The fate of the preferred site for a Dunedin rain radar is tied to a major international acquisition of Otago forestry blocks.
In August it was confirmed construction of the facility had been delayed until 2020, after the MetService’s preferred site - about 40km southwest of Dunedin - was sold for the third time.
Negotiations with the new owners were ongoing, but neither the owners’ identity nor the exact location of the site had been revealed.
The delay has already prompted the Dunedin City Council to vote to lobby MetService for a speedy resolution.
The move followed concerns, expressed by DCC and Otago Regional Council representatives, that the lack of a rain radar meant Dunedin had a "significant gap" in weather information.
That made it difficult to confirm whether some rivers had peaked during storm events, including during last year’s November flooding.
However, a series of emails released to the Otago Daily Times by Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran confirmed the site was tied up in a major international forestry acquisition.
One email, between MetService staff in June last year, said the preferred radar site was on coastal hills to the east of Milton owned by the Rohatyn Group.
The Rohatyn Group, a specialised asset management firm with offices in North and South America, England, Asia and New Zealand, had since announced the sale of its assets in the area in August.
It sold its ownership of the Otago Land Company - which owned 22,500ha of forestry land across Otago - as well as its 38% stake in Wenita Forest Products.
Both were acquired by New Forests’ Australia New Zealand Fund 2, in a deal approved by the Overseas Investment Office and suggested to be worth "well over $100 million", the ODT reported at the time.
When contacted, a New Forests spokeswoman said the company was "not in a position to comment on the matter".
Wenita continued to operate on the land covered by the acquisition, as well as land it owned directly, but chief executive David Cormack declined to comment on the rain radar.
MetService chief executive Peter Lennox told Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull last month the organisation remained "extremely keen" to advance the project.
The preferred site offered 90%-100% of everything needed for the perfect radar site, which was "as good as it gets" in New Zealand, Mr Cull told a council meeting in December.
A letter from Mr Lennox to Ms Curran, released by Ms Curran to the ODT, reiterated the preferred site’s advantages over other options in Otago.
He said MetService was working with the new land and forestry owners to establish a legal caveat against the property "which would secure our right to use the land in the event of other ownership changes".
"We will continue that process with the new owners," he wrote.
"However, negotiating site agreements can be challenging, and relies on the voluntary co-operation of landowners and other interested parties."
A MetService spokesman, contacted yesterday, said the organisation remained "committed" to an Otago radar and was continuing negotiations with the new land-owner to secure its preferred site.
"These negotiations are under way, but are commercially sensitive.
"In parallel, MetService have identified another site should negotiations falter with the preferred site."
Ms Curran said she was "really pleased" the DCC planned to lobby the MetService, but also urged the new owners to "get this resolved as quickly as possible".
Rain radar key points
• MetService seeking site for radar since 2015
• Prefers site in forestry 40km southwest of Dunedin
• Originally to be installed this summer, delayed to 2020 due to ongoing land ownership changes
• DCC wants urgent action, says makes it "extremely difficult to manage extreme weather events without getting reliable information"
• ORC says continued absence of a radar for Otago could affect public safety, as difficult to know if rivers have peaked
