NZ must be better prepared

THE proposed 6.5% rates rise for Dunedin should be scrapped, Cr Lee Vandervis says.

Cr Vandervis applauded Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins’ call at yesterday’s council meeting to bring revised budgets forward to deliberations at the end of this month — but said there ought to be a ‘‘significant revision’’ to reflect the ‘‘very significant’’ change in people’s situations.

‘‘There is something of a myth that I believe is being forwarded regarding how Covid19 has affected us — and that myth has been promulgated in the media and in various other places with people saying ‘We’re all in this together.’ In fact, nothing could be further from the truth,’’ Cr Vandervis said.

‘‘There are extremely large numbers of people now who are going to find themselves unemployed and still have all of their normal financial responsibilities and needs.

‘‘There are winners and losers in every major change and in this major change the real losers are those that suddenly find themselves unexpectedly unemployed with no money coming in and there are tens of thousands of them due in Dunedin,’’ he said.

‘‘I believe, with no money coming in, they’re not only not going to be able to pay for, for instance, electricity, and rates — especially increased rates — they’re not going to be able to pay for the necessities of life.’’

Mr Hawkins yesterday won approval for council staff to prepare revised 202021 annual plan budgets; as part of that they would provide a report on options for alternative rates increases and funding, with an assessment of any impacts on service levels, rates, borrowing and the ongoing impacts for future years.

Councillors also voted to extend the timeframe for councilcontrolled organisations to finalise their statements of intent to the end of the month.