Category Archives: Uncategorized

Laws interviews Bishop on Unitary Councils

Clear answers to good questions in my view. Just 6 minutes.   :<)

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BIT LATE TO POST BY-ELECTION VOTE NOW.

Best to drop your voting paper in supermarket orange bins or go to the DCC Octagon Civic Centre where you can vote even without your papers before the Tuesday 12th noon deadline.

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Major Risk to Dunedin – Bureaucracy loves ‘Safetyism’.

Today’s ODT front page highlights unaffordable financial and Heritage risk to Dunedin if central government changes our earthquake risk from Low to Medium. There has never been an earthquake fatality or injury issue in Dunedin. Cr. Lund and by-election candidate … Continue reading

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$25,000 of public money to be used to destroy $100,000 of Princes st amenity. – ODT

Extension of bus stop would deplete city amenity: Vandervis A DUNEDIN city councillor has criticised a decision to spend up to $25,000 extending a bus stop over safety concerns, saying it will deplete centre-city ‘‘amenity’’ A raft of parking changes … Continue reading

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Stadium use necessary

Shift stadium focus: Vandervis MATTHEW LITTLEWOOD Lee Vandervis DUNEDIN City Councillor Lee Vandervis is calling for the city to shift its aspirations for the stadium, after the sudden departure of its boss. Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Paul Doorn … Continue reading

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DCC By-Election Candidates -plenty to chose from.

In my view the best available candidate to get much needed common sense and local government management experience is Jo Galer. The ad below is from Saturday’s ODT.

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DCC Staff costs have to come down, including credit card spending.

My full email to the ODT responding to figures just released of DCC staff credit-card spending. From: Lee Vandervis <lee@vandervision.co.nz>Date: Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 3:00 PMTo: Grant Miller <grant.miller@odt.co.nz>, Mayor <mayor@dcc.govt.nz>, Cherry Lucas <cherry.lucas@dcc.govt.nz>Subject: Re: Local Government Official Information request – 1273766 – Sensitive … Continue reading

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Put up or Shut up?

Shared with Public Co-Chairs of DCC Finance & Performance Committee respond to Cr Simms’ suggestion of a special workshop and to 6 months of Cr. Ong’s claims to have a ‘secret formula’ and ‘new innovations’ to deal with DCC planned … Continue reading

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Saturday’s ODT accurately summarises DCC spending and debate dysfunction

Today’s ODT has a concise and insightful summary of DCC unsustainable spending and the shutting down of reasoned debate. Pay-walled unfortunately for online readers. My accurately quoted responses to the ODT this week were as follows: From: Lee Vandervis <lee@vandervision.co.nz> … Continue reading

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ODT meeting exit retrospective

In 18 years as a Councillor and often Mayoral runner-up, I have done all I could for the ratepayer in the meeting, and then voted with my feet when it became pointless to stay… On average only once every 3 … Continue reading

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Absurd Mayoral decisions

Today’s full speech that Mayor Barker and other’s repeatedly interrupted and eventually silenced…

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Undeniable Data

This data shows how NZ Councils have become unaffordable unsustainable bureaucracies since they deviated from providing basic services. Not just rates but unprecedented debt…

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Compromised Councils.

ORC or not ORC? That is the question.Whether it is better to suffer outrageous ORC rates increases, wasteful regulatory bureaucracy and lazy leaseholds, or simply end them – is too big a challenge for Central Government whose answer is to … Continue reading

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Queen’s Driving cancelled for cars.

In my view and the view of most people I talk with, The Queen’s Drive trial is yet another unnecessary and excluding project from the DCC car-cancelling Council. Queen’s driving through the green belt has long been the feature, and … Continue reading

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Jules First Church Funeral was very moving and standing room only

Jules suddenly has gone. Seems unfair and wrong. Jules was decent and pleasant to everyone. His experience and connections will be sorely missed on Council. My heart goes out to Jules’ family and especially Pam who will have so much … Continue reading

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Would you vote for any of these people?

NZ Members of Parliament claiming expenses [in addition to their salaries] of more than 1/4 million dollars in a 21 month period is scandalous. Unsurprisingly, spendthrift Maori, Labour and Greens MPs top the list

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Buying votes in DCC election

ODT election spending article There was little point in my trying to compete with Andrew Simms’ massive advertising spend for the Mayoralty with his similar to me back-to basics policies, especially when much of this spend was not counted before … Continue reading

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We have more of a DCC Bureaucracy than a Democracy.

I have long argued that DCC staff should not be involved in any aspect of local elections, since some of them have clear conflicts of interest, especially the DCC CEO who is effectively hired by the Mayor and Councillors. I … Continue reading

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Years of created parking problems just part of the Council anti-car crusade.

Scenic Drive, Queens Drive and the pleasure of driving in Dunedin have long been eroded by our car-cancelling Council evidenced by the planet-saving ‘transport’ staff the previous head of which said ‘We have got to get people out of their … Continue reading

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More DCC car restrictions in favour of yet another underused cycleway

 our car-cancelling Council have been working towards removing access for travel and parking along Queens drive and the centre city for many years. We lost parking near Olveston for no reason and without consultation several years ago and the restriction … Continue reading

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