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Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Big opposition to joint water CCO
A sample of submissions for a joint local government water initiative suggests officials may have a fight on their hands. The Clutha District Council meets in Balclutha today for hearings on its Southern Water Done Well proposals. Thirty-three groups and individuals are scheduled to speak to their submissions regarding the proposals, under which Clutha would join forces with the Waitaki, Central Otago and Gore District Councils to manage water services infrastructure and delivery. The council received 393 submissions during consultation, of which only the 33 from those speaking to their submissions have been made public. Of those, 29 (88%) opposed Clutha forming a jointly council-controlled organisation (CCO), the preferred option put forward by all four councils in the group. Only four favoured a joint or stand-alone CCO model, some with modifications. During consultation, Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan described the joint CCO as the "least bad" solution to the latest central government push for water reform. Documents showed the four councils collectively accruing $598 million of water infrastructure debt by 2034, as they expected to spend $760m on providing improved water services in line with more stringent regulations. At the time, Mr Cadogan said the joint CCO could lead to modest efficiencies and savings for ratepayers. Other options included formation of a stand-alone CCO, or an in-house business unit. Mr Cadogan warned these options could consign Clutha to insolvency during the next decade, due to mounting infrastructure debt. Submissions against the joint council-controlled organisation cited "loss of local control" and "lack of transparency" as concerns. Submitter Alex de Boer, of Owaka, said centralisation had been demonstrated not to work. "The sums show very little advantage in rating by 2033-34. "Combining with other areas will cause loss of focus on our unique issues. "Centralisation did not work for the polytechs, hospital boards or the Auckland 'Super City'. Rates rose a lot." Council deputy chief executive Jules Witt said yesterday the council could not comment on the overall split of submissions until the hearings had been completed. "Council is still in the process of collating and analysing the submissions received. The submissions are part of the overall decision-making process of council," he said. The Waitaki, Central Otago and Gore District Councils are also seeking feedback on the proposals at present. The government will assess the council's resulting water services delivery plan and provide feedback from December. If approved, a jointly owned CCO would begin operation in July 2027.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Frustration vented at ‘southern water' meeting
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan. Photo: Richard Davison Residents and officials alike voiced their frustration with the "untenable" financial pressures expected to arise from the government's Local Water Done Well programme, at a public meeting in Balclutha last night. The Clutha District Council is holding three meetings across the district this week as part of public consultation on the National government's replacement for Three Waters. The meetings - in Milton on Monday, Balclutha yesterday and tonight in Tapanui - are taking place against the backdrop of Clutha's proposal to join Central Otago, Gore and Waitaki in a new "Southern Water Done Well" group. Consultation documents show the four councils collectively accruing $598 million of water infrastructure debt by 2034, as they spend $760 million on providing improved water services in line with more stringent government regulations. Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said the proposal to join forces with neighbouring councils was the "least bad" solution, that could lead to modest efficiencies and savings for ratepayers. "Going alone consigns communities to further financial hardship. The almost decade-long chops and changes to these reforms have only weakened councils and cost ratepayers. It's imperative that this matter is brought to a head," he said. Audience members questioned both whether the level of anticipated debt was necessary or possibly underestimated. Mr Cadogan said the projected debt had been reduced recently, due to government changes to wastewater requirements, but remained necessary as it spread the rates burden for residents. Some expressed doubt whether joining forces with other councils would in fact reduce rates, citing the Auckland "supercity" amalgamation, which they said had failed to do so. Council staff said the proposal was expected to lead to reductions in bureaucracy, and existing debt would be ring-fenced within any new entity. These measures should lead to cost savings, and no unanticipated debt increase. The group's preferred option is to form a jointly-owned council controlled organisation (CCO). Other options include a stand-alone CCO, or an in-house business unit. Mr Cadogan warned these options could consign Clutha to insolvency during the next decade, due to mounting infrastructure debt. Submissions close on June 6, followed by hearings in Balclutha on June 18. The government will assess the council's resulting Water Services Delivery Plan and provide feedback from December. If approved, a jointly-owned CCO would begin operation in July, 2027. A final public meeting takes place at the West Otago Community Centre, Tapanui, at 6.30pm today.
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
‘Reflection' of cost tensions
Bryan Cadogan. PHOTO: ODT FILES. Low resident satisfaction in a recent council survey is a reflection of escalating cost tensions, the Clutha district's mayor says. The Clutha District Council released its annual resident survey this week, which it has been running since 2013. Last year, satisfaction in the council plummeted and, despite a slight increase in the headline figure for overall council performance in the latest survey, Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said work remained to be done. "This will be the last time I'm in the mayoral hot seat to receive the survey results. It's a very trying time currently with the vice that Three Waters has us in, and these results are a clear reflection of that," he said. He said he and councillors were "as frustrated" as all ratepayers by rapidly escalating rates. Some Clutha ratepayers are facing 25%-plus rises this year. "It's a ridiculous situation all councils have been put in [by central government]. But we have to address the issues in front of us, and we continue to look for solutions and savings every day, by going through everything with a fine-tooth comb." Satisfaction in decision-making, planning and leadership of elected members was up from 47% to 53%, and overall satisfaction in the council also up, from 55% to 60%. In contrast to the dissatisfaction with elected members, council staff received a glowing report. Satisfaction with delivery of "quality of life" services uniformly topped 90%. Among the highest performers were libraries (97%); Balclutha Pool (95%); community centres and halls (95%); and parks and reserves (94%). Mr Cadogan said residents had an opportunity to contribute to the future of water decision-making at present. Local Water Done Well submissions are open until June 6. • Local Water Done Well consultation meetings take place next week at Milton Coronation Hall on Monday; TPŌMA Balclutha on Tuesday; and West Otago Community Centre, Tapanui on Wednesday (all 6.30pm).
Indianapolis Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
GoFundMe turns 15: CEO Tim Cadogan speaks on $40 billion raised, platform's future
Show Caption LOS ANGELES − When Tim Cadogan took the reins as CEO of GoFundMe in March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep across the world and would soon set the tone for the start of his tenure. "I came in knowing that GoFundMe was an important part of people's lives but the level of need and the way people were able to help each other in the pandemic took it to a whole different level," Cadogan said in an interview with USA TODAY. The company he helms crosses the 15-year milestone May 6 and announced that it has raised $40 billion in that time, a figure he says does not capture the whole of the generosity that the company facilitates. "I wish I had a way of quantifying the love and care that was connected to the $40 billion because the number is easy to count. The love and care isn't easy to count, but it's huge," Cadogan said. Cadogan said that the next frontier for GoFundMe was normalizing asking for help. "Fifteen years ago, if I had said, '(we're) going to have a business where you're going to get in the back seat of strangers cars,' you would have said, 'you're bananas,'" he said. "Now it's called Uber, right? We hope to do something like that, but for help, where it's perfectly okay to ask for help anything that matters in your life, whether it be for an organization or a need that you have." As a part of the anniversary, the company unveiled GoFundMe Pro, a platform aimed at helping nonprofits fundraise. "We're pretty excited about empowering a whole lot more, hopefully many millions, more best friends at the organizations that are out there that people care about," Cadogan said. GoFundMe CEO sees larger international footprint, greater institutional giving Cadogan said he wants to see giving increase from its current rate of 2% of the country's gross domestic product. "We think that we can change that by making it even more personal, bring more people into asking for help, and allow more people to lean into their natural inclination to want to help," he said. Cadogan pointed to technology, including AI, included in the Pro platform that the company says will make it easier for individuals and nonprofits to ask for donations. He said that the platform would offer nonprofits tools that can mobilize a community, even if they don't have an online presence. "We're working really hard on how to make it easier to ask for help, whether that be for yourself, a friend, a relative, an organization that you care about," Cadogan said. "Once you open that door and you ask for help, you do the brave thing, all the help comes in." He also pointed to potential expansion into new markets for the company, recognizing that expanding beyond the 20 countries it currently operates in will take time. "It takes a little while for a market to get going, and then it really starts to accelerate. For example, Germany was a market that initially, folks were a little bit skeptical, but now it's accelerated," Cadogan said. Los Angeles fires impacts GoFundMe CEO Cadogan was forced to evacuate during the deadly Eaton Fire that swept through Altadena in January. While he didn't lose his home in the blaze, a colleague on the search and rescue team he volunteers for did. Cadogan set up a fundraiser for both his colleague and the search and rescue team and said that it reinforced the role GoFundMe Pro could play in helping people get back on their feet. "It reinforced the intensity of how important this is, this mosaic of support. It really brought that home to me, that there is no one answer," Cadogan said. "The more that we can do to help our organizations succeed alongside the individual funds like that's such an important thing."
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
GoFundMe turns 15: CEO Tim Cadogan speaks on $40 billion raised, platform's future
GoFundMe turns 15: CEO Tim Cadogan speaks on $40 billion raised, platform's future Show Caption Hide Caption Watch a hard-working 90-year-old veteran surprised with huge donation A 90-year-old Air Force veteran working at a New Orleans, Louisianna grocery store receives a life-changing GoFundMe donation. LOS ANGELES − When Tim Cadogan took the reins as CEO of GoFundMe in March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep across the world and would soon set the tone for the start of his tenure. "I came in knowing that GoFundMe was an important part of people's lives but the level of need and the way people were able to help each other in the pandemic took it to a whole different level," Cadogan said in an interview with USA TODAY. The company he helms crosses the 15-year milestone May 6 and announced that it has raised $40 billion in that time, a figure he says does not capture the whole of the generosity that the company facilitates. "I wish I had a way of quantifying the love and care that was connected to the $40 billion because the number is easy to count. The love and care isn't easy to count, but it's huge," Cadogan said. Cadogan said that the next frontier for GoFundMe was normalizing asking for help. "Fifteen years ago, if I had said, '(we're) going to have a business where you're going to get in the back seat of strangers cars,' you would have said, 'you're bananas,'" he said. "Now it's called Uber, right? We hope to do something like that, but for help, where it's perfectly okay to ask for help anything that matters in your life, whether it be for an organization or a need that you have." As a part of the anniversary, the company unveiled GoFundMe Pro, a platform aimed at helping nonprofits fundraise. "We're pretty excited about empowering a whole lot more, hopefully many millions, more best friends at the organizations that are out there that people care about," Cadogan said. GoFundMe CEO sees larger international footprint, greater institutional giving Cadogan said he wants to see giving increase from its current rate of 2% of the country's gross domestic product. "We think that we can change that by making it even more personal, bring more people into asking for help, and allow more people to lean into their natural inclination to want to help," he said. Cadogan pointed to technology, including AI, included in the Pro platform that the company says will make it easier for individuals and nonprofits to ask for donations. He said that the platform would offer nonprofits tools that can mobilize a community, even if they don't have an online presence. "We're working really hard on how to make it easier to ask for help, whether that be for yourself, a friend, a relative, an organization that you care about," Cadogan said. "Once you open that door and you ask for help, you do the brave thing, all the help comes in." He also pointed to potential expansion into new markets for the company, recognizing that expanding beyond the 20 countries it currently operates in will take time. "It takes a little while for a market to get going, and then it really starts to accelerate. For example, Germany was a market that initially, folks were a little bit skeptical, but now it's accelerated," Cadogan said. Los Angeles fires impacts GoFundMe CEO Cadogan was forced to evacuate during the deadly Eaton Fire that swept through Altadena in January. While he didn't lose his home in the blaze, a colleague on the search and rescue team he volunteers for did. Cadogan set up a fundraiser for both his colleague and the search and rescue team and said that it reinforced the role GoFundMe Pro could play in helping people get back on their feet. "It reinforced the intensity of how important this is, this mosaic of support. It really brought that home to me, that there is no one answer," Cadogan said. "The more that we can do to help our organizations succeed alongside the individual funds like that's such an important thing."
