Imperator Fish: Let’s hear them out

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, December 24th, 2014 - 12 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags: ,

Reposted from Imperator Fish. Scott kindly lets us syndicate his posts.

Sky City wants the taxpayer to help cover the increased cost to build its new Auckland convention centre.

Sky City agreed to build the convention centre in return for the government giving the casino a licence extension and allowing it to operate more gaming machines.

But the deal was based on a $402 million build cost. Now that cost has apparently blown out by tens of millions of dollars, and Sky City wants the government to fund the increase.

This is bad news, and we are entitled to ask why we should be paying a cent for the new complex. But we do need a large convention centre in Auckland, because I heard someone say we do.

So let’s not rush to judgement. Let’s look at what needs to be done and think through the options. Let’s listen to what Sky City has to say and how the casino is able to explain the blowout. There really is no call for any sort of knee-jerk reaction.

So let’s hear them out. Let’s hear what they have to say.

Then let’s tell them to fuck off.

 

12 comments on “Imperator Fish: Let’s hear them out ”

  1. ghostwhowalksnz 1

    If a convention centre is needed, then turn the existing casino into one.

    Seems ideal to me.
    Large open spaces. Tick
    Hotels. Tick

    When did their existing casino license expire again ?

  2. her 2

    First the govt gives them TVNZ. Then it turns out they aren’t even building it on that land. Now they want more money?

    I hope someone is getting kickbacks because it is hard to believe they could just be that incompetent.

    • Murray Rawshark 2.1

      If you’ve ever personally known someone who went into Tory politics, it’s difficult to believe they could be any less incompetent. Too many Kiwis automatically believe whatever someone in a flash suit says, rather than analysing the actual words.

  3. Ian mac 3

    Brilliant summation!

  4. Rob 5

    Didn’t JK do the deal
    So it must be watertight
    We will all be winners won’t we?

  5. b waghorn 6

    We’ll aukshuuly we won’t contribute any money

    NEC minute

    We’re accessing whether we should help them

    A small time later

    Well you see it’s important this building gets built

  6. Stuart Munro 7

    If we pay for it we’d better own it…

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      We were always going to pay for it. Now it looks like we’ll be paying for it a little bit more directly.

  7. Lab/Green election promises?
    * turn this albatross into social housing
    * double tax on all forms of gambling
    * inquiry into Joyce’s murky dealings with sky city, radio works, god knows what else.

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