Otago Museum funding cut

Clutha District Council has signalled its dissatisfaction with current regional funding arrangements for Dunedin’s Otago Museum.

During a meeting on Thursday, councillors voted by a narrow majority to reverse funding levels from Clutha District ratepayers to their 1996 level, contrary to a fresh proposal agreed upon and approved by other contributing councils in the region.

The existing Museum Trust Board Act 1996 has historically provided a mechanism for determining the relative funding levies from Dunedin City, Central Otago District, Waitaki District and Clutha District councils towards the museum.

Collectively, Otago’s regional authorities contribute about $4.25 million per annum, of which Dunedin City Council pays the majority, at about 94 per cent. Central Otago pays 0.6 per cent. Under the 1996 act, Clutha’s contribution was about $117,000 pa (2.8 per cent), council chief executive Steve Hill said.

Those levies were updated in 2006, with Clutha since that time declining to pay what it saw as a new and ’’inequitable’’ share of the levy - amounting to about $181,000 pa (4.3 per cent) - and instead paying an undisclosed sum it felt was ‘‘fair’’.

Under the terms of the act, any shortfall in funding had to be met by Dunedin City Council.

In an attempt to resolve the situation, Hill, Clutha mayor Bryan Cadogan and all other regional council stakeholders had been working on a new Heads of Agreement proposal, which was put before council on Thursday.

The new proposal would have left Clutha with an annual bill of about $157,000 (3.7 per cent), and the option of subsequent renegotiation of levy proportions in three years’ time.

Significantly, the new agreement also brought Queenstown Lakes District Council into the fold for the first time, at a proposed 0.7 per cent levy, Cadogan said.

But despite the clarity and greater fairness Cadogan claimed the new proposal would initiate, councillors rejected the revised Heads of Agreement in favour of a reversion to the earlier Museum Trust Board Act 1996.

With other Otago councils already having approved the new proposal, this was a retrograde step.

‘‘This is not the outcome I expected or promoted [during negotiations],’’ Cadogan said.

The Clutha delegation’s approach had been to achieve greater equity among all contributing councils, rather than increasing the burden on other contributors to Clutha’s benefit alone, as would now occur.

Duke of Edinburgh award

Southland pupils will be awarded the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Gold Certificate in Dunedin today. Kate Donaldson, of James Hargest College, Douglas Fotheringham, of Menzies College, Baylee Jane Barrett, of Northern Southland College, and Georgia Gordon, of Southland Girls’ High School, will all be given the award, which indicates a high level of achievement.

No toxic algae

Monitoring done by Environment Southland has found no further sign of toxic algae in the Waituna Lagoon. Original testing done on August 15 showed a high abundance of planktonic cyanbacteria. Director of science and information Graham Sevicke-Jones said he didn’t know why there was the presence bacteria in the first testing was or why it disappeared the second time.

Search for man continues

The police national dive squad and kayakers are helping search for missing Dunedin man Stephen Lowe. They are assisting about LandSAR with a search in the Catlins area, around McLean Falls. Lowe has not been seen since September 15. Police are looking for the occupants of a small red car that was parked at McLean Falls at 11am on September 16. They ask anyone with information to contact police.

New DOC director

Aaron Fleming has been appointed the Department of Conservation operations director for the southern South Island. His most recent role was as director for the National Library Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa with the Department of Internal Affairs. In 2017, Fleming was the recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award for public section/ community leadership. He will relocate from Hamilton to Queenstown for his new role starting November 6.

Decrease in fishing limits

Te Ohu Kaimoana Chief Executive Dion Tuuta has said Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy’s decision to decrease total allowable commercial catch in pa¯ua will eventually erode hard won Ma¯ori Settlement rights. It outlines changes for 18 fish stocks as part of the regular twice-yearly fisheries sustainability review. Te Ohu Kaimoana advised MPI officials that 28N rights posed a significant risk to the terms of the Fisheries Settlement, and would dilute Ma¯ori quota interests in key fisheries species, including pa¯ua.

City Forests profits

The Invercargill City Forests Ltd chairman Alastair McKenzie has announced a before-tax profit of $2,982,000 for the year end June 30, 2017. It was an increase of 60 per cent over the prior year. The results were reflective of a good harvesting year on the back of strong log prices.