Submission
Which option do you prefer?
Further comment
It is the acme of foolishness to sell an asset that is fundamentally necessary to residents of Dunedin, who cannot live without he power grid. If Aurora has been badly managed because of poor decision making, then it's time to restructure the leadership. Kicking the can of infrastructure down the road has obviously failed ratepayers, many of whom are (apparently) stupid enough to want short-term savings despite the long-term consequences. It makes sense to me for DCC to retain ownership of what should be an easy enough asset to run efficiently, and an asset whose value can only increase over time. The top priority for DCC should not be to squeeze a dividend out of Aurora (as that's essentially squeezing a dividend out of ratepayers), but instead to run an essential service well enough that it breaks even, provides value to ratepayers, and continues to appreciate over time. Selling it will, apparently, barely cover the debt you have allowed it to accumulate, and it will also DEFINITELY result in increased costs to electricity users. How could this possibly be a good outcome for any of us? One wonders whether any members of the Council may have personal investments that might stand to benefit from the acquisition of a major electricity supply infrastructure. Given how the Wellington government is now doing all the same sorts of things to undermine public ownership of essential assets and resources, I'm sad to think we're headed back to the 1980s and all the bad outcomes that eventuated from all those short-sighted decisions. Don't do this.
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Submitter
Submission id number: 1039188
Submitter name:
Daniel Osland
Organisation