Christchurch City Council owns a 75 per cent stake in the airport via Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL), a company created to be a non-political buffer between the council and its businesses. Hayward described the decision to spend public money without a public rationale or business plan as “extraordinary”, and called for the council to be accountable by debating the project publicly. “For a healthy democracy sunlight is always the best medicine.”
Neill Williams
A jet-capable airport is proposed for the Tarras farmland on the other side of the Clutha River. Hayward was also concerned about the council using CCHL as an “arms’ length trading body investing in research and development in a way that was not transparent”, likening it to a “common land-bank”.
John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff
Councillor Yani Johanson put forward three amendments to give extra feedback to CCHL over its statement of intent – but only one of them passed. On Thursday, councillor Yani Johanson put forward three issues he wanted the council to give formal feedback to CCHL on. His proposals were debated and then voted on, with a majority of councillors needing to support each proposal in order for them to be included in the feedback. The first related to senior executive remuneration. Johanson said the ratepayer-owned companies had not done enough in regard to a previous council call for restraint. He wanted clear targets set to reduce remuneration.
STUFF
A proposed airport in Central Otago was the target of an Extinction Rebellion protest at the Christchurch City Council. (Video first published in December 2020) Johanson said he had a number of concerns about the new airport, although other councillors have backed away from his amendment. The vote will take place on May 13 and requires support from a majority of councillors to pass. The vote was pushed back on Thursday because staff from holding company Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) were not available to answer questions.
Jo McKenzie-McLean/Stuff CCHL was established to create a non-political buffer between the council and its trading businesses.
HAMISH MCNEILLY/STUFF
Felicia Scherrer, of the Living Wage Movement, discusses Dunedin becoming an accredited living wage council. (Video first published September 2019) CCHL is the majority shareholder in eight companies – including Lyttelton Port Company, Citycare, Christchurch International Airport and EcoCentral – but the living wage was expected to mostly affect Citycare and EcoCentral. In 2018, it was estimated about 130 employees across the CCHL group would be eligible for the living wage. It would only apply to direct employees, not contractors. Living Wage Aotearoa chairwoman Gina Lockyer said employers needed to think about their workers when promises were not kept. “When a council makes a decision or a commitment, it’s the low paid workers being impacted.”