Water meeting could be watershed moment
The CDC Southern Water Done Well Decision Meeting today will be a well-attended meeting by the public, I suspect.
Hilary Calvert’s opinion piece (ODT 19.6.25) is a good assessment of the critical issue of water.
The Clutha Council’s preferred Jointly Council Controlled Organisation led by Mayor Bryan Cadogan is opposed by the majority of submitters supported by a couple of public groups who have had several meetings and expressed considered opinions through social media.
I along with 24 others gave oral submissions to support our written ones, as requested by our council. The CDC oral submissions delivered the council a strong opposition to CCOs. The mayor’s reaction to submitter, Phil Barrett, accusing him of manipulating the process by organising public meetings and helping others with their submissions was astounding (ODT 26.6.25).
Is the Clutha District under mayor Cadogan a separatist enclave of New Zealand where free speech and freedom of association is not allowed? If the mayor thinks he can operate under authoritarian rules, I suggest he consider an early and immediate retirement.
None of their business
Dunedin City Council has no business writing letters to support a party in government backing sanctions against Israel. (ODT 3.7.25).
They have no business even discussing wars in other countries in council time. This is a personal conscience issue and councillors represent a wide constituency with many personal views on issues of wars across the world.
They are not representing the views of all their constituents, only their own beliefs on the issue. They are also inadvertently forcing members of council to reveal their own beliefs or perhaps vote against their own beliefs if worried this may affect them in the next elections or peer pressure.
Councillors are free to form action groups for world issues they feel strongly about in their own time, not the ratepayers’ time.
It is their business
Like many, I too shared the anger and utter disappointment reading the letter the mayor sent to the PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was a disgraceful letter.
But I’m writing to let you know that regardless of how many sand bags the Zionists and their accomplices try to stack in an attempt to mend the wall, the massive tides of change are already in motion. No-one can unsee what they witness unfolding in Gaza.
Thankfully the majority of the world’s population have a heart and a conscience. Have you seen the millions of people marching around the world? What was once only known to few who dared to look into the occupation is now common knowledge.
Even in Israel/Palestine there are more and more voices refusing to be silenced and bullied any longer.
Manipulate words all you want, it won’t change a thing. The seismic shifts are here. You were backing on the wrong horse.
Experience matters
I can think of no more compelling argument for at least one term of "councillor" experience, than our present dithering, dismissive, evasive prime minister, completely out of his depth. Of course, at least one term of council experience should be a pre-requisite required of any mayoral candidate, especially given the degree of dysfunctionality and entrenched opposition he, (or she), is likely to encounter.
Freedom, fairness and those old-time lefties
Gerrard Eckhoff was correct when he crowed (ODT 3.6.25) "Whoever said life was meant to be fair other than the good ole boys of the Left."
He will be pleased to see the old lefties have long gone as a political force. Sadly, cheap government housing loans for families on modest incomes went with them. In their place we have a Labour Party leader who asserted proudly that he would ensure food banks remained as part of the infrastructure by funding them.
He still doesn’t get it what a massive betrayal of the Left that was. He and the new so-called Left also appear to see nothing wrong in significant numbers of the working poor lining up at food banks, and nothing callous about low-paid workers living in cars and tents in winter because they cannot afford rents. This gross insensitivity appears to be the way the good ole boys on the Right and the phony new boys on the Left want it. Someone said the defining difference between two countries was that America valued freedom where New Zealand valued fairness. But that was a long time ago.
Opening fire
How can Future Dunedin fire Rob Hamlin for complaining about karakia and then its leader Andrew Simms comes out against Māori wards and mana whenua on committees.
This is the problem with teams. Members could now be tainted by their leaders' actions whether they agree with it or not. I would not be surprised if this causes division in the ranks given Bex Twemlow came out so strongly against Rob's comments.
Bring back Rob I say, he's been treated unfairly. One rule for the leader, another for Rob.
[Andrew Simms and Rebecca (Bex) Twemlow reply: "As a sitting councillor Cr Houlahan should consider applying her efforts to address the problems in front of Dunedin city rather than concerning herself with the machinations of Future Dunedin.
At a recent South Dunedin hui, Cr Houlahan approached me aggressively while I was speaking with residents proclaiming that I was “wasting my time” advocating for action to deal with flooding in South Dunedin “because councillors had no power”. .
I fully accept that I do not understand mana whenua’s position on representation at the council table, particularly their resistance to a Māori ward for Dunedin and the preference for unelected committee positions instead. My mistake was opening my mouth without a full understanding of Te ao Māori, something I am very keen to understand and learn about. I remain very uneasy about unelected council positions, not just those set aside for mana whenua.
I am committed to Te Tiriti and to improving representation for tangata whenua on council. This includes our promotion of Bruce Ranga, an outstanding representative who should gain a council seat on his own merit.
Andrew Simms, mayoral candidate — Dunedin
Carmen is reaching a new level of ridiculous here. Two facts: Dr Rob Hamlin was removed because his comments were racist and harmful; Andrew Simms isn't against mana whenua or Te Tiriti, his comments were about the structure of representation, not the principles behind it. I stand alongside Andrew 100% and I stand by our decision.
Rebecca (Bex) Twemlow, council candidate — Dunedin.]
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