October 8, 2025 • 36 mins
Christchurch's incumbent mayor believes debt is the Council's biggest challenge.
Phil Mauger says if re-elected he's committed to tackling the Garden's City's growing debt by selling off assets like the Lichfield Street carpark.
Mauger told John MacDonald the current debt level is $2.5 billion, and he wants it under control.
He says 25 cents of every rate dollar goes into debt servicing, and he wants that money spent on more things to benefit the city.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB And.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's the last week of the local body election campaign
and comes Saturday Phil Major will know whether or not
he's going to be there for another three years. So
what questions have you got for Phil? Is with us
until midday and you can talk to him directly on
eight hundred eighty ten eighty Morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Phil, Morning, John, How are you doing good?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Can we just touch on voter turnout? What's the what's
the latest latest numbers?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
We're about right at the moment. Just I just checked
the phone. We're about twenty eight percent. This time. Last
year when we're only about three days out, we were
thirty six, which is not at all good. But I'm
hoping there's going to be another big dollar of them
coming over the next two days.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Is it fair to say that that's what's the word
to use? Pathetic?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Ahna, It is what it is. Some places at Rickerton
they were only down about eighteen the other day, eighteen percent,
So it's areas have different things and around the countries
are we we probably want to but hey, people are
getting out there. Did you walk down the street people
so we're going out to vote and we're doing they're
(01:17):
doing that, So maybe there's a delay in a whole
lot of them coming through. But they've got to be
in the in front of the person counting them by
lunchtime on Saturday, otherwise they get thrown out there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Are ripped up. Yep. All right, I w one hundred
and eighty ten eighties that I'm the call to put
your questions to film and start with Mike.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Mike, Good morning, Phil and John. I just got a
question for Phil. It's about the proximity of residential properties
to quarries and the dangers within that. Phil, you know
that Kenderburry has got a very high concentrate kenderbris gray
(01:53):
Wacky Rock's got a very high concentration of crystaline silica,
and crystalline silica, of course, is a very dangerous product
and it causes silicosis when you breathe it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes, what's what's your question is.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
What does still think about putting a very good buffer
and not allow quarries within, Like in some cases we've
got thirty meters of a house for goodness sake here
in christ Church and knowing the danger of that dust
and my rates as well. What would he do as
(02:40):
the mayor to actually put people's health and animal's health
out of harm's way.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Right?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Answer, from what I understand, Mike is there are very
little quarries. There's a difference between quarry being extraction and crushing,
and when you get to the crushing, but that's when
it can get a bit dusty. And I know just
about all the quarries that are close to people now
are just extraction. You may now have a few a
(03:10):
wee bit closer, but generally new ones like the one
out towards Templeton. Is I think you were looking for
a half a kilometer setback?
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Was that what you were after? Once?
Speaker 4 (03:24):
In some cases I overseas, they've got five kis Mike.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I'm just going to Mike. I'm just I'm just we've.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Got the worst standards in the world.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Right, Mike, New Zealand, michae I just wanted was just
a question and answer, And Phil, what was your answer?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
As far as I know, we haven't got any that close.
And I think going forward the way it's looking, no
one will be able to get that close anyway, because
it's the people are moving out.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
For forage moving all the way. Okay, thanks Mike, appreciate you.
Caol I one hundred and eighty ten ninety is the
number to get through your questions for Phil Major. But
we're next call. Take a next call, Phil. On the
eighth of October twenty twenty two, the day that you
were elected mayor, you said this. You said, what don't
want to do to my borrow is to get all
(04:07):
the new councilors together to have a powwow, and that
you wanted to find out how we can all work
together and make sure we're pulling the rope in the
same direction. Less than three weeks later, you went to
Auckland and stood up at a media conference with Dan
Gordon and Wayne Brown where it was announced that you'd
hashed out and it turns a version of Labour's through
Waters policy. You didn't tell your fellow councilors you were
(04:28):
doing this until it emailed them just before the announcement.
How does that stack up with your talk three weeks
earlier about everyone working together and pulling the rope in
the same direction.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah, I must say no one was more surprised than
Dan Gordon and myself when we went up there just
to have a bit of a yard. Next thing, you know, Hello,
we've got a stand up media thing and it was
one of Wayne's first media things. So every man's dog
was there with a camera and it was we were
thrown in the deep end of it as much as
Dan and I were thrown in the deep end of it,
(04:57):
and I had to run around frantically emailing our staff
O people.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
And the point I we're making is that other councilors
end up around the table with you after this weekend's
masult comes through. How can they know that they can
rely on you to be part of a team.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
There's no doubt about that. I've certainly learned a lot
since in the last three years on how to communicate
with everyone and put emails out and let people know
what's going on as best.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We can, all right. It's also prior to the last election,
I asked you what you thought the greatest challenges facing
christ which we're on top of your list with climate
change and inflation. What have you done to address those
challenges over the last three years.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
As far as climate change goes, we've done one of
the first coast or adaptation plans. It's for the Littleton
Harbor and surrounding base. That's worked very well. It's had
community buy in. We now know what we're going to
do when it happens. Thirty forty fifty years all we
don't know, and when it happened for god knows where
(06:01):
were going to get the money from. But at least
we know where we're going. The next one we're doing
is in the New Brighton.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Up to.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Brooklyn's sort of department, so and then we'll be over
and over in the peninsula. But we've got the plans going.
One of the things that I'm really pleased that we've
done is down at the wastewater treatment plant, when they
trickle fields went up and smoke, we've instead of rebuilding
back what we had in creating odor for the people
down there, we've gone to activated sludge. And the best
thing about it is because the wastewater treatment plant is
(06:31):
our biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, it's wagging it down
by just over fifty percent, So I'm extremely happy with that.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
All Right, I'll come back to what you think the
top two challenges are in twenty twenty five. Let's get
back to the calls. Name morning, Good Morning, John maya major.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
How are you I'm good, mate, good good?
Speaker 5 (06:48):
Just the same two questions I asked Sarah the other day.
Was speed bumps four and against and rate caps four
and against?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Right rates caps. I would start with the rate caps first.
If the government. Theory is, if the government are talking
about rates caps, we cannot put our head in the
sand and think it's going to go away. So we've
got to be We've got to be ready, and if
the government decided to do it, we have to work
with what they give us. As far as speed bumps go,
I'm not a fan of speed bumps, but there are
some places where they are where we can use them.
(07:19):
Are La coming down more House Avon turning left into
Madras Street heading to the stadium. There's a slip lane there,
and we were actually going to take the slipplane out,
but we managed to leave it there and put a
speed bump there just so people just walking across that
tiny wee bit. But there are other places, especially where
there's traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings and things like that.
(07:42):
I don't think there's a don't think there's a need
for it. I've talked to a number of bus drivers
and they go, I could tell you where there's something
that we could get out because they're driving them insane.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Have you thought about a traffic light delay instead of
putting speed humps and like doing a three four delay
for each intersection, so if you do get a red
light runner, you're not going to have a car pulling
out in front of them.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Oh, that's that's a good suggestion. We can look at that.
Of course, as long as long as people don't start thinking, no,
I've got an extra three or four seconds here, and
they start doing it, you could end up with a
bit of drama.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Yeah, that's right to you. No, I just thought it
might be a bit more costs effective than putting on
the free hunter that's lining everybody down and vehicles.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
There's one. There's one in Cramford Stretch which drives me insane.
It's it's it's practical. It's not on State Highway one,
but it practically is on everyone that's going out to
Ranguura and and it slows it down, and it's on
a pedestrian, a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing. So I
cannot see the need for it.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
All right, thanks, thanks, I'm going to come back to
you on on the rates caps. You so feel that
you're in favor of that, But why do you support
it when Treasury is warning that they can have a
serious impact on council credit ratings and make borrowing more expensive.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yes, I understand what you're saying. I've heard Treasury tell
the government that, but sometimes government decides to do what
they're doing. I'm not against it per se, but I
thought you said you are for. I am for if
the government tell us where we'll do it, and I'm
I'm generally for it because it's going to make us
a lot more transparent on some of the things we do.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So what would you do then if the rates cap
was forced on you and drive the Council into more debt?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Now we've got to be. One of the things which
you're going to ask me, is but the challenges with
the Council going forward, and one of them is going
to be debt when we get round to that question,
because I don't want to see any more debt on
council because we're more than enough as it is, and
that's twenty five cents of every rate dollar that people
pay goes into debt servicing. I'd love the councilor we
have twenty five cents of every rate dollar more to
(09:39):
spend on things.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Lauren Morning, Lauren, Good morning, John, Hi Phil Hello.
Speaker 6 (09:48):
I know that you've answered this question in different forums,
but I still find there's a lot of people are
choosing you of turning down government money for transport. So
for those who haven't heard you answer this before, could
you please explain why you turned down all that money
for transport?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yes, yes, all right. I went to before before the
last general election. I went stood next to Michael Wood
outside the bus exchange and he said, guys, I'm going
to give you seventy eight million dollars, okay, and go
It's okay. It never really eventuated. It was sitting there
in treasury, but then the new election came along and
it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that
(10:27):
that seventy eight million, even though it was in treasury,
it was not going to come our way. So you've
got to remember, and I'm sitting here in John's studio
looking out across the way, the government has spent seventeen
billion dollars on Christchurch Charter, the earthquake. We're I'm looking
at Margaret Mayhear Playground totally paid for by the count
by the government, to Pie Convention Center totally paid for.
(10:49):
Somewhere between a third and a half of the stadium
is totally paid for by the government. Over half of
the Paracori is paid for by the guvernment. We've got
to motorway of the North, motorway of the South, and all
the work that's happening out on Harswall Road, it is
all paid for by the government. So I rang thester
after the election. I said, mate, it wasn't that long,
(11:09):
probably four or five months after cycling Gabriel, when no
starting to get their head into what the damage was
up there, I said, mate, we have had a very
good run by the government. Now I don't mind if
you put you know, we've got new roads and that
all over the place. I don't mind if you put
some of your effort into Hawk's Bay area where those
poor people have got no roads, no so, no power,
no nothing. And when you're happy with them, come back
(11:33):
to us. And I never mentioned the seventy eight million
dollars then and then some of our councilors have gone
ahead and said that they've inflated it up to a
billion dollars. Got no where that's come from. But no,
just on that, I mean just on that film. That's
another example of you making a decision or acting on
behalf of the council without consulting your fellow counselors. Now
(11:58):
I was acting on per half of myself or as me,
because I felt in my heart of hearts it was
the right thing to do for other people who are
a damn sight more in strife than what we were.
We'd had a very good pay out by the government
for a long time when we were looking half good.
Since then, I've been talking to the government. We've got
(12:18):
an extra two hundred and seventy million dollars worth of
roading money from the government for things around christ.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Right now, the point, the point, the point being feeled
is you you are not working. This is you not
working as part the team.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Now not always working as a team.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
And this this was just.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
A But how did your fellow counselors feel about that?
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Oh they might they might have been a bit upset. Yeah,
But than seventy eight million was never there. Be very
clear with that. It was in treasury back bank account,
but it was never coming to us.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I know, but how how can a mayor act in
such an isolated way?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
It was the right thing to do for the people,
and didual.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Counselors believe that, Ah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I don't know if they did or not. But it
was the right thing to do. We didn't financially get
hamstrung by it because we got more money going oh.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
No, oh no. But I'm just saying, is it still
bothering you? Are you still are you still getting are
you still getting feedback from your fellow counselors unhappy that
you acted on in such an isolated way.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Probably from two of them, the vast majority of them
don't mind.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Morning David, Yeah, hello.
Speaker 7 (13:24):
And hello Fell. Firstly, thank you Fell, and thank you
to Sarah Templeton for the commitment that you've made over
the last three years and obviously still your planues come
back and Sarah wants to be the mayor, so all
the best to both of you. You thing, one thing
that's really sort of shone throughout this is obviously felt.
You've admitted that you're not the best communicator, but I
(13:47):
think your heart's always been in the right place, particularly
with the question of giving back the money or at
least saying to the government that was the right thing
to do. And I think that although John was a
tough on you, I think I would imagine the vast
majority of your counselors would have said that that was
a good thing to do. And speaking of money and savings,
what's really been very evident so is that you've said
(14:11):
that you want to cap rates. You haven't necessarily articulated
it very clearly. However, Cancel the Temperatate has said she
doesn't want to cap rates, and one of the reasons
I think she said is that caving rates could lead
to the poor people that go to the library to
keep warm maybe not having a place to keep warm.
And no, that's a fair sentiment from her.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
What's your question, David?
Speaker 7 (14:32):
Can you can you give any explanation or a detail
fell as to how you see rates actually being capped,
because you don't need to wait for the government to
come along and tell you this. And I'd like to
think that you have the courage to say right now, well,
we're going to proceed regardless of whether the government tells
us too or not.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
David, what's the question? What's the question? What's the question?
Speaker 8 (14:52):
David?
Speaker 7 (14:52):
Can you give that commitment fell to capping rates regardless
of whether the government tells you to or not.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Well, as you know, David, we were six point six percent.
Our rates increase this year. It was a bit higher
last year, but this is the last year that the
STAF comes into play at one point six so we
were hovering around just on five, just under five and
which was a lot better. There were a few councils
lower than us, but it's a lot better than Joe
average council. So I feel we're already down where, somewhere where,
(15:21):
and God knows what the number is that the government
are going to tell us that they want us to
want us to aim for. But we can look at
I know one of the things that I heard the
other day, I say that we're our interests a sorry.
Our insurance premium is around forty million dollars. It's come
through that the next year's premium is actually going to
be quite a bit lower, So we've saved a few
(15:43):
bob there. We can look at what we're spending on
a capital spend, and that's not saying not fixing water
pipes or doing roads, but there's some things that we
can do there that because we never spend all of
what we rate for so we can use that to
pay back towards rates. And there are some assets and
I know I'm not going to get into strategic assets.
There are assets that we've got out of there. Well
(16:04):
I will, I will when you ask me. But there
are assets out there that we we definitely don't need.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
All right, I mean we will get onto the assets.
Thank you David for the call. Interesting you have been
discussing christ at Airport during the campaign and you have
raised the possibility of from selling off or buying the
remainder of CHRISTI At Airport shares and selling them to
(16:32):
night Tahoo. I mean, what's the story there. Have you've
spoken to Nightaho about.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What we've got here? Is we the government have and
listening to David Seymour has been saying we might that
they may sell the they may want to get rid
of it because they are a bit sure to do
as well. So it will come to us first. We
had the right of first refusal and then if we
don't want it it can get put out to others. Okay,
(16:56):
so do we take it so we can get control
of it and then sell some down with a partner
of the South Island rather than the government. The government
causes no grief as owning them. But if they want
to sell them, they're going to land in someone's lap sometime.
It might be a year away, but they could well
end up and we've got to be ready for it
if it comes.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So have you spoken to Nightahuba.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
People in the organization? Talk to them from Tom Tom?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
What's the response of your head that's.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Still working on. I don't think they haven't shied away
from it's a lot of money. It is a lot
of I don't know, but I know the numbers I
get told is it's a lot of money that's and
whether it's it's us or some to them or whatever,
but together we need to keep control of it in
Southland because.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
How can you say you know the asset sales but
then have this backroom conversation.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
No no, no, no no to asset sales. This is
buying more and it's the same as O'Ryan. I know
that Selwyn from what I hear, Selwyn would be amenable
to selling there a little bit. They've only got ten percent,
eleven percent and if it's going up for sale, we
should be the ones that buy it all right?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
We mentioned what you thought the top two challenges facing
Canterbury or christ which were at the last election. After
a next school I'll ask you what do you think
it is and what they what do you think they
are in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 8 (18:12):
Rich, Yeah, morning John, Morning Phil?
Speaker 3 (18:15):
How are you making about it? I'm marvelous, Yeah with.
Speaker 8 (18:18):
This for Saturday, mate. My question for you is what's
your plan or what when it comes into this next
semeth you're elected, what's your goal to try and bring
unity into the council because in the last you know,
we've got a lot of left and right and it
never seems to be you know when you go look
at Wellington for an example, I want to see what's
your what's your plan? What do you think you'd do
(18:40):
to try and bring the council together? Because I think
rate payers and those are not rate payers are kind
of sick and tighters of divide. So what are you
going to do going forward to bring that?
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
What I did in the last term, as every three
months or four times a year must be. I had
means and chairs thing where people from the community boards
could come in and members of the public come in
and it worked extremely well. The first one wasn't as
because it was just all me, me, and people were
asking me questions. But the ones after that, I got
heads of service there because a lot of the people
(19:14):
people the questions are sometimes better to be answered by
the people that know their stuff, and so so that
worked that well. And I can well continue to do
more of that sort of stuff because we need to
hear from the community and what they do. One of
the things I'd love to do after after COVID we
got some better off funding and we gave all the
community boards five hundred thousand dollars to spend extra for
(19:36):
three years, and that worked extremely well. I would like
to give the community boards roughly, I will say, is
a guess one hundred thousand dollars a year more?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Can you say that?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
No, Well, it'd have to be there, it'd have to
go too. This is what I would like to see happen,
because that five hundred it solved so much stuff. Like
a community people would go to the community board and so, oh,
we want this, we want this, and then they'd have
to oh, we'll have to put it forward to the council,
and it all takes time. If they've got the money
to put a rubbished in there, or do something there
or whatever, or pay money towards the community patrol cars,
(20:10):
which they did. They did it and they fixed the
problem at the at the source rather than it will
come back to us.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
All right, twenty four to mid days we take a
next call. So the top two challenges facing christ Church
in twenty twenty five, what are they?
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Ah and debt. I really want to get debt under control.
And it's all very well for some people say some
debt is good, but not as much as we've got.
And I'm not getting stuck into previous councils because we
did the right thing after the earthquake. Before the earthquake,
they had no over odd. Now we've got two billion
dollars plus a bit. Let's try and attack some of
that and get it down. And the other thing I wanted.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So what is debt? What is the current debt level?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
About two and a half billion?
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Right. See, I was quite interested that when you came
under fire for not delivering on your rates target after
the last election, you said that, well, that was all
because you had no idea or you won't aware of
what the council debt level was right way back then. Yeah,
I thought that's pretty weird because you had been on
the Finance Committee of Council before the last election. You
(21:12):
were not you were aware of the debt levels.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
No, No, I wasn't on the Finance committee.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Okay, that one, but you I.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Knew we had a fair bit of debt. But of
course it's all very well. When I first got married,
by twenty one grand at three percent, and that thought
I was going to and went to eighteen, I thought
I was going to die. Now on my kids have
got five hundred and twenty grand. The council is no
different as far as cost of living. Christis goes with
the amount of money it's got borrowed and the entrance
rates went.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Okay, So debts, debts, debts and major problem. What are
you going to do about that?
Speaker 3 (21:42):
We've got to be very kept not overcharge our rates
on capital stuff that we don't charge for, keep the
rates down and pay debt off. Sell some I'll show
you an example Litchfield street car pack. Now some people
are going to go, ah, what are we doing here?
During one of the annual plans a number of years ago,
I'd say ninety percent of the councilors put a WE
sticker on the wall and say right, let's get rid
(22:03):
of Lichfield street car pack. We don't need it. If
we sell it and take the money off debt, it
all helps.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
So that's on the cards that Deety is right. What's
the other issue for us in christ.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
The other issue face? What's not an issue? It's we're
coming out of the whole of the earthquake and COVID
and more shootings and fires and stuff like a rocket.
All of the council companies are doing particularly well and
we've got twenty six thousand people at university this year
and by the end of that.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
What's the issue? What's a challenge?
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I we don't want to lose momentum. We've got to
keep going. Christach is in a unique situation where there's
a lot of people moving down from Wellington, a lot
of people moving down from Auckland because they like the
lifestyle here. We haven't done the wall to wall intensification
like the government wanted to slam down on us. So
I don't want to lose that momentum. I think we've
got ten to fifteen years of golden days in front
(22:56):
of us.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So the challenge is debt and not losing momentum. Absolutely
all right, Okay, Don, morning, morning boys. So you've got
them all this morning brilliant.
Speaker 9 (23:12):
I was wondering when someone was going to say that
Phil talking of asset sales and Litchfield Carpark, what's your
take on the clear and obvious fund campaign feared out
and uncertainty that anybody who votes for anything other than
the Labor Green alliances within council is voting for asset sales.
(23:35):
What's the question, Don, Well, what Phil's take on this
obvious election campaign by the left leaning opposition who've been
out there trying to convince the public that if they
vote for anything other than the left leaning candidates out there,
then they're clearly voting those other candidates such as Phil
(23:56):
clearly back asset sales.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
See, I've come out a number of times saying it
got a lot of pressure on Littleton Port. There was
a lot of grief getting around. Now little Import has
made a record profit over the last few months. It's
really good to see one of the things, as what
I've said to you once John, we've got our bine
five eight is hammered into us at Council quite a
(24:20):
bit by a civil defense people. Now, when and if
that happens, and I hope I'm not around, we're going
to need our airport, Ryan and our port in our
total control because that it'll probably be the only main
action area for the whole of the South Island, so
we need to be ready and own it. All the
other ones, I'll just leave them up to Christi City
(24:41):
Holdings that they're doing an excellent job on the other ones,
and if they've come up with an idea of doing something,
they'll bring it to us. But as John would say,
I can't make that decision by myself.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
All right, all right, don Fill, you're in trouble already
with Grahame. He's not happy with the Litzfield street car
park being sold. He uses it every time he comes
into town. He says he can still use it. Prior
to the last election, you said that the council had
to quote cut its cloth. Some examples of you delivering
on that.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Promise, looking at looking at ways that we can make
things cheaper by doing them more more clear, it's not
the right way to say it a lot more efficient,
a lot more productive.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
What are some example take.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Here's here's the wrong example. Okay, we the wrong here's
the wrong example. Things like we ashfeltered Glendover Road eight
months months ago and then we dig the bloody thing
up to put water mains in.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
So that's actually not that is that is?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
That is bad.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I've got to give you things are changing. Tell me
an example of how you've cut the cloth.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
We've done a lot of work with insurance premiums with
with Sam and he's on finance performance and we're looking
at all the ways we've got to got to make
it so it's easier for people that want to invest
in christ Is to cut the red tape so they
can get people to invest. The more people invest, the
more people put money. That makes more money go around,
so making it easier.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
But have you got an example?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Ah, not off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
No, all right, morning Andrew.
Speaker 10 (26:15):
OHI how are you good? That's Througod morning ful buddy?
How are you right?
Speaker 11 (26:20):
Spokes of the mayor on the phone before. So, yeah,
I bet I better a better looking my game a
little bit. It's not like I'm just talk with a
john of it.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
You don't want to talk about what's what?
Speaker 11 (26:35):
What's the balance sheet of a crosis Cydney council might
be looking a bit a bit shaky, and you want
to sell the assets off to reduce the debt, to
get the debt levels right down to manage a very
manageable levels in.
Speaker 10 (26:46):
Relation to the that the yields.
Speaker 11 (26:49):
That are being shown by some assets. So maybe the
underperforming assets you want to sell.
Speaker 10 (26:53):
Off and reduce the debt.
Speaker 11 (26:55):
Now, that's all well, and because so we're looking pretty
much you know, unencumbered freehold, et cetera as a city.
But then in time, even if you do win the
next election and the next election, eventually you're going to
be going on, what's stopping another council coming in and saying, oh,
we've got no debt, let's just load ourselves up with
(27:16):
debt and we can buy all this stuff, spend all
this money.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
What's the question, Andrew, Andrew, the.
Speaker 10 (27:20):
Question isn't and then and then we're in the crap
again and we got no assets to sell. So what
the council can the council put in place with large,
very large corporations and they've got bank and they have
banking covenants so that they're not allowed to increase the
debts by certain levels to make sure it's all manageable.
Can the council have any covenants put.
Speaker 11 (27:39):
On their debt levels once they're under control, just so
that we don't get in the situation again.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Yeah, no, you did, right, you say. One of the
things that we've got is with three waters, we decided
to keep all our assets in the house. Other councils
have decided to take their three water, their water department
out and give it to a separate company. And the
challenge there is exactly what you said. The council that's
left with less debt the three Water's it's over there,
(28:07):
they'll go, oh, here's a whole we can fill it
up with with more borrowings. And it's very It is
so easy to borrow money. You walk past the door
of the bank, they throw the stuff at you. At
the moment, you've got to be hard nosed and say, look,
let's live live within our means. I always use this analogy,
like if if you buy some paint and paint your
front fence, and on the tin it says after ten
(28:29):
years you're going to have to repaint it. If you
get to the tenth year and you look at it,
and you go, oh no, I can get another five
years out of that just because the computer saies or
the tiny.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Jump it goes jump in their field because you don't
don't waste money because you are very good with the analogies,
but you weren't able to tell me a few minutes ago,
or give them a few minutes ago an example of
how the council has cut its cloth. You know, I mean,
we can try odd analogies until the cows come home,
but you don't seem to be able to with an example.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
We have got. We've got changes in council up up
the top end is changing the way we think and
getting silos out of the way. That's how we're going
to change it. So it can make council flow easier,
to be able to make it easier for people, and
that will save money and it make us cut out clock.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
But you haven't been able to do that yet.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
We'll take take right. Here's another example. Take the likes
of the norwest Ark cycle way. Right now. I've built
a few roads in my time and cycleways and stuff
like that cycleway is a glorified footpath. It's just a
bit of ashfelt. It's it's not hard. We spend three
million dollars with a consulting number of consulting firms to
design that one.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Oh I get, I'm just saying I'm.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Going to gending money on that and do it in
the house. And then we got I was.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Going to jump in for because people will tell me
if I'm wrong. But it just seems to be an
endless cycle of analogies and stories that you that you
come up with, but you don't seem to be able
to deliver genuine examples of where this cost cutting and
where this cost savings have been achieved. Yes, yes, yes
(30:01):
we have you give me one.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Take the likes of that that that's and so wasting
spending three million dollars on that. We save that money
by doing it in house. We're doing a lot more
stuff in house. We're spending fifteen grand an hour on consultants.
A lot of that has been backed off and it's
and it's coming back in house. Take the likes of
where we did cut our cloth. We used to have
our grass being mode by a firm from Auckland and
(30:26):
a firm from Dunedin. We got rid of all that,
bought it in house, took seventy new a lot of
young people on and we now do it in house
and it's far better trust and confidence and counsel on
all our receives.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
It's all right, brilliant Phil. During your time as Meyre,
what have you done to try and sort out the
code red situation at Christ's Hospital?
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Well, I went down to I went down to ED
and saw a lovely lady, Laura, and it happened to
be it was when we were doing the alcohol policy.
She said, please come down and see how much damage
alcohol's doing so and so we went down and had
a looking. She said, ah, this, you should come down
more often because there's no one here which to be
(31:06):
knowing there.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I just want to know that what you've done, what
you've done, because it was a real problem.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
It is a real problem. It's a government problem. But
we have to help the government in any way we
can to help them get in there, and not that
it helps the ED itself, but getting a little bit
of car parking there and working about other car parking
here and there to get it easier for nurses to
go there and stay. But the people going on, what
have you done? I can't I can't do anything I
(31:31):
can just work.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I mean, you said you said it would be a
year ago that you're going to talk to the health minister,
right to the health and talked to me. And what's
come of that?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
He's well, you can see he's working on You see
him on that. This is some me and you're talking
about now. He's what you see him on the on
the news. What he's doing and what he's trying to do.
It is a fantastically big animal that he's got. He's
been thrown into and I sort of take hatof to
him for trying to fix it.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
So it's come of it.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Nothing yet.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
It's seven to twelve.
Speaker 8 (32:04):
Well in Greek, Yeah, hi John, the high felve.
Speaker 12 (32:08):
Just some very quick questions. Some years ago, the Dalai
Lama came here, the Angel Zel refused to meet him
because she didn't want to offend the Chinese Communist government.
And the other question is do you sign up jubiled
and signing up for climate change and urgencies.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
We the Council, or the whole Council itself signed up
for the climate change Emergency, and that's why we've got
to work towards getting our greenhouse gases down. That's why
I'm and I'll say it again, I'm an absolute hydrogen nut.
And there's a conference on in the city at the
moment about hydrogen and things are going to change very
quickly as far as hydrogen goes. For getting our greenhouse
(32:46):
gases down, wastewater treatment plants, I said before, that's really
it's all helping, So no one's sitting on their hands.
Everyone has now got more of a focus on it
than we did in the past. Dalai Lama, I'll go
by what my civic and international relations people tell me
because it is it is.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
Well.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Sarah Templeton said that this is what you're asking Greek.
Sarah Templetons said the other day it should be more
than happy to meet with the Dylan Lama.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I'm on the happy to meet with anyone. But it
comes down to the civical and international people that we've
got on staff. I'm guided by them.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
What does that mean?
Speaker 6 (33:24):
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (33:28):
It means that if we if I don't want to
stuff things up in a political sort of sense, We've
got good relationships with everyone that we deal with, every
overseas consulate, especially China here and Christians because it's got
New Zealand one here, and you just don't.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
You've got to be careful.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
You don't go racing in like I do with other things.
You go in and just diplomatically do it because you
could stuff things up in the big rush.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
All right, thanks Greg. One more question, rate Parer money
going into the cathedral you seem to be or for
that film? Is that right? Is it?
Speaker 3 (34:06):
It's it's we've got we've got four things. We've got
the cathedral, we've got the museum, We've got another one
is Provincial Chambers and Center Center. All of those have
got work being done on them, and they need to
have some money throwing out in god Age where it's
(34:28):
going to come from. But getting back to the cathedral,
I think what they've come up with with backing off
and not trying to go a bridge too far and
actually get the main bit done and get people in there.
And once people are in there and they can look
through windows into the into the bit that's not finished.
It might take one decade, it might take two decades
to finish it, but at least get it done because
(34:48):
the cathedral is the hub of the city and while
we've still got that fence round it, it's it's not good.
So I take my hat off of them for having
coming up with a fantastic option to make it a
lot cheaper.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
But you want, for example, more more money from rappayers
to get the job over the line.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Yet, well not me. I wouldn't go out and do
it by myself. Johnavan In controul. We have to go
through the council. But I would be very keen for
us to get the get the cathedral work towards with
them and the government of course, to get that finished,
as well as putting some money towards the museum. It's
got it's got to come from somewhere.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
And what if the government says we're not going to
put any money into it.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Ah, I think they would be. The difference is it's
going to be the new part of the cathedral is
going to be more of a community space rather than
a full blown church, and the government looking at that.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Right, we've got thirty seconds. Why do you want to
be marror again?
Speaker 3 (35:43):
I love it. It's great. I've got two brothers and
sister and they look at me. So you've got bloody
little younger than me, you have bloody rocks in your head.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I think that might be what the mayor says as well.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
It has been known to happen.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
She's learned a lot about Netflix here I us. She's
an expert to tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Yeah, but it's and I've got extremely good people around
me in council and good good. It's good and if
it's good for Christ, which I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
I love it all the very best.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Thank you about it, and I'll hopefully see you Monday.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
All right, Phil Major, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, Listen live
to news Talks and Be Christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB And.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's the last week of the local body election campaign
and comes Saturday Phil Major will know whether or not
he's going to be there for another three years. So
what questions have you got for Phil? Is with us
until midday and you can talk to him directly on
eight hundred eighty ten eighty Morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Phil, Morning, John, How are you doing good?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Can we just touch on voter turnout? What's the what's
the latest latest numbers?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
We're about right at the moment. Just I just checked
the phone. We're about twenty eight percent. This time. Last
year when we're only about three days out, we were
thirty six, which is not at all good. But I'm
hoping there's going to be another big dollar of them
coming over the next two days.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Is it fair to say that that's what's the word
to use? Pathetic?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Ahna, It is what it is. Some places at Rickerton
they were only down about eighteen the other day, eighteen percent,
So it's areas have different things and around the countries
are we we probably want to but hey, people are
getting out there. Did you walk down the street people
so we're going out to vote and we're doing they're
(01:17):
doing that, So maybe there's a delay in a whole
lot of them coming through. But they've got to be
in the in front of the person counting them by
lunchtime on Saturday, otherwise they get thrown out there.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Are ripped up. Yep. All right, I w one hundred
and eighty ten eighties that I'm the call to put
your questions to film and start with Mike.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Mike, Good morning, Phil and John. I just got a
question for Phil. It's about the proximity of residential properties
to quarries and the dangers within that. Phil, you know
that Kenderburry has got a very high concentrate kenderbris gray
(01:53):
Wacky Rock's got a very high concentration of crystaline silica,
and crystalline silica, of course, is a very dangerous product
and it causes silicosis when you breathe it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes, what's what's your question is.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
What does still think about putting a very good buffer
and not allow quarries within, Like in some cases we've
got thirty meters of a house for goodness sake here
in christ Church and knowing the danger of that dust
and my rates as well. What would he do as
(02:40):
the mayor to actually put people's health and animal's health
out of harm's way.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Right?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Answer, from what I understand, Mike is there are very
little quarries. There's a difference between quarry being extraction and crushing,
and when you get to the crushing, but that's when
it can get a bit dusty. And I know just
about all the quarries that are close to people now
are just extraction. You may now have a few a
(03:10):
wee bit closer, but generally new ones like the one
out towards Templeton. Is I think you were looking for
a half a kilometer setback?
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Was that what you were after? Once?
Speaker 4 (03:24):
In some cases I overseas, they've got five kis Mike.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I'm just going to Mike. I'm just I'm just we've.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Got the worst standards in the world.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Right, Mike, New Zealand, michae I just wanted was just
a question and answer, And Phil, what was your answer?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
As far as I know, we haven't got any that close.
And I think going forward the way it's looking, no
one will be able to get that close anyway, because
it's the people are moving out.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
For forage moving all the way. Okay, thanks Mike, appreciate you.
Caol I one hundred and eighty ten ninety is the
number to get through your questions for Phil Major. But
we're next call. Take a next call, Phil. On the
eighth of October twenty twenty two, the day that you
were elected mayor, you said this. You said, what don't
want to do to my borrow is to get all
(04:07):
the new councilors together to have a powwow, and that
you wanted to find out how we can all work
together and make sure we're pulling the rope in the
same direction. Less than three weeks later, you went to
Auckland and stood up at a media conference with Dan
Gordon and Wayne Brown where it was announced that you'd
hashed out and it turns a version of Labour's through
Waters policy. You didn't tell your fellow councilors you were
(04:28):
doing this until it emailed them just before the announcement.
How does that stack up with your talk three weeks
earlier about everyone working together and pulling the rope in
the same direction.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yeah, I must say no one was more surprised than
Dan Gordon and myself when we went up there just
to have a bit of a yard. Next thing, you know, Hello,
we've got a stand up media thing and it was
one of Wayne's first media things. So every man's dog
was there with a camera and it was we were
thrown in the deep end of it as much as
Dan and I were thrown in the deep end of it,
(04:57):
and I had to run around frantically emailing our staff
O people.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
And the point I we're making is that other councilors
end up around the table with you after this weekend's
masult comes through. How can they know that they can
rely on you to be part of a team.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
There's no doubt about that. I've certainly learned a lot
since in the last three years on how to communicate
with everyone and put emails out and let people know
what's going on as best.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
We can, all right. It's also prior to the last election,
I asked you what you thought the greatest challenges facing
christ which we're on top of your list with climate
change and inflation. What have you done to address those
challenges over the last three years.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
As far as climate change goes, we've done one of
the first coast or adaptation plans. It's for the Littleton
Harbor and surrounding base. That's worked very well. It's had
community buy in. We now know what we're going to
do when it happens. Thirty forty fifty years all we
don't know, and when it happened for god knows where
(06:01):
were going to get the money from. But at least
we know where we're going. The next one we're doing
is in the New Brighton.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Up to.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Brooklyn's sort of department, so and then we'll be over
and over in the peninsula. But we've got the plans going.
One of the things that I'm really pleased that we've
done is down at the wastewater treatment plant, when they
trickle fields went up and smoke, we've instead of rebuilding
back what we had in creating odor for the people
down there, we've gone to activated sludge. And the best
thing about it is because the wastewater treatment plant is
(06:31):
our biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, it's wagging it down
by just over fifty percent, So I'm extremely happy with that.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
All Right, I'll come back to what you think the
top two challenges are in twenty twenty five. Let's get
back to the calls. Name morning, Good Morning, John maya major.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
How are you I'm good, mate, good good?
Speaker 5 (06:48):
Just the same two questions I asked Sarah the other day.
Was speed bumps four and against and rate caps four
and against?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Right rates caps. I would start with the rate caps first.
If the government. Theory is, if the government are talking
about rates caps, we cannot put our head in the
sand and think it's going to go away. So we've
got to be We've got to be ready, and if
the government decided to do it, we have to work
with what they give us. As far as speed bumps go,
I'm not a fan of speed bumps, but there are
some places where they are where we can use them.
(07:19):
Are La coming down more House Avon turning left into
Madras Street heading to the stadium. There's a slip lane there,
and we were actually going to take the slipplane out,
but we managed to leave it there and put a
speed bump there just so people just walking across that
tiny wee bit. But there are other places, especially where
there's traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings and things like that.
(07:42):
I don't think there's a don't think there's a need
for it. I've talked to a number of bus drivers
and they go, I could tell you where there's something
that we could get out because they're driving them insane.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Have you thought about a traffic light delay instead of
putting speed humps and like doing a three four delay
for each intersection, so if you do get a red
light runner, you're not going to have a car pulling
out in front of them.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Oh, that's that's a good suggestion. We can look at that.
Of course, as long as long as people don't start thinking, no,
I've got an extra three or four seconds here, and
they start doing it, you could end up with a
bit of drama.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Yeah, that's right to you. No, I just thought it
might be a bit more costs effective than putting on
the free hunter that's lining everybody down and vehicles.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
There's one. There's one in Cramford Stretch which drives me insane.
It's it's it's practical. It's not on State Highway one,
but it practically is on everyone that's going out to
Ranguura and and it slows it down, and it's on
a pedestrian, a traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing. So I
cannot see the need for it.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
All right, thanks, thanks, I'm going to come back to
you on on the rates caps. You so feel that
you're in favor of that, But why do you support
it when Treasury is warning that they can have a
serious impact on council credit ratings and make borrowing more expensive.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yes, I understand what you're saying. I've heard Treasury tell
the government that, but sometimes government decides to do what
they're doing. I'm not against it per se, but I
thought you said you are for. I am for if
the government tell us where we'll do it, and I'm
I'm generally for it because it's going to make us
a lot more transparent on some of the things we do.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
So what would you do then if the rates cap
was forced on you and drive the Council into more debt?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Now we've got to be. One of the things which
you're going to ask me, is but the challenges with
the Council going forward, and one of them is going
to be debt when we get round to that question,
because I don't want to see any more debt on
council because we're more than enough as it is, and
that's twenty five cents of every rate dollar that people
pay goes into debt servicing. I'd love the councilor we
have twenty five cents of every rate dollar more to
(09:39):
spend on things.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Lauren Morning, Lauren, Good morning, John, Hi Phil Hello.
Speaker 6 (09:48):
I know that you've answered this question in different forums,
but I still find there's a lot of people are
choosing you of turning down government money for transport. So
for those who haven't heard you answer this before, could
you please explain why you turned down all that money
for transport?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yes, yes, all right. I went to before before the
last general election. I went stood next to Michael Wood
outside the bus exchange and he said, guys, I'm going
to give you seventy eight million dollars, okay, and go
It's okay. It never really eventuated. It was sitting there
in treasury, but then the new election came along and
it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that
(10:27):
that seventy eight million, even though it was in treasury,
it was not going to come our way. So you've
got to remember, and I'm sitting here in John's studio
looking out across the way, the government has spent seventeen
billion dollars on Christchurch Charter, the earthquake. We're I'm looking
at Margaret Mayhear Playground totally paid for by the count
by the government, to Pie Convention Center totally paid for.
(10:49):
Somewhere between a third and a half of the stadium
is totally paid for by the government. Over half of
the Paracori is paid for by the guvernment. We've got
to motorway of the North, motorway of the South, and all
the work that's happening out on Harswall Road, it is
all paid for by the government. So I rang thester
after the election. I said, mate, it wasn't that long,
(11:09):
probably four or five months after cycling Gabriel, when no
starting to get their head into what the damage was
up there, I said, mate, we have had a very
good run by the government. Now I don't mind if
you put you know, we've got new roads and that
all over the place. I don't mind if you put
some of your effort into Hawk's Bay area where those
poor people have got no roads, no so, no power,
no nothing. And when you're happy with them, come back
(11:33):
to us. And I never mentioned the seventy eight million
dollars then and then some of our councilors have gone
ahead and said that they've inflated it up to a
billion dollars. Got no where that's come from. But no,
just on that, I mean just on that film. That's
another example of you making a decision or acting on
behalf of the council without consulting your fellow counselors. Now
(11:58):
I was acting on per half of myself or as me,
because I felt in my heart of hearts it was
the right thing to do for other people who are
a damn sight more in strife than what we were.
We'd had a very good pay out by the government
for a long time when we were looking half good.
Since then, I've been talking to the government. We've got
(12:18):
an extra two hundred and seventy million dollars worth of
roading money from the government for things around christ.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Right now, the point, the point, the point being feeled
is you you are not working. This is you not
working as part the team.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
Now not always working as a team.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
And this this was just.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
A But how did your fellow counselors feel about that?
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Oh they might they might have been a bit upset. Yeah,
But than seventy eight million was never there. Be very
clear with that. It was in treasury back bank account,
but it was never coming to us.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I know, but how how can a mayor act in
such an isolated way?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
It was the right thing to do for the people,
and didual.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Counselors believe that, Ah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I don't know if they did or not. But it
was the right thing to do. We didn't financially get
hamstrung by it because we got more money going oh.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
No, oh no. But I'm just saying, is it still
bothering you? Are you still are you still getting are
you still getting feedback from your fellow counselors unhappy that
you acted on in such an isolated way.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Probably from two of them, the vast majority of them
don't mind.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Morning David, Yeah, hello.
Speaker 7 (13:24):
And hello Fell. Firstly, thank you Fell, and thank you
to Sarah Templeton for the commitment that you've made over
the last three years and obviously still your planues come
back and Sarah wants to be the mayor, so all
the best to both of you. You thing, one thing
that's really sort of shone throughout this is obviously felt.
You've admitted that you're not the best communicator, but I
(13:47):
think your heart's always been in the right place, particularly
with the question of giving back the money or at
least saying to the government that was the right thing
to do. And I think that although John was a
tough on you, I think I would imagine the vast
majority of your counselors would have said that that was
a good thing to do. And speaking of money and savings,
what's really been very evident so is that you've said
(14:11):
that you want to cap rates. You haven't necessarily articulated
it very clearly. However, Cancel the Temperatate has said she
doesn't want to cap rates, and one of the reasons
I think she said is that caving rates could lead
to the poor people that go to the library to
keep warm maybe not having a place to keep warm.
And no, that's a fair sentiment from her.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
What's your question, David?
Speaker 7 (14:32):
Can you can you give any explanation or a detail
fell as to how you see rates actually being capped,
because you don't need to wait for the government to
come along and tell you this. And I'd like to
think that you have the courage to say right now, well,
we're going to proceed regardless of whether the government tells
us too or not.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
David, what's the question? What's the question? What's the question?
Speaker 8 (14:52):
David?
Speaker 7 (14:52):
Can you give that commitment fell to capping rates regardless
of whether the government tells you to or not.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Well, as you know, David, we were six point six percent.
Our rates increase this year. It was a bit higher
last year, but this is the last year that the
STAF comes into play at one point six so we
were hovering around just on five, just under five and
which was a lot better. There were a few councils
lower than us, but it's a lot better than Joe
average council. So I feel we're already down where, somewhere where,
(15:21):
and God knows what the number is that the government
are going to tell us that they want us to
want us to aim for. But we can look at
I know one of the things that I heard the
other day, I say that we're our interests a sorry.
Our insurance premium is around forty million dollars. It's come
through that the next year's premium is actually going to
be quite a bit lower, So we've saved a few
(15:43):
bob there. We can look at what we're spending on
a capital spend, and that's not saying not fixing water
pipes or doing roads, but there's some things that we
can do there that because we never spend all of
what we rate for so we can use that to
pay back towards rates. And there are some assets and
I know I'm not going to get into strategic assets.
There are assets that we've got out of there. Well
(16:04):
I will, I will when you ask me. But there
are assets out there that we we definitely don't need.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
All right, I mean we will get onto the assets.
Thank you David for the call. Interesting you have been
discussing christ at Airport during the campaign and you have
raised the possibility of from selling off or buying the
remainder of CHRISTI At Airport shares and selling them to
(16:32):
night Tahoo. I mean, what's the story there. Have you've
spoken to Nightaho about.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What we've got here? Is we the government have and
listening to David Seymour has been saying we might that
they may sell the they may want to get rid
of it because they are a bit sure to do
as well. So it will come to us first. We
had the right of first refusal and then if we
don't want it it can get put out to others. Okay,
(16:56):
so do we take it so we can get control
of it and then sell some down with a partner
of the South Island rather than the government. The government
causes no grief as owning them. But if they want
to sell them, they're going to land in someone's lap sometime.
It might be a year away, but they could well
end up and we've got to be ready for it
if it comes.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
So have you spoken to Nightahuba.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
People in the organization? Talk to them from Tom Tom?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
What's the response of your head that's.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Still working on. I don't think they haven't shied away
from it's a lot of money. It is a lot
of I don't know, but I know the numbers I
get told is it's a lot of money that's and
whether it's it's us or some to them or whatever,
but together we need to keep control of it in
Southland because.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
How can you say you know the asset sales but
then have this backroom conversation.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
No no, no, no no to asset sales. This is
buying more and it's the same as O'Ryan. I know
that Selwyn from what I hear, Selwyn would be amenable
to selling there a little bit. They've only got ten percent,
eleven percent and if it's going up for sale, we
should be the ones that buy it all right?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
We mentioned what you thought the top two challenges facing
Canterbury or christ which were at the last election. After
a next school I'll ask you what do you think
it is and what they what do you think they
are in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 8 (18:12):
Rich, Yeah, morning John, Morning Phil?
Speaker 3 (18:15):
How are you making about it? I'm marvelous, Yeah with.
Speaker 8 (18:18):
This for Saturday, mate. My question for you is what's
your plan or what when it comes into this next
semeth you're elected, what's your goal to try and bring
unity into the council because in the last you know,
we've got a lot of left and right and it
never seems to be you know when you go look
at Wellington for an example, I want to see what's
your what's your plan? What do you think you'd do
(18:40):
to try and bring the council together? Because I think
rate payers and those are not rate payers are kind
of sick and tighters of divide. So what are you
going to do going forward to bring that?
Speaker 5 (18:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
What I did in the last term, as every three
months or four times a year must be. I had
means and chairs thing where people from the community boards
could come in and members of the public come in
and it worked extremely well. The first one wasn't as
because it was just all me, me, and people were
asking me questions. But the ones after that, I got
heads of service there because a lot of the people
(19:14):
people the questions are sometimes better to be answered by
the people that know their stuff, and so so that
worked that well. And I can well continue to do
more of that sort of stuff because we need to
hear from the community and what they do. One of
the things I'd love to do after after COVID we
got some better off funding and we gave all the
community boards five hundred thousand dollars to spend extra for
(19:36):
three years, and that worked extremely well. I would like
to give the community boards roughly, I will say, is
a guess one hundred thousand dollars a year more?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Can you say that?
Speaker 3 (19:45):
No, Well, it'd have to be there, it'd have to
go too. This is what I would like to see happen,
because that five hundred it solved so much stuff. Like
a community people would go to the community board and so, oh,
we want this, we want this, and then they'd have
to oh, we'll have to put it forward to the council,
and it all takes time. If they've got the money
to put a rubbished in there, or do something there
or whatever, or pay money towards the community patrol cars,
(20:10):
which they did. They did it and they fixed the
problem at the at the source rather than it will
come back to us.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
All right, twenty four to mid days we take a
next call. So the top two challenges facing christ Church
in twenty twenty five, what are they?
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Ah and debt. I really want to get debt under control.
And it's all very well for some people say some
debt is good, but not as much as we've got.
And I'm not getting stuck into previous councils because we
did the right thing after the earthquake. Before the earthquake,
they had no over odd. Now we've got two billion
dollars plus a bit. Let's try and attack some of
that and get it down. And the other thing I wanted.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So what is debt? What is the current debt level?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
About two and a half billion?
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Right. See, I was quite interested that when you came
under fire for not delivering on your rates target after
the last election, you said that, well, that was all
because you had no idea or you won't aware of
what the council debt level was right way back then. Yeah,
I thought that's pretty weird because you had been on
the Finance Committee of Council before the last election. You
(21:12):
were not you were aware of the debt levels.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
No, No, I wasn't on the Finance committee.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Okay, that one, but you I.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Knew we had a fair bit of debt. But of
course it's all very well. When I first got married,
by twenty one grand at three percent, and that thought
I was going to and went to eighteen, I thought
I was going to die. Now on my kids have
got five hundred and twenty grand. The council is no
different as far as cost of living. Christis goes with
the amount of money it's got borrowed and the entrance
rates went.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Okay, So debts, debts, debts and major problem. What are
you going to do about that?
Speaker 3 (21:42):
We've got to be very kept not overcharge our rates
on capital stuff that we don't charge for, keep the
rates down and pay debt off. Sell some I'll show
you an example Litchfield street car pack. Now some people
are going to go, ah, what are we doing here?
During one of the annual plans a number of years ago,
I'd say ninety percent of the councilors put a WE
sticker on the wall and say right, let's get rid
(22:03):
of Lichfield street car pack. We don't need it. If
we sell it and take the money off debt, it
all helps.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
So that's on the cards that Deety is right. What's
the other issue for us in christ.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
The other issue face? What's not an issue? It's we're
coming out of the whole of the earthquake and COVID
and more shootings and fires and stuff like a rocket.
All of the council companies are doing particularly well and
we've got twenty six thousand people at university this year
and by the end of that.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
What's the issue? What's a challenge?
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I we don't want to lose momentum. We've got to
keep going. Christach is in a unique situation where there's
a lot of people moving down from Wellington, a lot
of people moving down from Auckland because they like the
lifestyle here. We haven't done the wall to wall intensification
like the government wanted to slam down on us. So
I don't want to lose that momentum. I think we've
got ten to fifteen years of golden days in front
(22:56):
of us.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So the challenge is debt and not losing momentum. Absolutely
all right, Okay, Don, morning, morning boys. So you've got
them all this morning brilliant.
Speaker 9 (23:12):
I was wondering when someone was going to say that
Phil talking of asset sales and Litchfield Carpark, what's your
take on the clear and obvious fund campaign feared out
and uncertainty that anybody who votes for anything other than
the Labor Green alliances within council is voting for asset sales.
(23:35):
What's the question, Don, Well, what Phil's take on this
obvious election campaign by the left leaning opposition who've been
out there trying to convince the public that if they
vote for anything other than the left leaning candidates out there,
then they're clearly voting those other candidates such as Phil
(23:56):
clearly back asset sales.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
See, I've come out a number of times saying it
got a lot of pressure on Littleton Port. There was
a lot of grief getting around. Now little Import has
made a record profit over the last few months. It's
really good to see one of the things, as what
I've said to you once John, we've got our bine
five eight is hammered into us at Council quite a
(24:20):
bit by a civil defense people. Now, when and if
that happens, and I hope I'm not around, we're going
to need our airport, Ryan and our port in our
total control because that it'll probably be the only main
action area for the whole of the South Island, so
we need to be ready and own it. All the
other ones, I'll just leave them up to Christi City
(24:41):
Holdings that they're doing an excellent job on the other ones,
and if they've come up with an idea of doing something,
they'll bring it to us. But as John would say,
I can't make that decision by myself.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
All right, all right, don Fill, you're in trouble already
with Grahame. He's not happy with the Litzfield street car
park being sold. He uses it every time he comes
into town. He says he can still use it. Prior
to the last election, you said that the council had
to quote cut its cloth. Some examples of you delivering
on that.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Promise, looking at looking at ways that we can make
things cheaper by doing them more more clear, it's not
the right way to say it a lot more efficient,
a lot more productive.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
What are some example take.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
Here's here's the wrong example. Okay, we the wrong here's
the wrong example. Things like we ashfeltered Glendover Road eight
months months ago and then we dig the bloody thing
up to put water mains in.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
So that's actually not that is that is?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
That is bad.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I've got to give you things are changing. Tell me
an example of how you've cut the cloth.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
We've done a lot of work with insurance premiums with
with Sam and he's on finance performance and we're looking
at all the ways we've got to got to make
it so it's easier for people that want to invest
in christ Is to cut the red tape so they
can get people to invest. The more people invest, the
more people put money. That makes more money go around,
so making it easier.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
But have you got an example?
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Ah, not off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
No, all right, morning Andrew.
Speaker 10 (26:15):
OHI how are you good? That's Througod morning ful buddy?
How are you right?
Speaker 11 (26:20):
Spokes of the mayor on the phone before. So, yeah,
I bet I better a better looking my game a
little bit. It's not like I'm just talk with a
john of it.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
You don't want to talk about what's what?
Speaker 11 (26:35):
What's the balance sheet of a crosis Cydney council might
be looking a bit a bit shaky, and you want
to sell the assets off to reduce the debt, to
get the debt levels right down to manage a very
manageable levels in.
Speaker 10 (26:46):
Relation to the that the yields.
Speaker 11 (26:49):
That are being shown by some assets. So maybe the
underperforming assets you want to sell.
Speaker 10 (26:53):
Off and reduce the debt.
Speaker 11 (26:55):
Now, that's all well, and because so we're looking pretty
much you know, unencumbered freehold, et cetera as a city.
But then in time, even if you do win the
next election and the next election, eventually you're going to
be going on, what's stopping another council coming in and saying, oh,
we've got no debt, let's just load ourselves up with
(27:16):
debt and we can buy all this stuff, spend all
this money.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
What's the question, Andrew, Andrew, the.
Speaker 10 (27:20):
Question isn't and then and then we're in the crap
again and we got no assets to sell. So what
the council can the council put in place with large,
very large corporations and they've got bank and they have
banking covenants so that they're not allowed to increase the
debts by certain levels to make sure it's all manageable.
Can the council have any covenants put.
Speaker 11 (27:39):
On their debt levels once they're under control, just so
that we don't get in the situation again.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Yeah, no, you did, right, you say. One of the
things that we've got is with three waters, we decided
to keep all our assets in the house. Other councils
have decided to take their three water, their water department
out and give it to a separate company. And the
challenge there is exactly what you said. The council that's
left with less debt the three Water's it's over there,
(28:07):
they'll go, oh, here's a whole we can fill it
up with with more borrowings. And it's very It is
so easy to borrow money. You walk past the door
of the bank, they throw the stuff at you. At
the moment, you've got to be hard nosed and say, look,
let's live live within our means. I always use this analogy,
like if if you buy some paint and paint your
front fence, and on the tin it says after ten
(28:29):
years you're going to have to repaint it. If you
get to the tenth year and you look at it,
and you go, oh no, I can get another five
years out of that just because the computer saies or
the tiny.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Jump it goes jump in their field because you don't
don't waste money because you are very good with the analogies,
but you weren't able to tell me a few minutes ago,
or give them a few minutes ago an example of
how the council has cut its cloth. You know, I mean,
we can try odd analogies until the cows come home,
but you don't seem to be able to with an example.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
We have got. We've got changes in council up up
the top end is changing the way we think and
getting silos out of the way. That's how we're going
to change it. So it can make council flow easier,
to be able to make it easier for people, and
that will save money and it make us cut out clock.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
But you haven't been able to do that yet.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
We'll take take right. Here's another example. Take the likes
of the norwest Ark cycle way. Right now. I've built
a few roads in my time and cycleways and stuff
like that cycleway is a glorified footpath. It's just a
bit of ashfelt. It's it's not hard. We spend three
million dollars with a consulting number of consulting firms to
design that one.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Oh I get, I'm just saying I'm.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Going to gending money on that and do it in
the house. And then we got I was.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Going to jump in for because people will tell me
if I'm wrong. But it just seems to be an
endless cycle of analogies and stories that you that you
come up with, but you don't seem to be able
to deliver genuine examples of where this cost cutting and
where this cost savings have been achieved. Yes, yes, yes
(30:01):
we have you give me one.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Take the likes of that that that's and so wasting
spending three million dollars on that. We save that money
by doing it in house. We're doing a lot more
stuff in house. We're spending fifteen grand an hour on consultants.
A lot of that has been backed off and it's
and it's coming back in house. Take the likes of
where we did cut our cloth. We used to have
our grass being mode by a firm from Auckland and
(30:26):
a firm from Dunedin. We got rid of all that,
bought it in house, took seventy new a lot of
young people on and we now do it in house
and it's far better trust and confidence and counsel on
all our receives.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
It's all right, brilliant Phil. During your time as Meyre,
what have you done to try and sort out the
code red situation at Christ's Hospital?
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Well, I went down to I went down to ED
and saw a lovely lady, Laura, and it happened to
be it was when we were doing the alcohol policy.
She said, please come down and see how much damage
alcohol's doing so and so we went down and had
a looking. She said, ah, this, you should come down
more often because there's no one here which to be
(31:06):
knowing there.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
I just want to know that what you've done, what
you've done, because it was a real problem.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
It is a real problem. It's a government problem. But
we have to help the government in any way we
can to help them get in there, and not that
it helps the ED itself, but getting a little bit
of car parking there and working about other car parking
here and there to get it easier for nurses to
go there and stay. But the people going on, what
have you done? I can't I can't do anything I
(31:31):
can just work.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I mean, you said you said it would be a
year ago that you're going to talk to the health minister,
right to the health and talked to me. And what's
come of that?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
He's well, you can see he's working on You see
him on that. This is some me and you're talking
about now. He's what you see him on the on
the news. What he's doing and what he's trying to do.
It is a fantastically big animal that he's got. He's
been thrown into and I sort of take hatof to
him for trying to fix it.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
So it's come of it.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Nothing yet.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
It's seven to twelve.
Speaker 8 (32:04):
Well in Greek, Yeah, hi John, the high felve.
Speaker 12 (32:08):
Just some very quick questions. Some years ago, the Dalai
Lama came here, the Angel Zel refused to meet him
because she didn't want to offend the Chinese Communist government.
And the other question is do you sign up jubiled
and signing up for climate change and urgencies.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
We the Council, or the whole Council itself signed up
for the climate change Emergency, and that's why we've got
to work towards getting our greenhouse gases down. That's why
I'm and I'll say it again, I'm an absolute hydrogen nut.
And there's a conference on in the city at the
moment about hydrogen and things are going to change very
quickly as far as hydrogen goes. For getting our greenhouse
(32:46):
gases down, wastewater treatment plants, I said before, that's really
it's all helping, So no one's sitting on their hands.
Everyone has now got more of a focus on it
than we did in the past. Dalai Lama, I'll go
by what my civic and international relations people tell me
because it is it is.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
Well.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Sarah Templeton said that this is what you're asking Greek.
Sarah Templetons said the other day it should be more
than happy to meet with the Dylan Lama.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I'm on the happy to meet with anyone. But it
comes down to the civical and international people that we've
got on staff. I'm guided by them.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
What does that mean?
Speaker 6 (33:24):
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (33:26):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (33:28):
It means that if we if I don't want to
stuff things up in a political sort of sense, We've
got good relationships with everyone that we deal with, every
overseas consulate, especially China here and Christians because it's got
New Zealand one here, and you just don't.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
You've got to be careful.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
You don't go racing in like I do with other things.
You go in and just diplomatically do it because you
could stuff things up in the big rush.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
All right, thanks Greg. One more question, rate Parer money
going into the cathedral you seem to be or for
that film? Is that right? Is it?
Speaker 3 (34:06):
It's it's we've got we've got four things. We've got
the cathedral, we've got the museum, We've got another one
is Provincial Chambers and Center Center. All of those have
got work being done on them, and they need to
have some money throwing out in god Age where it's
(34:28):
going to come from. But getting back to the cathedral,
I think what they've come up with with backing off
and not trying to go a bridge too far and
actually get the main bit done and get people in there.
And once people are in there and they can look
through windows into the into the bit that's not finished.
It might take one decade, it might take two decades
to finish it, but at least get it done because
(34:48):
the cathedral is the hub of the city and while
we've still got that fence round it, it's it's not good.
So I take my hat off of them for having
coming up with a fantastic option to make it a
lot cheaper.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
But you want, for example, more more money from rappayers
to get the job over the line.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Yet, well not me. I wouldn't go out and do
it by myself. Johnavan In controul. We have to go
through the council. But I would be very keen for
us to get the get the cathedral work towards with
them and the government of course, to get that finished,
as well as putting some money towards the museum. It's
got it's got to come from somewhere.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
And what if the government says we're not going to
put any money into it.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Ah, I think they would be. The difference is it's
going to be the new part of the cathedral is
going to be more of a community space rather than
a full blown church, and the government looking at that.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Right, we've got thirty seconds. Why do you want to
be marror again?
Speaker 3 (35:43):
I love it. It's great. I've got two brothers and
sister and they look at me. So you've got bloody
little younger than me, you have bloody rocks in your head.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I think that might be what the mayor says as well.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
It has been known to happen.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
She's learned a lot about Netflix here I us. She's
an expert to tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
Yeah, but it's and I've got extremely good people around
me in council and good good. It's good and if
it's good for Christ, which I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
I love it all the very best.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Thank you about it, and I'll hopefully see you Monday.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
All right, Phil Major, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, Listen live
to news Talks and Be Christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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