ex Elly 197 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 It has now become apparent why YachtingNZ were so focused on building a centre in Takapuna. They were gifted $3 million by North Shore City council on condition that they build a base on the North Shore. The unused $3 million is sitting on the council's books because, in 2010, the old North Shore City Council assigned it to the Harbour Access Trust, a group of private parties interested in delivering a Yachting New Zealand (YNZ) sailing facility. However, in the 2010 "Relationship Agreement" between council and the trust it states the $3 million depends on a list of conditions that "must be completed or performed to council's satisfaction in all respects within two years of the signing of agreement". http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-shore-times/84495397/ideas-abound-for-auckland-councils-unused-3-million Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ex Elly 197 Posted September 28, 2016 Author Share Posted September 28, 2016 If you want to ensure the safety of the Takapuna Campground, do NOT vote for Fay Freeman. CAMPGROUND FRIENDLY CANDIDATES FOR DEVONPORT-TAKAPUNA LOCAL BOARDJan O’ConnorMike CohenGrant GillonGarry VenusRohan LordTrish DeansBruce TubbDon Campbell CAMPGROUND FRIENDLY CANDIDATES FOR AUCKLAND COUNCIL (NORTH SHORE WARD)Anne-Elise SmithsonGrant Gillon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
waikiore 398 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 That explains why they turned down a ready made option at Okahu Bay that would upset no one, not to mention that Takapuna would be close to home for someone.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 Geez - that's starting to look really really dodgy. Who was on the board of YNZ at the time and who are the trustees of this trusr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
armchairadmiral 411 Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 How unusual. A dodgy deal involving a national authority and a Council. If you need to know what's going on just follow the money. In anything ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chloe 7 Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 ScottiE, on 28 Sept 2016 - 6:51 PM, said: Geez - that's starting to look really really dodgy. Who was on the board of YNZ at the time and who are the trustees of this trusr The Harbour Access Trust, registered in 2007 with a board of Ralph Roberts, Dave Donaldson, Peter Montgomery, Peter Wall and Sandra Wakeford, was established for seven aims - none appears to cover this project. Chairman Peter Wall says it was set up to get wharves built at Takapuna and Browns Bay. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11004302 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarkMT 68 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Allo allo allo, what's all this then... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11798664 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smithy09 50 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Allo allo allo, what's all this then... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11798664 Beat me to it. No surprises. This should result in a few dismissals from YNZ really. $800K down the tubes but they won't fund our windsurfers to go to Rio?? WTF?? Sorry, but this is bad news.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muzled 140 Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 $800,00 gone, unbelievable. The way McSkimmin brushes off the auditor generals findings is appalling, his head should be the first to roll. Good on Colin Flavell for stirring the pot, not that it's made an iota of difference to the top brass. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
waikiore 398 Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Indeed this has been David Abercrombies baby all along and turning his back on Orakei and wasting money on PR spin needs to be sheeted home to him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,230 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Hmm, MB, feeling troll like today are we ?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,230 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 That is all true MB, and the limited dealings I have had with them in the past few years have been good. However, It's not sensible for the sport to build in a place that promotes the image that yachting is only for rich people, has huge resistance from sailors and public alike, plus its supposed to be Yachting NZ, not Dinghy NZ! IMO an expensive facility like this should be in a location that caters for all types of sailing, not just dinghies . SO while I support the aims of the mission statement as above, I do not support that location, nor the fact that they wasted 800K on trying to flog a dead horse. I'd expect (much) better use of limited funds from a competent management.... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
waikiore 398 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Well MB as a payer of three lots of Yachting NZ levys I do object to a high performance centre being allocated most of the money for just the Olympic sailors (a very small number of highly sponsored people) - though when you look at the latest funding round you can see why YNZ put such emphasis on them. Dont get me wrong I have nothing against dinghy sailing, and some of the people at YNZ are great supporting the grass roots of yachting Kim Admore springs to mind, however they do appear to have forgotten the silent majority of us who pay each year - for what exactly? Clubs are administering their own safety rules and races.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muzled 140 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 MB I think you've missed the point here a bit. The opposition to the HPC at taka was 99.9% on the location that YNZ & HAT wanted to put it. Originally they wanted to put it beside the Takapuna yacht club, dug back into the side of the hill (I still think that's a great location), but then they realised the telecom internet cable comes in there and it was going to cost about $300K to move the cable. That wasn't an insurmountable task, Telecom and the North Shore Council were both open to it. But YNZ and HAT got on their high horse and said no, lets go over the road and get rid of that cruddy campground and build ourselves a glass palace, and that's when the community opposition built momentum. And that's when YNZ and HAT started looking like pompous twats, seemingly determined to fly in the face of a large majority of local people. So now sport NZ are $800K worse off for nothing to show. I've not paid membership fees for years but I'm about to start again and I'll be pissed off if they keep throwing money away like that. I'm actually pissed off about it now as it's our taxpayer money that Abercrombie and co have wasted. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GregW 28 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 You have nothing against dinghy sailing but you don't support them as part of YNZ's role? Pretty selfish point of view if you ask me. And a POV that wasn't expressed. Does the term Straw Man mean anything to you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin McCready 83 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I had a wonderful interaction with YNZ last Sunday. How did they know I really love to mix it with big waves? They very kindly motored past in their launch probably going over 15 knots well inside 50 m in front of me as I was beating away from a lee shore at McKenzie Bay 1340 hours. I had a wonderful time bouncing up and down. BTW the tide rips around the Bay like crazy. I sailed off the anchor without help of the motor which was idling on standby. That was even more fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muzled 140 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 MB, have a read of this for a bit more background on the campground/YNZ/HAT saga. (copy and pasted from Save the Campground FB page) Letter reads:Cr. Ross Clow, Feb 18th, 2017Chair Finance and Performance CommitteeAuckland Council ross.clow@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz URGENT Dear Cr. Clow Meeting Feb 21 – Item 14 Funding For High Performance and Community Sailing I am most surprised to just learn that Yachting New Zealand have re-applied to Auckland Council for a high performance and community sailing centre funding as outlined by the officers report under Item 14 on your agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting. The report does not adequately reflect the background or history of this $3 million funding line, or the stressed Council involvement through the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board over several years. Most surprising is the comment under Clause 15. Local Board Views and Implications “that no Local Board views have been sort”. My enquiries suggested that the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board had no knowledge of the item appearing on the agenda, and not consulting them in the light of the background to the funding must be a serious lapse of procedure. As noted there was an agreement within the North Shore City Council in its final days with the Harbour Access Trust, a body established by prominent local businessmen to lobby for a wharf and ferry service to Takapuna. It became a cover for a proposal by Yachting NZ to build an elite level yachting centre on the foreshore of Takapuna Beach in collaboration with the Takapuna Boating Club. This site and design was agreed with Council and was generally accepted by the community. Yachting NZ then decided that a more preferred site would be on the northern end of Takapuna Beach, on Council reserve land occupied by the very long standing popular and well used Takapuna camping ground, returning a very significant ground rent to Council. The new proposal included major building on the site including admin. offices for YNZ, subsequently modified, on a peppercorn rental basis. Key points are: The original agreement between HAT and North Shore City Council was site specific with a large number of conditions that had to be met within a set time frame to receive the funding. This agreement eventually lapsed, without renewal. There was immediate and vociferous public protest against the new proposal to take over the camping ground land and close it down, led by a community group, Save Takapuna Beach Holiday Park. There was a long political and community battle involving Council and the Local Board through two election cycles. The eventual outcome was the retention of the camping ground and Yachting NZ withdrawing and seeking another site. They have no specific project proposed although there were several offers on the table at the time of the Takapuna Reserve debate. The funding agreement with North Shore City Council has now lapsed. There are recent Press reports (Herald Feb 12th) that the NZ Community Trust has withdrawn its $2.5 million as the Takapuna Reserve project is not going ahead. The Auditor-General has issued a scathing report criticising Sport NZ, Yachting NZ, and HAT for the inappropriate of “in advance” payments of $800,000 “seed money” from Sport NZ to HAT from a $3 million grant to the project. (Herald Feb 11th) This money has effectively been wasted. It is vitally important to recognise that this was North Shore City Council legacy funding, buried somewhere in the Council books, intended for a public facility for the North Shore residents. Yachting NZ have no right to look to this particular fund for any new venture they may have away from the North Shore. Any request for funding must be a completely fresh exercise and relate directly to the business plan for the new project. The $3 million must be retained for a substitute legacy project on the North Shore. There are much more relevant priorities – there are reports that the Albany swimming complex is already over-crowded, schools are closing down swimming pools, because of the increased costs of maintaining them, increasing number of kids are unable to swim, and there are anecdotal comment of kids from South Auckland who have never been to the beach. A good initial start would be to fund the upgrade of the camping ground. The situation highlights the difficulty community groups have in connecting with Council and the political process. Yachting NZ/HAT received and spent $800.000 on their attempt to take over the Takapuna Reserve camping ground, whereas the Save Takapuna Beach Holiday Park and other support community groups raised thousands of dollars from public donations and fundraising activities, and thousands of hours of volunteer time to protect and preserve the community interest. Grey Power North Shore has had an involvement in the protest to preserve the camping ground since its beginning, both because many campervan owners are seniors, and because the Takapuna Reserve is a long standing and valued heritage community facility, both for the camping ground and the open space it offers. Grey Power also felt that, while we all share the joy of achievement of our top athletes, very expensive funding for high performance sport focused on winning Olympic medals, is a national responsibility, and not one for local authorities to be heavily involved in. As mentioned there are more important community sporting activities for young people that Council should focus on, particularly at this time of fiscal restraint. In view of the very short notice and awareness of this item coming before the Committee, with key people away, it has not been possible to put forward a more comprehensive outline in time for your meeting, or to attend it. In view of this I would ask that in the light of: a. The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board not being able to comment on the proposal. b. That the $3 million funding Yachting NZ is asking for is a North Shore legacy investment for a specific project that is now not going ahead, their application should be a completely new one and not related to the past failed venture, and be considered in that light. c. The funds are a legacy transfer from the North Shore City Council and should be re-committed to alternative community projects on the North Shore. d. The Yachting NZ proposal has no specific project or business plan on the table, and other key funders have withdrawn from the project. e. The Auditor-General’s comments suggest a major breakdown in funding process, that would need to be clarified, and remedied before any Council commitments at all should be made to Yachting New Zealand. f. The very fresh Herald reports of Feb 11th and 12th advising of Yachting NZ funding difficulties. that the funding request from Yachting New Zealand for the High Performance Sailing Centre be turned down, and they be asked to re-apply when they have a specific project. Alternatively, that the item be deferred to a later meeting of your Committee so that more comprehensive Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, and community consultation and input , and Council research can take place, and the report be updated accordingly. Bill RaynerPresidentGrey Power North Shore Quote Link to post Share on other sites
waikiore 398 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Actually the Olympic sailors (for that is all this was for are neither young nor numerous) and for those of us actively involved in promoting youth dinghy and keelboat sailing on the shore this whole sham has been a terrible waste of time fighting for common sense to come to the top again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muzled 140 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Seems the council still want to be rid of the campground even though the local community was very clear they wanted to keep it. From Save the Campground FB page - OK, OK this is very frustrating and we all know it, but this is an important and critical part of the process. In short, the public (80%+) and the Local Board has said yes to a long term lease for the Holiday Park. BUT for that to happen and become legally possible in the context of the TAKAPUNA BEACH RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2013, a joke in itself when it came to public consultation (Chris Darby was part of it), a process of public consultation is required by law to allow the holiday park to remain on the reserve. It is a necessary, legal and part of the statutory process to allow this to happen. Once done, and with the majority of public supporting the proposal for retaining the holiday, the stage is set for putting in place a long term lease just as we have always wanted. So as agonising as the process is (watching even more ratepayers $s go up in smoke and endless delays) we must participate and say YES to the proposal to lease the holiday park. If we don’t, and the anti holiday park lobby do, all will be lost. So please, lets get over this last hurdle and make it happen. Let's shoot for 90%+ support to show them that this community will always fight for what's right; as we have in the past, will do now and and will do in the future!!! GO TO THIS PAGE - to complete quickly online.http://engage.ubiquity.co.nz/surveys/HHwuVxvTek-dtwjUh91uzwGo to the link below for hard copy print and post options. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Pope 243 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Done Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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