Dunedin Mayoralty
September 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pm by David FarrarThe ODT reports on two polls showing incumbent Mayor Peter Chin with a huge lead.
Most of the major races have now had polls published. Yet to see anything for Christchurch or Wellington though. Have I missed them or has there been nothing?
Related posts:
- Mayoralty Polls
- Barnett not contesting Christchurch Mayoralty
- South Island Results
- Wellington Region Mayoralty Contests
September 29th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
The Press had a Christchurch had one that was published on Wednesday, but for some reason the story is no longer available.
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
The Press reported some time ago that Parker leads (about the only thing going for Woods is that she opposes the CPW which she can’t do anything about if elected) but that 70% are undecided.
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Now that is so disappointing.
Some while back Ian Taylor wrote a damming opinion piece in the ODT about how inept this council is in attracting and retaining Business. It was a great piece, I had no idea the relationship between business and the council in Dunedin had gotten so bad. Under Chin things will only remain the same.
The only good thing about it is that the Stadium is likely to go ahead while he’s in the lead. There was only one other decent candidate that endorsed the stadium, the rest are reactionary buggers that are determined to turn Dunedin into a working museum.
Christ that council needs some fresh ideas and with Chin they ain’t gonna come. I mean that town is ideally placed with 25000 students to tap into some of the brightest and most motivated. They all become loyal Otago supporters, and yet year after year we let them slip away, ARGH!!!
How bloody hard would it be to give rates relief or some other incentive to get business stimulated? How hard would it be to encourage greater business – university connectivity. The stadium is a great start, but only a start. Dunedin needs to lure conferences there. I mean I was at University of Alberta in Edmonton, what a hole, but is known as one of the places to go to a conference in all of Canada, as a result there is an industry based around it.
Whops sorry about the rant…
So Chin who can’t do anything and Banks who wants to do the wrong things. Where are the inspirational leaders?
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
It would be very interesting if poll results distinguished between ratepayers and those who do not pay rates.
I am sure many of the 25,000 students would love to see a stadium in Dunedin, just so long as they do not have to pay for it, and will be (overseas probably) in another city paying off their loans.
Stimulating business is one thing, building white elephants and monuments to one’s egotism is another.
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Colonel,
I see you are one of the Nay sayers. Have you any evidence what so ever that this will be a white elephant?
How can this thing be a failure, if it is, it is a failure of the imagination rather than a failure of the function. There is no such thing as egotism here, otherwise it would have been a useless 100m High glass phallus. If the right people run the Stadium it will be a resounding success, if it doesn’t they should be sacked. How can you have such a gift horse and not do good things with it?
Concerts, Rugby Football, Hockey, Netball, Graduations, Flower shows (Auckland doesn’t have a monopoly – ask Nelson and the wearable arts), military tattoos, X games blah blah blah. If you can’t have this thing rocking 3-5 days of the week then you aren’t trying hard enough. Perhaps it all sounds a little too much like hard work for you. But then you don’t have to do the hard work.
Personally If I was a hospitality business in Dunedin, I’d be getting together with all the others to start booking conferences left right and bloody centre. Get the beds in town slept in!!!
Man it’s not hard. But if you don’t go and can’t manage enthusiasm about it fine, just don’t hold us back that are seeing this as one hell of a gift for the city and region.
Mind you, we have a little thing called democracy in progress here. There are any number of candidates who would file this away and keep Dunners as sleepy hollow, but darn it, the voters don’t seem to be saying that?
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Colonel Masters
You might be right about the student population voting for things that students like. But that’s kinda the price for the other benefits of having the Uni in the city. It’s what makes Dunedin what it is – get over it.
Vote:September 29th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Paul
Quite the little capitalist! Do I now assume you are anti welfare and want education and health care to be the reserve of the rich?
Vote:September 30th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Paul, great post, i sigh at the negative digs from some of the posters, about Dunedins stadium , here in Wellington we have a great stadium , and its used for everything , so to the negative doomsayers , leave , go to ussie , opps they are bright and go ahead too ,zimbabwai , that a good distination, for the doomsayers
Vote:September 30th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Burt,
it’s all just too simplistic for you folk isn’t it. Black and white. Either left = anti progress & right = progress, left = state control & right = personal self determination. All too simplistic and unfortunately devoid of reality.
Sorry to disappoint you, but as left as I am, I am also in favor of progress and business. But then that’s the difference between us isn’t it, I can see that two ideological positions can co-exist in society as long as there is respect shown each way. High productivity can be achieved by looking after the workforce creating that productivity.
To go into business and aim for great things is not the reserve of the right, to think so reeks of arrogance and stupidity of the highest. I just happen to believe that the rewards for progress can be shared about, you all want to keep it within your own gated communities. Macpac – one would never deny that they are an immensely successful company, each year has profit sharing meetings – and not uniformly across all areas too. And that’s just one example.
So sorry to disappoint you all, the left and business can be good bedfellows, to assume otherwise suggests that one is devoid of imagination, indeed the level of naval gazing that is involved with such a position shows such a narrow ability to think outside the box. But that is so often the case in NZ and very much so in Dunedin.
Short example. Public transport funded by taxpayers and/or ratepayers. Vancouver has one of the best in the world, as a result the roads here although full are never the state that Auckland is in, and Vancouver only has one motorway. Vancouverites do however take great advantage of their stunning and ever increasing bus and skytrain service, which of course allows more ‘private’ folk to use the roads with relative ease if they so wish. the public sphere and the private wants and needs can co-exist as long as the freedoms of one doesn’t squash or impede that of the others.
Vote:September 30th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
WTF Paul? The bloody stadium would seat less people than carisbrook. It’s not big enough to be a cricket ground, and it’s going to cost the rate payers $300 million (a 12% increase in rates). Also, its maintenance cost will be much higher than carisbrook. It’s just one massive white elephant that’s existence will be dependant on corporate welfare handouts. Absolutely stupid idea.
Vote:September 30th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
“naval gazing”
A teacher for eight years.. just shows ya don’t it???
Vote:October 1st, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Whoo picking on the dyslexic, you would have been one nice kid at school wouldn’t you? If the spell checker doesn’t pick it up, I’m stuffed. Actually in the class room I turned it to a good teaching tool, the students loved looking extra hard at what I had on the board so they could pick the mistakes. It seemed to have worked, my students consistently achieved the highest grades in the schools I taught in. But have your little snivels if it makes you feel good.
Roger $300Million. I might have mild dyslexia but you have double vision my friend. the figure is about $180 million and it’s looking like it’s not going to cost the rate-payer a single dollar – what nothing to moan about. Still pick figures out of the air at will to make the thing look bad – it’s not a good look.
“seat less people than carisbrook” The Cake-Tin seats less than the current Carisbrook – your point? Carisbrook with temp seating can hold 42-43000. The Cake-tim with temp seating can hold 42, but actual seating is 36.
But considering they don’t even fill Carisbrook why go for more seats just to look good. Fill a 30000 seat stadium more than 2/3 fill a 40000 stadium is better economic sense – but we’d hate to argue sound economics then.
I agree on the cricket, but then you can’t win it all – NZ crickets decision not the stadium trust’s. But again we’d hate facts to get in the way.
“dependant on corporate welfare handouts” BACK THE FUCKING BUS UP. Corporate investment is now welfare? That’s so confusing it’s got my brain sore trying to figure that one out. Oh hang on – it means nothing, you have nothing, it’s not a clever rebuttal it’s just a stupid senseless statement built on blind assumptions- cool keep these coming. They aim to get corporate investment. So Jade stadium is built on Corporate Welfare – tosser!!
Vote:October 2nd, 2007 at 4:06 pm
“Roger $300Million. I might have mild dyslexia but you have double vision my friend. the figure is about $180 million and it’s looking like it’s not going to cost the rate-payer a single dollar – what nothing to moan about”
You have forgotten to take into account the interest on the loan Paul (do you ever read the ODT?). All up it comes to over $300 million – and don’t believe the spin – rate payers will end up footing teh bill.
““seat less people than carisbrook” The Cake-Tin seats less than the current Carisbrook – your point?’
Exactly – the “cake tin” has cost the rate payers of Wellington hundreds of millions, yet most of them will never use the stadium – corporate welfare at its best.
“Fill a 30000 seat stadium more than 2/3 fill a 40000 stadium is better economic sense – but we’d hate to argue sound economics then.”
No, the new stadium will cost more to maintain, and hundreds of millions to fund – it doesn’t make economic sense.
“Corporate investment is now welfare?”
No – forcing rate payers to pay for a massively inefficient recreational facility that most of them will never use is corporate welfare.
Vote:October 4th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
So some of us rate payers are more than happy to pay towards this. Where do I send the cheque? I can see the hotel owners of Dunedin cringing at the thought of more people visiting dunedin (let alone those in central otago and southland or west coast).
Most people don’t use Te Papa but please don’t tell me we shouldn’t have that place or if the criteria for public funding comes down to numbers using a facility then public toilets in this country should have hundreds of millions of dollars thrown at them.
A little hard to read the ODT from Vancouver at the moment, the website is shuch a shocker. But then is this Vandervisions band of merry men’s version of the cost. That bugger would have Dunedin put the for sale sign up he’s so committed to halting all progress.
I completely disagree with the economics you talk about maintaining stadia. I actually spent a hell of a long time looking into this and there is plenty of literature out there that would suggest that smaller stadia that is filled more often is more cost efficent than larger stadia that is used less often. I don’t have all the references with me, but google scholar some phrases like stadia economics and there is a wealth of stuff on it. See Europeans and Americans love building stadia, it’s good business if it’s done right.
However you also forget the positives that will come out of this.
Just imagine for a minute (go on try to think with a positive mind – give it a go it doesn’t hurt – breath – happy place – cool breeze – trickling waters – nice thoughts), that this is run by dynamic progressive management. (if it isn’t change them).
We should expect (no demand) to see this place used 5-7 days of the week. They should be aggressively, along with the Dunners hospitality association, any and all conferences that come to NZ and then some. I mean with the best varsity in the country on the door step, whats to say the top medical and scientific research conferences aren’t snapped up and come to dunedin. Bums in beds = happy rate payers. Conference goers spend money. But then there’s bio-tech, computer science, science, the arts…
But why stop there, go for the sporting dollar too. What top business is gonna put up money along with the various sports teams in Dunedin and offer varsity scholarships. Everyone loves supporting a top team, and if the up and coming can be nabbed for the varsity then they could also stay for the professional sports.
Why stop there, entice Weta Workshops to open a satellite campus at Otago in conjunction with the new Design Institute and use the stadium as a huge sound stage for filming hollywood movies there. Soundstage = privacy = big budget films love privacy. Why stop there. We all know the big tyre companies film adds in the south in our winter for the up coming northern hemisphere winter, use the stadium in conjunction with the new design institute- weta collaboration – make the best ads in the world.
Conferences, sports, entertainment, that place should only be limited by the imagination of the management committee, but then the local business association and hospitality associations should be at them every day with new ideas of how to use the place.
Christ I’m apparently the sad old lefty and I’ve already come up with more thoughts on how to make the thing work than 3/4 of the sad asses sitting for council that want to condemn Dunedin to forever being drizzly-good old dunedin that place that was nice once. Funny we get STV and none of them are worth voting for (still gotta love STV).
Stop saying no and get off your arses and get the thing working, imagine if it works. I’ve heard enough negative crap from the likes of Sid Ade and his branch of the Shut-NZ-Down association to fill a newly formed lake in Fiordland (see I can see some news of home).
Vote:October 4th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
sorry to keep harking on about this.
But where’s the entrepenuers.
Students hauling rich tourists (or Aucklanders whichever comes first) to and fro the stadium in rickshaws,
or
the Polytech students starting up a shop – cafe at the stadium ( see http://www.picachef.com/ as a dam fine example).
it’s not that freaking hard is it.
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