Coast Regional Council annual report to be debated in secret
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The public will be excluded from open debate when the West Coast Regional Council receives and adopts the draft 2022 annual report tomorrow - three months late.
Keeping the report behind closed doors is being justified by council management as something the auditor requires.
Last week the council's Risk and Assurance Committee 'workshopped' the draft report for several hours "line by line" after a planned extraordinary meeting in December to finalise the report was shelved.
Chief executive Heather Mabin said this morning there was nothing untoward with the draft and discussing it in the confidential meeting was "just the auditor insisting it must be adopted in-committee".
"We are not driving this classification to in-committee."
Mabin confirmed staff severance was mentioned in the report as this was a financial reporting requirement.
Reporting of the controversial agreement between the council-owned VCS Ltd and the council chairman's own company Birchfield Minerals regarding the future sale of the Grey Valley dredge, had again been disclosed in the annual report, as it had been prior to it dropping off the annual report in recent years.
Risk and Assurance Committee chairperson Frank Dooley said today he did not know why it had been placed in the in-committee section tomorrow and he would be questioning it.
It was a council document and he could see no justifiable reason for it not to be discussed in public.
"I don't know why. That is a question I have for the chief executive. I believe that the audit report should be adopted in the public meeting, and I will be moving that way."
Dooley said most of the glitches in the report had been "ironed out" last week during the workshop.
If the auditor wanted to discuss an aspect of the annual report in public excluded that could be done without having to excluded the rest of the annual report, he said.
"The balance should be in open meeting. If the document is going to be adopted it's a public document...It's not the auditors document, it's the document of the council and a review of council's performance."
The regional council changed auditors last year from Audit NZ to Ernst and Young.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.4% Yes
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46.6% No
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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