The Dunedin City Council reacted quickly to non-treated water finding it’s way into the city water supply. While the water was dirty it isn’t known if there is any risk.
The Dunedin City Council says the extent of the public health threat posed by the city’s water scare will not be known until later today.
The council yesterday issued a boil water notice covering a swath of the central city and north end after millions of litres of untreated ”raw” water from the Ross Creek Reservoir entered the city’s drinking supply.
Council chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose said the level of contamination in the raw water was not known, but would be confirmed by test results expected later today.
The raw water was stored at the reservoir for an extended period, as a back-up supply for the city, but it was not treated or tested, she said.
”It’s not for drinking, so there is a health risk.
”We don’t know the level of risk because, simply put, we weren’t testing this water because it wasn’t supposed to be drunk.”
The council and Dunedin Hospital both responded to yesterday’s alarm by activating their emergency operations centres.
Despite a fast and major reaction there were significant flaws in how it was dealt with.
I live outside the affected area, but I work in the affected area. I happened to notice the water contamination news yesterday morning, but could easily have not known about it all day. I drink cold tap water often at work.
There was no notification delivered to the building that i work in that I’m aware of.
But I doubt there is much risk. There might be a bit of colour in the Ross Creek water but there is unlikely to be any dangerous contamination.
I grew up on untreated water, it was sourced from a 12 km water race. We often pulled rubbish including dead animals out of the water.
But the council had to treat this contamination as potentially risky.
The Taieri is a flood plain, with much of it barely above sea level, separated from the Pacific Ocean by a range of hills bisected by the lower Taieri Gorge.
Because it has been enriched by flood sediment for a long time it is fertile and therefore has been good for farming, when it isn’t waterlogged.
Because it is flat it has been popular for housing. Some of the biggest growth in the Dunedin area has been in Mosgiel and on other parts of the Taieri. It seems to have been easier to get consent to convert arable flat land into subdivisions than much more marginal land that is well above flood risk.
Taieri residents sick of their homes and properties being flooded are fed up with being ignored by local politicians.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull and other local government representatives at a flood recovery meeting in Coronation Hall last night acknowledged more could be done to protect residents in some areas and promised to try to address the list of issues raised.
However, solutions could come at a significant cost to the Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council and the city’s residents.
Earlier, residents of the flood-hit area pointed the finger at both the DCC and ORC for failing to properly invest in enough infrastructure despite repeated calls for more work to be done.
They said the DCC in particular had failed to keep pace with out-of-control growth as subdivision after subdivision in Mosgiel and Outram was approved.
The ORC was criticised for failing to properly maintain its flood protection schemes and for not coming up with an achievable solution to how flood-prone Henley could be protected.
Residents spoke of the frustration of dealing with flooding on a regular basis, with one Henley resident saying he was so fed up he and his wife planned to abandon their property.
Carlyle Rd, Mosgiel, resident Murray Hamilton said he had lived in the same house for 44 years and believed he had had sewage inundate his property 20 or 30 times.
He said the council was at fault for issuing consents for developments but failing to invest in infrastructure.
It’s not a lack of investment in infrastructure that’s the main issue, it’s why so much housing was allowed on a flood plain.
Developers have been allowed to make big bucks, and now residents are demanding all Dunedin ratepayers should now fork out for remedial work and flood protection.
Henley resident Kerrie Hooper, who was chest-deep in water when he left his property, questioned whether anything could be done to prevent serious flooding happening again in the flood-prone community.
After the meeting, he said he did not believe a solution was possible and he and his wife would likely abandon their property.
Another Henley resident accused the ORC of presenting Henley residents with a solution far too expensive for them to afford while ignoring cheaper solutions.
Henley has always been at risk of flooding.It is barely above sea level at the best of times, situated at the entrance to the lower Taieri Gorge, so when the flooding Taieri River hits the bottleneck the area floods, especially at high tide.
State Highway 1 used to go through Henley, but it was bypassed by what is known as the ‘flood-free highway’, a raised road specifically designed to keep out of the frequent floods.
It’s going to be very difficult to prevent flooding of residential areas across the lowest parts of the Taieri Plain, unless flood banks are built or bolstered.
It’s tough on residents, but they should have been aware of flood risks.
What shouldn’t be tough is the council figuring out where it’s a bad idea to allow subdivisions – a new subdivision at Outram was flooded last week.
Dunedin mayor Dave Cull told Morning Report it was concerning to see some flooding in new subdivisions.
“I flew over the area on Saturday with [Minister for Civil Defence Nathan] Guy, and it did worry me that an area that is flooded now should have only partially-built homes on.”
How the fuck the possibility of this situation couldn’t have been foreseen escapes me.
Serious questions should be asked of city planners and resource consenters.
‘Homelessness’ has been a hot topic over the last few months, but a lot of political rhetoric gets in the way of an accurate picture. There is a significant difference between homelessness and inadequate housing, but the two are often combined as one problem.
Labour has hit out at National over rates of homelessness, claiming it is failing in the basic duty of a government.
The allegations come after Auckland Council’s Homelessness Policy Project estimated 24,000 people in the region did not have adequate housing.
Phil Twyford, Labour’s housing spokesman, said the level of homelessness seen in parts of the country used to be something only seen in the United States or Europe.
“After nine years, National’s failure to address the housing crisis means we can no longer we pride ourselves on not leaving Kiwis on the streets.”
This appears disingenuous of Twyford.
Auckland Council’s Homelessness Policy Project, released on Wednesday, showed there were 20,296 people without a house in Auckland in 2013, according to census data.
SO the report is based on four year old data. They problem may well be worse by now, but the report can only guess at that.
Of those, 16,350 were sharing and couch surfing with others temporarily, 3175 were in temporary accommodation such as emergency housing, refugee camps and boarding houses, and 771 were sleeping rough.
Of the “20,296 people without a house” most of them, about three quarters of them, were living in something like a house.
Another 3175 were also accommodated, albeit temporarily. For many that will be inadequate, but they are still ‘housed’.
771 sleeping rough – actually homeless – is a lot, but it is nowhere near 20,000.
Some people choose to sleep rough. I have at times. It didn’t bother me, it was always temporary and I had other options – including staying temporarily with others – but technically I was ‘homeless’ at times.
For some people couch surfing is by choice, especially when travelling. A proportion of couch surfers will be tourists or temporary visitors, as will be some of those house sharing. Technically I’m house sharing with a family at the moment, and have been for over a year, but it’s not inadequate housing, we have the space for it.
But this may be just quibbling over some of the numbers. Except that it’s a pretty big quibble when Twyford refers to those in the ‘inadequate housing’ category as homeless. He is blatantly exaggerating.
There are real problems with housing that are a major concern.
Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly said homeless people had a life expectancy that was about 20 years lower than the average life expectancy.
“One person dying on our streets or as a result of homelessness is one too many.”
Farrelly said the deaths of rough sleepers were due to myriad issues such as health problems, poor nutrition and continued exposure to the elements.
“We’ve had some very wet, cold nights in the winter so far and it is heartbreaking to think of people sleeping outside in these conditions.”
Dunedin South MP Clare Curran has accused the Ministry of Social Development of the ”character assassination” of two homeless Dunedin women, one of whom is pregnant.
Ms Curran is advocating for Kylie Taggart (30) and Amy Stuart (25), who are receiving emergency accommodation in motels.
Ms Curran slept in the Octagon last night in a tent to protest the women’s situation. She said she would sleep there every night until the women had a place to live.
Ms Curran said a lack of state housing and suitable short-term accommodation in Dunedin meant the ministry was relying on motels.
Each week, Miss Taggart and Miss Stuart must reapply for emergency accommodation.
Miss Taggart said she went into early labour last week and was admitted to hospital to be stabilised. She believes the stress of her situation was the cause. She is 26 weeks pregnant and has two other children in her care, while Miss Stuart has a 3-year-old daughter.
Both say they are trying hard to comply with the rules but feel harassed and belittled by Work and Income.
They were doing their best to provide a stable environment for their children in difficult circumstances.
But as is often the case this isn’t a simple story.
The Ministry of Social Development issued a statement on Friday that appeared to blame the women.
”We have been supporting both these mums with emergency housing special needs grants to ensure that they are not forced to sleep rough.
”They didn’t need to pay this money back; the priority was responding to an emergency need.
”One of the challenges we face is when clients repeatedly exhibit behaviour that makes them unattractive to landlords and many motel owners.
”What is really unfortunate is when the behaviour of some people not only affects them, but everyone in need. ‘In this case there is now two motels in Dunedin that are not willing to take any client referred by Work and Income.
”As a result the support now provided to both these women will need to be repaid,” the statement says.
Ms Curran said the women deny claims of antisocial behaviour.
Documents obtained by Checkpoint show landlords have taken the two women to the tenancy tribunal six times for not paying rent and damaging property.
The Social Development Ministry said it had not given up on the women, and that they had a high priority rating, but were difficult to house.
Ms Curran said the two women were forced into emergency accommodation because they have spent time in women’s refuges.
So it sounds like partners have been a part of the problem.
But it also sounds like the women have not been model tenants either.
RNZ: In a statement a short time ago the Ministry of Social Development says the two women have a high priority rating, but because they’ve repeatedly exhibited unattractive antisocial behaviour to both landlords and hotel owners, it’s been difficult to find them permanent accommodation in Dunedin.
And the Ministry’s Southern Regional Commissioner says “Following events overnight yet another motel is not willing to house one of the women, and only late today a short term alternative was found.”
“The people we work with often have a number of hurdles to overcome, and many lead chaotic lives.”
Money is obviously a major issue, but some people been put in bad situations, or have put themselves in bad situations, making accommodation difficult.
Difficult situations for some people for sure, but finding long term solutions can also be difficult.
Politicians overstating statistics doesn’t help, although I think credit is due to Curran for what she is trying to do.
Dunedin has been in decline relative to cities up north for a long time. The 1980s and 1990s gutted the public service out of the city and it has struggled since.
Most major industry has gone. Freezing works are no more, Fisher & Paykel, which took over Shacklocks in the 1950s, shut their factory in 2008. Several years ago Hillside Workshops were shut down, and the Cadbury chocolate factory is set to close next year.
There are two things keeping the city from major decline – tertiary education, chiefly University of Otago (the oldest university in New Zealand, established in 1871), and tourism, largely due to the growth in cruise ship visits.
The current city council, led by mayor Dave Cull, seems more intent on creating a green cycling city than on economic development. Whole blocks of car parks are being removed and replaced with barely used cycle lanes, with many more proposed.
The city has a reputation for being unfriendly to development. I have heard that developers don’t even try to set up in the city.
Several years ago a major waterfront hotel was proposed. It was slapped down by public opposition and regressive city planning practices because it was deemed to be too big,
Another major hotel development was proposed last year and has applied for consent, but it looks like that will also be slapped down.
A planning report is recommending consent for Dunedin’s latest five-star hotel be declined.
The report, made public late this afternoon, has cited the hotel’s height, visual dominance of surrounding heritage buildings and shading impact as key reasons to decline consent.
A planning report is recommending consent for Dunedin’s latest five-star hotel be declined. The report, made public late this afternoon, has cited the hotel’s height, visual dominance of surrounding heritage buildings and shading impact as key reasons to decline consent.
Too big too. Probably not enough cycle parks.
The recommendation to the panel of independent commissioners came in a report by independent consultant Nigel Bryce, ahead of the public hearing beginning on July 31.
I expect there will be a lot of submissions in opposition, this will be cited as majority public opposition, and the project will be dumped.
There has been a practice in Dunedin of small lobby groups stacking submission processes and claiming majority support for their opposition to development. They can do this as part of the democratic process, but it is not a democratic measure as they claim.
Recently:
Despite an extra $100,000 of spending approved this week, the Dunedin City Council scraped in under its self-imposed 3% target for rates rises for the next financial year.
The council approved a budget that will see ratepayers asked for an extra 2.99% for 2017-18.
That’s again higher than inflation.
Mr Cull said some people had reservations about the annual plan process, which featured feedback meetings rather than formal submissions this year, before full submissions are brought back for the long-term plan next year.
But he said the council had engaged with the public well, and arrived at a figure under the 3% limit.
It was pleasing to keep faith with the community, and keep that promise, he said.
So they set an above inflation target and applaud themselves when they achieve it.
And the mayor has said that they could rise more next year.
Rates rises are always on the table, it’s a matter of how big a rise. And they could get bigger.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says he would consider a rates rise of more than 3% next year, if the community signals it supports more spending.
Mr Cull said in The Interview the city did need to keep rates affordable.
The council has had a self-imposed 3% maximum increase for the past few years.
Yeah, right. From the council website:
However, he said: “We are already easily the cheapest city in the country and in the lower quartile of councils all around the country for rates.”
And Dunedin is one of the most poorly performing cities business-wise.
If the city wanted to “stand still” and maintain services, that close to 3% rise would continue, as that was the inflationary pressure on the council.
“If you want extra we’re going to have to spend some more.”
Asked if he would accept a rate increase higher than 3%, Mr Cull said he would.
The community, however needed to consider the value of what it would get for the cost involved, in next year’s long-term plan.
So the aim seems to be to get public acceptance – or at lest the perception of public acceptance via lobby groups – of increasing rates.
While rejecting major developments for the city. The only big goals seem to be cycleways and spending, therefore higher rates for residents, because the city keeps losing businesses and therefore business rates.
If, as is quite likely, education delivery changes in an Internet world and the University loses out then the city will not just struggle to keep up, it will decline even further.
A Dunedin councillor has settled for $50,000 after taking defamation action against Mayor Dave Cull.
Councillor Lee Vandervis confirmed he settled the case because of legal delays and spiralling costs, but it comes without an apology.
The case was sparked by a heated exchange in December 2015. The mayor ejected the outspoken councillor from a council meeting after Vandervis claimed he paid a backhander to secure a council contract in the 1980s.
Council’s insurers felt that making a payment of $50,000 to Vandervis to cover his costs to date would be much less expensive for them than a successful court outcome.
Dunedin has lost it’s fire while the mayor and councillors burn each other.
Gareth Morgan has begun his second tour of the country in his campaign for The Opportunities Party, starting in the south.
I saw him in Dunedin last night – he comes across as very well informed, passionate, and determined to make a difference.
This is in contrast to my impression of Winston Peters (last year) and Andrew Little (earlier this year) who played to their faithful with slogan laden speeches. Morgan sounded original and was interesting right through his presentation.
Mental health, the economy, environmental issues and poverty were among the concerns raised by Southlanders at an Opportunities Party meeting on Monday night.
About 100 people were at the meeting, led by party leader Gareth Morgan, and held at CentreStage in Invercargill.
Morgan said the newly founded party aimed to turn around concerns with its radical policies, and make the best of the people, economy and resources in New Zealand.
It was the second trip to Invercargill for Morgan and his team, who have been touring the country.
With New Zealand having one of the highest rates of teenage suicide, the Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) and thriving families policy would be the first step to smoothing the path to adulthood, Morgan said.
“That’s [rates of youth suicide] pretty bad. It’s just one indicator that things aren’t great,” he said.
The aim of the party was to “persuade the government to make all boats lift” and make progress as a nation, he said.
Speaking at a public meeting in Queenstown last night, The Opportunities Party (Top) founder outlined sweeping economic and social reforms for tackling what he said were growing income disparities among New Zealanders.
The audience of about 50 people, ranging in age from pensioners to a toddler, were told the economy appeared to be doing ”reasonably well” on the surface.
But New Zealand had become a low-wage, ”treadmill economy” in which most people were working harder and producing more, but were not getting wealthier.
A widening gap between the asset-owning class and everyone else was causing social stress reflected in rates of youth suicide, workplace and school bullying and imprisonment that were among the highest in developed countries, Mr Morgan said.
Both of those reports sound similar content to last night.
Mainstream political parties who underestimate Gareth Morgan’s influence in the September 23 election will do so at their peril.
Mr Morgan, the leader and founder of The Opportunities Party (Top) attracted about 200 people to hear him in South Dunedin’s Mayfair Theatre last night
That’s a good number for a new party. Morgan asked how many had been to his previous Dunedin meeting. He estimated about 1/3 of the audience had.
For 40 minutes, Mr Morgan enthralled the audience, fielding applause and laughter as he outlined only one policy – although it was a very wide-ranging and quite detailed policy -before taking questions.
”I promised I would only talk about one policy tonight, otherwise I would have you all in a coma,” he said to much laughter. When the economist-turned-investor and now politician formed his party, much was made about his style of delivery, which was described as dry and casual.
Although he was dressed casually, often with his hands in his pockets, those attending last night paid close attention to what he was saying.
It was different to normal polispeak, he is very much a non-politician politician.
Mr Morgan’s delivery was slick, peppered with colourful language. He said his job was to offend everyone and often mentioning his party’s policies would go down like a ”cup of cold sick”.
His job is to battle against the same old, against the status quo in politics.
The audience ranged from those in their 20’s through to retirees. Those spoken to by the Otago Daily Times said Mr Morgan had good ideas and was talking sense, something other political parties might be wise to take note of, three months out from the election.
Given the main parties are coming across poorly and could do with a good boot up the political bum, there are votes in Morgan’s approach, but it’s a big challenge to look like getting close to the 5% needed.
I went to an Internet Party meeting in the 2014 campaign and that was very different – more showy but much less substance.
I also went to an ACT conference and David Seymour impressed, Jamie Whyte didn’t. The election result suggested that was a common impression.
The provincial media seems to be warming to Morgan, but the political media establishment in Wellington and Auckland still seem unexcited.
If anyone can shake up the political establishment this year it’s Morgan. Time will tell whether he just shakes up the campaign, or gets to also shake up Parliament.
Morgan says his intention if successful is to not take sides but to sit on the cross benches pushing for any policy gains they can get. Some of their policies are radical considering how bland National and Labour are in the main, but they are well researched and could make a good contribution to the mix.
But he has a long way to get there. The TOP van moves to Timaru today, the campaign for a party that can’t use free MP travel is a long haul.
I went to watch the Highlanders play the British and Irish Lions last night. It was bitterly cold and intermittently wet (there had been light sleet and snow earlier in the day) outside but as usual perfect conditions under the roof.
It was a very good game to watch, quite open at times. The Lions scored three tries to the Highlanders two but failed to convert a couple of late penalties and lost 22-23.
That’s the second midweek loss to the Lions. They will be hoping their weekend team manages to overcome the NZ Maori team this Saturday.
The Highlanders played very well for most of the game but made some costly mistakes. One botched kick set the Lions up on attack after which they scored a good backline try. The Highlanders replied with a try to leave the score at 10-10 at half time.
In the second half the Lions scored from an awful long pass from the Highlanders to put them in front, but the Highlanders made most of the play and scored again. They also nailed important penalties to nudge ahead 23-22.
The Lions missed two penalties, one relatively easy, the other very long range, and that cost them the game.
I had expected the Lions to put pressure on up front and try to out-tough the Highlanders in the forwards but that never really happened.
A nearly full stadium with a temporary stand in the usually empty east end created a great atmosphere, the best in New Zealand under cover.
The Aurora Australis put on a great show last night. I had the best view of one have ever seen, nothing like photos but impressive all the same.
I saw online that something big was brewing so kept a regular look out for it. For maybe an hour all I saw was what looked like a wide arched cloud or arch of fog on the southern horizon. Pictures on Twitter and Facebook showed more (photography can enhance the colours) so I persevered and then suddenly it sparked into life.
The result was a modest but nevertheless grand show for about half an hour.
I then went driving to try to get away from the city lights – I live to the east of the worst of Dunedin’s light pollution – and there were aurora seekers everywhere. I eventually found a vantage point on a beach near Brighton, but by then it was back to being just an arch on the horizon with little fluctuation.
This looks like it was taken at St Clair beach:
From Lee Stream – well away from city lights and at a bit ofd altitude:
Lee Stream is still technically in Dunedin City but a long way out in the country, 36 km inland from the centre of the city (even further away than the airport.
A case in Dunedin details over two years of sustained harassment and threats against a man and his family started by a parking ticket dispute. Concerns have been raised about the community sentence and continued suppression of the offender’s occupation.
A Dunedin businessman who was stalked for more than two and a-half years by a government employee was convinced the man would kill him.
The 39-year-old defendant was yesterday found guilty of criminal harassment, threatening to do grievous bodily harm and intentional damage, following a week-long, judge-alone trial last month.
His name and occupation will remain suppressed at least until this morning’s sentencing in the Dunedin District Court.
The victim and his wife — whose identities are permanently suppressed…
Today, before the Dunedin District Court, the judge sentenced Buis to 200 hours’ community work and ordered to pay Mr Pryde $15,000.
The public servant who spent two and a-half years stalking a Dunedin businessman can now be named.
Jeremy Buis (39), of Dunedin, was yesterday found guilty of criminal harassment, threatening to do grievous bodily harm and intentional damage.
Buis has had name suppression since the charges were laid some two years ago but today defence counsel Anne Stevens said there was no application to have that extended.
While Judge Paul Kellar let the suppression order lapse, he continued the suppression of the defendant’s occupation at Mrs Stevens’ request.
She said it would unfairly cast aspersions on others doing the same job as her client.
This has raised a lot of discussion and criticism. It seems to be well known around town what Buis’ occupation was, and it is quite pertinent to the case.
NOTE: no hints about the man’s occupation can be allowed here as it is suppressed under order of the Court.
Given the length and nature of the harassment – and the occupation of the offender – the sentence has been questioned too.
And despite permanent suppression of the victim’s identity being initially reported:
The businessman can also be named as Danny Pryde, owner of Pryde Engineering.
Outside court Mr Pryde said he was disappointed Buis’ occupation was suppressed and that the judge had declined an application to photograph him in court.
He described the $15,000 reparation awarded as “dirty money” and said he was tempted to give it away to charity.
“He tried to destroy my business and my marriage. [Money] doesn’t fix those things,” Mr Pryde said.
‘‘Mentally, he has really hurt us.’’
On December 2, 2014, the harassment reached its peak when the defendant’s messages took a violent turn.
He told the victim to ‘‘get your affairs in order’’ and advised him to ‘‘buy something bullet-proof’’.
‘‘I honestly thought that afternoon was my last day on Earth. I felt sick,’’ the victim said.
‘‘I thought ‘he’s lost the plot and he’s going to do it’.’’
This sounded shocking enough, but I was more surprised when his identity was revealed because I know Danny, he used to be a neighbour and he and his wife were very nice people. It’s awful to hear what they have been subjected to. I don’t see them often now and didn’t know anything about this case apart from what has been reported.
The sustained campaign of harassment started over a trivial matter – a parking dispute.
The saga began on June 14, 2012, when the defendant parked his car blocking the rear driveway to the victim’s business.
The company owner called the council, who promptly ticketed the vehicle, which led to a confrontation between the men.
‘‘He deliberately parked across the entranceway to [the business] the next day to make a point,’’ Judge Kellar said.
Despite the defendant claiming he had no animosity towards the victim, the judge highlighted the fact he subsequently made a complaint to police over alleged damage to his car.
‘‘From what should have been an innocuous incident about parking I am sure that [he] has engaged in a sustained period of harassment of [the victim] for . . . over two years,’’ Judge Kellar said.
It began with anonymous text messages from a range of unknown numbers.
But in February 2014, things escalated when the public servant set up a fake homosexual online dating profile using the businessman’s name and contact details from his work website.
When police raided the defendant’s house nearly two years later, forensic electronic evidence from his laptop identified him as the culprit.
He noted much of the abuse had a distinctly homosexual theme. The victim’s contact details were written in marker pen at a gay hangout and graffiti featuring the man’s name alongside gay slurs began popping up around the city.
When police analysed the defendant’s phone, they found he had communicated with colleagues over an app during which he voiced his hatred for the victim.
A hatred that became a very nasty obsession that resulted in a sustained campaign to not only ruin the victim’s life but also his family and his business. And it is claimed it didn’t end with the arrest or trial.
Despite the recent trial, the victim revealed he was still receiving anonymous text messages and was informed a couple of weeks ago someone had created a fake profile on the dating app Tinder using his photo.
There are suggestions (rumours) of others being involved, making the continued suppression of the man’s occupation more of a concern. Anyone who wants to know is likely to have found out anyway, and the attempt at secrecy feeds the rumour rather than gags it.
But we must comply with the Court and not mention Buis’ occupation (it is known and able to be published that he also runs a surf board business) so please, don’t attempt to breach suppression in any way here.
The victim of a prolonged harassment campaign by a Dunedin government employee has spoken of the fear that almost drove him to take his own life.
Dunedin businessman Daniel Pryde waived his right to name suppression after Jeremy Buis was sentenced in the Dunedin District Court on Friday.
Buis was found guilty of criminal harassment, threatening to do grievous bodily harm and intentional damage in the judge’s reserved decision delivered on Thursday.
But…
On January 19, 2017, just weeks out from the trial, he received the text “Happy new year limpdick”.
Another said he was a wife beater, while another text referenced his vehicle as he went shopping with his family.
So did Buis continue the harassment even though a trial was pending? Or is someone else, or others, also involved.
Professor Jim Flynn has provoked some discussion after making some radical predictions about potential rapid sea level rises in South Dunedin and the rest of the low lying parts of the city.
These predictions have been disputed by other academics.
Associate Prof Nicolas Cullen and senior lecturer Daniel Kingston have described the predictions by Jim Flynn as “very unlikely”.
On Monday, Prof Flynn told a Dunedin City Council public forum huge erosion of polar ice that had begun in 2014 meant predictions on the rate of climate change had changed.
He said there were 1932 homes in Dunedin, mainly in South Dunedin, built below 25cm, and a 25cm sea-level rise could occur before 2034.
He said by 2090, South Dunedin would be under 5m of water, along with Forsyth Barr Stadium, the Otago Polytechnic and other low-lying areas.
That’s fairly extreme. Many would claim bonkers, with some justification.
…approached for comment on the predictions, Prof Cullen and Dr Kingston disagreed.
Prof Cullen, whose expertise includes glaciology and climate change, said Prof Flynn’s figures were “questionable”.
He said the observed sea-level rise was 3.4mm a year, which was “quite high compared to historical estimates”.
If that rate continued for the next 20 years, there would be a total 68mm sea-level rise – “quite different”from Prof Flynn’s estimate.
“I agree that there is evidence that the two large ice sheets [Greenland and the Antarctic] may contribute more to sea-level rise in the future than previously thought, but I would think it is very unlikely that South Dunedin will be under 5m of water in 2090.”
Dr Kingston, whose expertise includes atmospheric circulation patterns and climate change, said he agreed with Prof Cullen.
“The numbers in that article, like 5m by 2090, are at the very, very extreme end of what’s likely.”
To Prof Flynn’s suggestion the more recent erosion of polar ice had changed what could be expected in terms of sea-level rise, Dr Kingston said, “I don’t think the matter is settled by any means.”
A rise of 5m would mean the entire West Antarctic ice sheet disappearing, or the entire Greenland ice sheet disappearing.
“The likelihood of that happening by the end of the century is low – not impossible – but the real extreme end of the situation.”
Flynn’s claims may cause some concern. Things like insurance cover and resale values of low lying properties won’t be helped by worst case scenarios being portrayed as likely.
I’m at 100, so way out of the danger zone but even a half metre rise would cause significant problems in the drained wetlands of South Dunedin where flooding cause major problems in 2015.
Jim Flynn can be a very interesting dude but he isn’t helping anyone with worst case claims that amount to scaremongering, but perhaps his aim was to attract attention to a real potential problem with a bit of exaggeration.
The problem is that claims like this are easy to dismiss as nuts.
