Rushed decision
Nelson College emailed all parents on Tuesday afternoon (at 13:33) that the school would be closed all day Wednesday the 21st due the storm. Despite blue skies and calm weather in Nelson, the school was closed as advertised today. Every other school told parents (on Tuesday) to ‘‘watch this space’’ , waited till Wednesday morning, saw the fine weather then communicated out that all was fine and the schools were open. Nelson College, you rushed the decision and you should have ‘‘owned’’ your mistake. Not a great example for the students and a stunning way to make things hard for parents. Remember what you are here for. wasting our money on a white elephant. Publication of the report is a manipulative action designed to influence NCC councillors who should have better sense than to believe its storyline, claiming that Nelson will run out of water by 2050 if the dam is not built. Five million dollars of ratepayer monies is at stake, which represents an 8 per cent rate rise in addition to the 4 per cent rise this year.
One wonders if somebody in a leadership position at council isn’t lining up the pawns to make a bid for the next election. It would be better if the ratepayers , and the money from their rates, were not used as pawns for political purposes. All the non-essential spending in the current annual plan is an attempt to curry political patronage. Such spending forms much of the increase in rates for the current year. dictatorial approach of WIL directors to those who opt out of buying $5500/ha shares, many of whom are small landowners who have farmed on the Waimea Plains for generations.
The corporate speak in the PDS is simultaneously opaque, confusing and, in places meaningless; to whit: "There is no provision under the Constitution or under any other agreement that provides that the Board of WIL or a Director of WIL may act in a manner that the Board or the Director believes in the best interests of a person other than WIL (even though it may not be in the best interests of WIL), (p18)
The dam is promoted as a public good but, in reality, it represents privatisation of water. The PDS states: "WlL intends to continue to offer and market water shares following close of this offer’’.
Once the dam is completed and the benefits realised, it is anticipated the water shares will become more commercially desirable. " (p27)
This project, in all its opacity, lack of democracy and financial ambiguity, would seem the ideal vehicle for Fletcher’s construction and Don Elder’s financial acumen.