Ian Pottinger: Invercargill City Councillor says $2m clocktower renovation is unnecessary

Belief from an Invercargill City Councillor the city doesn't need to rebuild its clock tower.

The council plans to spend two million dollars on the renovation work in Wachner Place.

Councillor Ian Pottinger says he believes the money could be spent on other things.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the money could go to a local high school which wants improved road safety.

Pottinger says councillors were told they don't have money in the bank for that work, and would need to go and find funding.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's a heated debate in the Cargo over city council
plans to spend two million dollars on a clock tower.
The council's paying two mil nearby Distinction Hotel is stumping
up another two mil. Ian Pottinger is a city councilor
and is with us. Now, Hi Ian, Hi there Ian.
Why are you guys wanting to build a clock tower
in twenty twenty six when everyone knows the time because
we've got cell phones with the time on it.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Great, great question. Well, especially in the time where central
government want in councils to look at rate capping and
spending prudently. The actual the actual need for the clock
is no more. It's currently a hole in the ground
covered by a topple and fences. What it was put

(00:43):
there for years ago was that particular end of Esk
Street now where a Distinction hotel sits beautifully was sort
of how do we cover it up the type thing,
and it was put there with other other hideaway stuff
just so you don't see anything behind it. That's all gone.

(01:06):
Now we have a beautiful, beautiful new hotel, beautifully paved walkways,
a new city mall, no need whatsoever for this clock.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Okay, now, am I right in understanding that this is
a council that actually can't afford some traffic lights?

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Correct? In the meeting on Tuesday, we had two public submitters.
One was a local junior high school that have a
precarious four lane road going past one side of their
school with a pedestrian crossing, and so they were wanting
quite illuminated please slow down stop sort of lights whatever

(01:48):
the experts put in, and that obviously at council expense,
which we expect to do and we have to. We
were told we have to go and try and find
funding for this, you know, from New Zeale and trans
or we don't have money in the bank, effectively. The
other one was a group of local young people who

(02:09):
were wanting bus shelters so they could wait for the
bus without getting rained on, you know, which is a
reasonable requestion in the cargo. Both those were submitters that day,
and then right at the end we see this folly
of the two million dollar clock, and I just had
to say, excuse me, you know, it's dat.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, good luck with it, Ian, I'm glad you're calling
it what it actually is. Ian Potter, And just in
the Cargo City councilor.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
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