A river runs through it
The story behind the story is always the story
Imagine rubbish dumped in a waterway on your property.
Then imagine if some of those details were kept secret from you?
Imagine no longer.
The Clutha River is the second longest in New Zealand (after the Waikato) but discharges twice the volume of water.
That is a large swift-flowing volume of water, so what’s the issue with 20 truckloads of rubbish dumped by a local Balclutha company on February 9, 2021?
Right?!
That demolition waste was dumped by Andrew Haulage, but that’s not the story I’m looking at.
It is what transpired next that muddied the normally blue water of the mighty Clutha.
The Otago Regional Council’s involvement in that dumping has led to background meetings, withheld information and two reports.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began investigating the incident in March 2021, after the Otago Regional Council (ORC) reported that its own staff had given permission for the waste to be dumped.
But that investigation was hampered by not all staff speaking to the EPA, emails obtained by ORC councillor, Michael Laws, later revealed.
Late last year council authorised an inquiry into the dumping, appointing retired High Court Judge, Sir Graham Panckhurst QC.
That inquiry would include whether the contaminant could have been removed at an earlier date and also answer why that did not occur.
In addition, the inquiry would also look at the regional council’s processes and procedures.
That’s a good start, I guess.
Well, it appears not.
ORC chair Andrew Noone confirmed councillors received a copy of what is known as the ‘Panckhurst Report’ on Wednesday.
He declined to release that report, but confirmed it would be considered at the next council meeting, on June 29.
The only problem with that meeting is that it will be publicly excluded, including the media.
That has annoyed Laws, who is calling for the report to be publicly available rather than being watered down into a ‘bland summary’.
“If you are going to question actions of your council, to the point of calling in a retired judge of the calibre of Sir Graham Panckhurst, then say you have every intention of being open and transparent about what you are doing.
“Then there is a moral if not a legal responsibility placed upon you to release the result of the inquiry in its entirety.”
Noone, when asked about the public release of the report, said: “Council is aware of their obligations under the LGOIMA.”
But until councillors could fully consider and assess the report, “no further comment can be made on its content, findings or its cost,” Noone said.
Laws believed the cost of the inquiry, or rather the legal bills prior to the inquiry, to be in the six figures.
Going further, he alleged there was a ‘cover up’ in part due to his fellow councillors being unaware of the initial EPA investigation.
“The reality is we didn’t know.”
Council’s governance needed to know that it was being investigated by an agency of the state, he said.
The then chief executive, Sarah Gardner did not tell that governance team, and later she refused to answer questions on the matter, Laws said.
That later led to him becoming the subject of a Code of Conduct complaint, which cost more than $20,000, and of which he was later cleared.
Undeterred, Laws got information released by the EPA, which directly led to council launching the independent Panckhurst Inquiry.
Laws understood only a summary of the report would be released and that was disappointing, given it was public information paid for by ratepayers.
“We also made a pledge when we initiated the inquiry that we would release the findings.”
Assurances were also given to staff that there would be no employment consequences so that they “could speak freely and frankly”.
Watch this space.
Sad to report that the University Squash Courts will be knocked down, and replaced with - you guessed it - a car park.
The courts, which were built in 1968 by the Otago University Students’ Association, are on land leased from the university.
But a few years ago the Otago University Students’ Association gifted it to the university, as it was deemed too expensive to bring up to earthquake code.
The club, which has a healthy membership, was then told to look for new premises, but has been unable to find anywhere suitable.
University of Otago chief operating officer Stephen Willis said the deadline given to the club had been extended to July 2020, September 2020, September 2021, February 2022 and, most recently, to 31 December 2022.
In total, the club will have had four years to arrange new premises.
“Now that we are aware the courts are earthquake prone, we plan to demolish them next year, removing a potential hazard,” Willis said.
ICYMI: last week I wrote a story about GoBus driver Vishal Pabby who lost 25kg due to his unique exercise regime involving a bus.
I’m obsessed with his sad-looking dog, a Pomeranian named DJ.
I also put through a story on Liam Arthur and Jackie Bannon, who are starting a food truck offering meals from as little as $4.
That story generated so much interest that they were contacted by people nationwide wanting to support their cause - providing good quality food for everyday people.
They have set up a Patreon here. The food truck begins next Friday - Matariki - at the South Dunedin Community Network from 3:30-8pm.
In other news, kind of, here is an incredible Dunedin video of when It’s In The Bag came to town in 1974.
Mrs Duncan’s excitement at winning a colour television from bag number three is the content we need right now.
Also, a shout out to the Dunedin City Council for upgrading many of the parks around the city, particularly installing new playground equipment, basketball courts and upgrading skating facilities.
It amazes me that there are better playgrounds in places like Invercargill, Oamaru and Christchurch, but looks like we are catching up.
I was particularly pleased to read of the update to the Mornington skatepark, and plans to keep the infamous ‘blood bucket’.
It was described in the council release as “a unique capsule-shaped bowl used in 1970s skateparks which is the only bowl of its kind in New Zealand”.
It reminds me that skating superstar Tony Hawk once visited the city: check it out here:
And have a listen to this, arguably the greatest Dunedin song, covered by a band that should have been bigger than Nirvana.
America’s Superchunk covering The Verlaines’ You Cheat Yourself of Everything That Moves.
Play. It. Loud.
Another great read Hamish. I remember going to that Bones Brigade demo as a third former at Kings. Was a pretty cool show back in the day.