his team were continuing to work aggressively to attract international acts. Mr Doorn said the organisation's challenge was making Forsyth Barr Stadium and the city more attractive to the artists. There was a steady stream of acts playing at the Dunedin Town Hall which had a capacity of about 2200 seats. The stadium had a capacity of about 38,000 and international artists were necessary to fill it. He said in the current climate it was a good sign that artists were coming to New Zealand at all, let alone the South Island. Benefits of coming to Dunedin included the covered stadium which was like an "indoor arena on steroids" and being close to scenic locations in Central Otago and Southland. He did not subscribe to the theory the new Christchurch stadium would take acts away from Dunedin. While Christchurch had a bigger population, Dunedin had diversity with the student cohort and people from Central Otago and Southland. The city had history and culture surrounding live music. "There's a passion for live entertainment here which is really good. "We've just got to be able to group that all together with a really good economic proposition to get them to come further south." Dunedin Venues was working through transport challenges and trying to find clever ways to get around accommodation-related issues. "We're working with big transport logistic-type companies to try to find and unlock more cost-effective ways to bring shipping containers down via rail or trucks." He stressed Dunedin's airport size had not stopped big acts coming to the city in the past. The $1.645m the Dunedin City Council put aside for events attraction funding for Dunedin Venues in its nine-year-plan made a big difference in attracting artists, he said. He assumed Sheeran's logistics for making it to the next leg of his tour in Australia was part of the reason why there was not going to be a Dunedin show. Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said while the airport was not approached by Sheeran's promoters, it maintained the full capability for narrow body jet operations. When Pink came to Dunedin, the airport facilitated two Qantas charter flights carrying crew and equipment.
