The Star: May 21, 2020

Thursday May 21 2020 The Staw
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
OPINION 17
Reader Robin Williams
responds to what chief
executives of city council
companies are earning, and
who are taking pay cuts
In 2013, a full case was
contested through the
proper channel, the Resource
Management Act, and the
Environment Court ruled that
four 48.9m retractable lights
represented the maximum
encroachment this key heritage
site could accommodate. In 2019
a mass of carefully reasoned
evidence opposing the use of S 71
emergency powers was presented
to Poto Williams, but she chose
to ignore the strength of the
arguments.
Not a shred of concrete
evidence has been presented
by Canterbury Cricket Trust to
prove that the four permitted
lights were inadequate for
international broadcasting.
Nor has sufficient evidence
been presented to show visually
just what an assault the six giant
towers will be on the park and
surrounds.
Hands Off Hagley
spokesman Martin
Meehan – Megan Woods
claims that the use of section 71
to override the protections for
our “taonga” (her words), passed
unanimously by Parliament was
necessary to ensure lighting
to broadcast standards for
international cricket.
Cricket already had permits
and leases in place for four
retractable lights to meet
international broadcast
standards.
Seddon Park in Hamilton
recently installed four lighting
towers which meet broadcasting
standards. Lords, the home of
cricket, has four retractable lights.
No problems broadcasting the
NZ England final of the World
Cup so why the rush to six giant
light towers for Hagley Oval?
The old adage of follow the
money applies here. The four
retractable lights cost $8 million
and the six permanent lights cost
$4 million. Cricket have managed
to convince Regenerate and the
minister of the need for these
lights and the economic benefits
to Christchurch.
The economic benefits claimed
were disputed by the city council
planners, and the only visuals
provided of the lights were
an overhead view designed to
minimise the effect and mislead
the public.
That the council, minister,
Regenerate and Christchurch NZ
never required cricket to present
a full set of elevations for the
lights is astonishing. This would
be a requirement of anyone
putting in a building permit for a
garage on their section.
Surely for such a sensitive
environment as Hagley Park
it warrants full visuals using
CAD or virtual reality
technology.
It seems to me that the decision
to let this pass with misleading
overhead visuals can be put down
to incompetence or connivance
and neither is acceptable.
The Civic Trust has, for a
modest sum, produced elevations
of the lights. They show how the
lights will dominate the park in
a way that the retractable lights
will not.
With the urgency to comply
with women’s World Cup
demands no longer an issue, it’s
time to rethink this plan which
was driven by the fear of missing
out.
I know cricket are not keen
to find the extra $4 million but
retractable lights are what they
assured the Environment Court
was the best option.
When you are given the
privilege of using Hagley Oval
you should accept that you have a
duty to minimise any impact on
the park and it’s other users.
As a golden oldie ratepayer I
am very interested in the recent
articles coming out about a
potential rates increase.
The city council chief executive
said no rates increase was
unrealistic, really, when when
most of the chief executives
mentioned in the article were
getting salaries over $500,000
and the top whammy was
Enable’s Steve Fuller at $958,000.
If Steve Fuller lost even half
his salary, he wouldn’t be on the
poverty line, unlike many of the
pensioner ratepayers.
Apparently all these firms are
within the CCHL portfolio and I
note that Paul Munro’s salary is
only $368,570.
So who offered these obscene
salaries?
Just how much of each of the
above firms does the city council
actually own. You stated 75 per
cent of Christchurch Airport, so I
guess the ratepayers are footing the
bill for 75 per cent of his salary, and
what about all his staff. We do not
need a separate entity like ChCh
NZ or Otakaro for a start, and
what about all the others.
If the city council has a $33.2
million operating deficit, then
the chief executive and the
councillors don’t have to look far
to find money without raining
the rates.
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