Latest news with #MaxFrethey
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
AI Gun Video Of Nelson Councillor Campbell Rollo Sparks Warning For Voters
Article – Max Frethey – Local Democracy Reporter The councillor says voters should always look for an authorisation statement or something that's genuine. Nelson City councillor Campbell Rollo has condemned an 'AI-generated' video of him that was posted to social media. The video, which featured the first-term councillor shooting a military-style firearm, was uploaded to a Nelson community Facebook page on Friday, but was later taken down. It had been posted by an account called Nelson NZ Video Game Buyer, with a caption: 'This is who your [sic] voting for Nelson community! How shameful, encouraging violence!' Rollo said the video was generated by artificial intelligence and was 'quite taken back' when he saw the video online. 'The video was not real. It was generated by someone using my Facebook picture without my knowledge.' A watermark reading ' – a generative AI website – appeared in the corner of the video, and the backdrop and clothing being worn by Rollo in the video match his Facebook profile image. 'I literally had no idea where it had come from. I quickly went back and kind of scrolled over it; could tell quite quickly it was AI-generated,' he said. 'I really just think someone was having a wee bit of fun. But yeah, in hindsight, probably a bit too far.' He said it was worrying to see that some commenters had wondered if the video was real and urged residents to be 'very mindful' of online content, especially as the local election approaches. 'If you see something come up of a political figure or someone who's running for council, I would certainly be looking for an authorisation statement or something that's genuine.' Nelson Mayor Nick Smith echoed Rollo's concerns. He said it was a good thing the video was 'so fake' and that most people would be able to determine the post was made by 'somebody being mischievous'. 'However, it's a real warning, particularly as we go into the local elections, for people to be cautious of false claims being made to besmirch people and to influence how they vote.' Smith added that Rollo, the Tāhunanui liaison councillor, was 'very effective' in his role. 'He's done a great job for Tāhunanui and associating him with gun violence is very unfair.' After the video was taken down, Rollo found the outpouring of support from residents and his fellow elected members 'super humbling'. 'The amount of phone calls and messages I had from people just reaching out, making sure I was okay. It's quite cool,' he said. 'At the end of the day, we are humans that are trying to do the best we can for the community.'
1News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
'Intensification on steroids': Nelson housing plan rejected
Nelson's ability to provide enough homes over the next 30 years is now uncertain after the city council's housing density plans were largely rejected. For almost two years, Nelson City Council has been working on Plan Change 29 – a controversial overhaul of its planning rules to make it easier to build high-density housing across the city. But many of the council's goals have since fallen over after the hearing panel that oversaw the process recommended that most of the plan change's proposals be rejected. Nelson's elected members accepted the panel's recommendation today which saw many elements of the plan formally scrapped. Opposition to the plan was widespread and vocal as submitters sought to protect their sunlight access, and councillors' commentaries often declared the result a win for residents. ADVERTISEMENT Mayor Nick Smith said the council had overreached by proposing "intensification on steroids". (Source: LDR / Max Frethey) Mayor Nick Smith described the plan as 'intensification on steroids' and said the council needed to learn from the 'strong kickback' from the public and engage earlier with the community in the future. Included in the scrapped measures were residential zones and overlays that would have allowed buildings of up to six storeys to be built on some sites without a resource consent. The changes that weren't rejected will focus intensification in the inner city and city fringe, and most natural hazard provisions were also kept. Councillor Pete Rainey said the changes for the central city were a 'really positive step in the right direction' but added that 'the issues facing the city are not going to go away. We need to do something about them'. More than 1200 households in need of affordable housing – survey The council's original proposal was deeply unpopular, with hundreds gathering to oppose the plan in September 2023. (Source: LDR / Max Frethey) ADVERTISEMENT A recent Nelson Tasman Housing Trust survey showed that 1222 households in the region were currently in need of affordable housing. Under the council's revised planning rules which have now largely been rejected, the number of commercially feasible dwellings over the next 30 years was expected to climb by 23,450 for attached homes and 6825 for detached dwellings. But the current planning rules only enabled 6500 attached and 3175 detached dwellings over the same period. Now that most of the new rules have been rejected, council staff were unsure how many extra dwellings would be feasible. Even though the changes for the inner city and city fringe were approved, they're only expected to provide 'relatively modest' boost for capacity. Housing demand was still expected to be met until 2027, but council staff were uncertain if the limited changes agreed to today would be able to meet Nelson's housing need over the next 30 years. The council had originally proposed the planning changes to adequately cater for growth as required by the 2020 National Policy Statement on Urban Development. ADVERTISEMENT However, the hearing panel's recommendation to reject large parts of the council's plan change essentially boiled down to the proposal not adequately considering urban form and amenity value provisions that were outlined in the council's own 1997 regional policy statement. That determination from the panel would be embarrassing for the council as it had paused work on updating its regional policy statement in 2021, which had been drafted and would have likely allowed many of the intensification proposals to go ahead. The pause was attributed to ongoing uncertainty from central government about Resource Management Act reform. Not the end of intensification Deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens said the city's intensification didn't end with the Plan Change 29 process. (Source: LDR / Max Frethey ) Several councillors said the fault lay with the elected members of the current and previous councils who pushed on with the process despite the uncertainty. Smith added that the process had shown the 'fundamental problem' of the Resource Management Act, which needed to be reformed. ADVERTISEMENT 'Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in investment, and some of the very best experts in the RMA… we've been tripped up by provisions that date back to 1997.' But despite the hurdles, elected members were clear that today's rejection of these specific higher-density zones was not the end of intensification in Nelson. The region's future development strategy expects about 78% of Nelson's long-term growth to be accommodated by intensification. 'We need to engage strongly with our community to shape future work, whilst acknowledging that status quo is not a static option,' said deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens. 'Together, we can find a way forward that we can all be proud of.' The decisions are expected to be formally notified to the public on Tuesday, starting a 30-working day period where appeals can be lodged to the Environment Court. Approved changes: ADVERTISEMENT Increased building heights and revised development standards for the inner city and city fringe to enable greater residential and commercial development Updated flood, fault, and liquefaction hazard overlays and associated rules New provisions allowing papakāinga development within the inner city and suburban commercial zones Amended provisions for the Manuka St hospital site to provide opportunities to enable the on-going operation of the facility Rezoning of the St Vincent and Vanguard St industrial area from industrial to inner city fringe to allow more diverse and intensive land uses in this key location. Rejected changes: The general, medium, and high-density residential zones and their related rules for housing development Increased building heights in suburban commercial areas Most heritage changes, including the removal of the Church Hill view shaft The state highway noise overlay The slope hazard overlays and its associated rules. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Lease To Return ‘Kiwi Camping' To Nelson
Article – Max Frethey – Local Democracy Reporter Nelson's Maitai Valley Camp has a new lessee and the company hopes to bring 'traditional Kiwi camping' back to the city. A new lease has been signed for the Maitai Valley Camp and the company that's taking over wants to see a return of 'traditional Kiwi camping' in the city. Nelson City Council has been managing the camp, but Kiwi Cash Limited, trading as Penny will take over on 1 June. Penny founder Chris Wagner said the Nelson Tasman region has been on the company's radar 'for some time'. 'We're really, really looking forward to it. If there was any spot to have it in New Zealand, having one in Nelson, and especially up the Maitai [Valley], is just awesome.' Wagner said that many travellers skip Nelson – 'vis-à-vis they come off the ferry and they go to Queenstown' – and he hopes to attract more visitors to the region. The Maitai Valley was 'absolutely beautiful' with great activities, like the nearby mountain bike trails and golf course, but was generally 'underused', and Wagner hoped a refreshed campground will encourage more visitors and locals to explore the area. He thought that 'traditional Kiwi camping' has been eroded around the country, and Penny hopes to offer that experience in Nelson. 'When I was a kid, we used to go out fishing, we used to light a fire, we used to be taught how to do it safely and properly… getting taught how to make a bivvy out of trees, getting taught how to hang your own hammock, and stuff like that,' Wagner said. 'Those kinds of spaces are getting lost, and that's kind of what we're really [promoting], is the idea of actually getting people to have that experience and get out of the comfort zone.' The council has undertaken $1.8 million of campground upgrades over the last two years, such as a complete replacement of the sewer system to enable the number of visitors being lifted from 80 to 400 campers a night. Other improvements include a new barbeque and picnic area, relocated cabins, and new taps and caravan dump stations. Penny also had plans for other installations, like a new playground, and its use of automated systems and a light presence on the ground aims to ensure that campsites are offered at 'reasonable' prices based on hiring the site, rather than per person fees. 'We're going to try and provide facilities and activities for Nelsonians to actually go up there and enjoy it,' Wagner said. Long-term residents at the campground aren't expected to see any 'dramatic changes', but will get upgraded Wi-Fi, fixed toilet blocks, and a new laundry machine to 'life the site up', he added. Wagner and Mayor Nick Smith signed the five-year lease, which includes the right to a five-year renewal, last week. Smith has welcomed the lease, saying running campgrounds are not the council's core business despite their importance to local tourism. 'By investing in upgrades and partnering with experienced operators like Penny, we're delivering real benefits for the city and our visitor infrastructure,' he said. 'Both the Brook and Maitai campgrounds have previously made losses and required significant upgrades after many years of deferred maintenance. Last year, we successfully leased the Brook campground to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust and since then camper reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're aiming for the same here.' The campground's rent is set at $40,000 plus GST for the first year, with subsequent years being either the base fee or 9.75% of the camp's gross income, whichever was higher. Kevrol Limited held the lease for the campground for 17 years. When the lease expired in 2022, they did not want to enter into a new lease as the company was moving away from the area. The council has run the campground since.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Lease To Return ‘Kiwi Camping' To Nelson
Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 8:12 pm Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter A new lease has been signed for the Maitai Valley Camp and the company that's taking over wants to see a return of 'traditional Kiwi camping' in the city. Nelson City Council has been managing the camp, but Kiwi Cash Limited, trading as Penny will take over on 1 June. Penny founder Chris Wagner said the Nelson Tasman region has been on the company's radar 'for some time'. 'We're really, really looking forward to it. If there was any spot to have it in New Zealand, having one in Nelson, and especially up the Maitai [Valley], is just awesome.' Wagner said that many travellers skip Nelson – 'vis-à-vis they come off the ferry and they go to Queenstown' – and he hopes to attract more visitors to the region. The Maitai Valley was 'absolutely beautiful' with great activities, like the nearby mountain bike trails and golf course, but was generally 'underused', and Wagner hoped a refreshed campground will encourage more visitors and locals to explore the area. He thought that 'traditional Kiwi camping' has been eroded around the country, and Penny hopes to offer that experience in Nelson. 'When I was a kid, we used to go out fishing, we used to light a fire, we used to be taught how to do it safely and properly… getting taught how to make a bivvy out of trees, getting taught how to hang your own hammock, and stuff like that,' Wagner said. 'Those kinds of spaces are getting lost, and that's kind of what we're really [promoting], is the idea of actually getting people to have that experience and get out of the comfort zone.' The council has undertaken $1.8 million of campground upgrades over the last two years, such as a complete replacement of the sewer system to enable the number of visitors being lifted from 80 to 400 campers a night. Other improvements include a new barbeque and picnic area, relocated cabins, and new taps and caravan dump stations. Penny also had plans for other installations, like a new playground, and its use of automated systems and a light presence on the ground aims to ensure that campsites are offered at 'reasonable' prices based on hiring the site, rather than per person fees. 'We're going to try and provide facilities and activities for Nelsonians to actually go up there and enjoy it,' Wagner said. Long-term residents at the campground aren't expected to see any 'dramatic changes', but will get upgraded Wi-Fi, fixed toilet blocks, and a new laundry machine to 'life the site up', he added. Wagner and Mayor Nick Smith signed the five-year lease, which includes the right to a five-year renewal, last week. Smith has welcomed the lease, saying running campgrounds are not the council's core business despite their importance to local tourism. 'By investing in upgrades and partnering with experienced operators like Penny, we're delivering real benefits for the city and our visitor infrastructure,' he said. 'Both the Brook and Maitai campgrounds have previously made losses and required significant upgrades after many years of deferred maintenance. Last year, we successfully leased the Brook campground to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust and since then camper reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. We're aiming for the same here.' The campground's rent is set at $40,000 plus GST for the first year, with subsequent years being either the base fee or 9.75% of the camp's gross income, whichever was higher. Kevrol Limited held the lease for the campground for 17 years. When the lease expired in 2022, they did not want to enter into a new lease as the company was moving away from the area. The council has run the campground since. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air © Scoop Media
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
‘Please Walk On Me' – Flag Artwork Sparks Outrage Again
Article – Max Frethey – Local Democracy Reporter An artistic invitation to 'please walk' on the New Zealand flag is continuing to offend gallery visitors 30 years after it was first displayed. Flagging the Future is just one of several artworks currently on display at Nelson's Suter Art Gallery as part of an exhibition showcasing the multimedia works of Diane Prince, who has a long history of Māori activism. Recreated by Prince last year, the artwork features a surveying tripod – 'a talismatic symbol of territorial conquest' by the Crown against Māori, according to the artist – made from flax stalks to symbolise Māori reclamation of their land. However, it's the New Zealand flag stencilled with the words 'Please Walk On Me' which sits at the base of the tripod that has sparked outrage from some in Nelson. The artwork was first displayed in Auckland in 1995 as a critique of the Bolger government's decision to put a fiscal cap on Treaty of Waitangi settlements, but outrage from some at that time resulted in the artwork's removal. Returned and Services' Association Nelson branch president Barry Pont said his reaction to seeing the artwork was one of 'shock horror'. 'Over the years, we've fought under the New Zealand flag and to wipe your feet on it is an insult in my eyes,' he said. 'You've got to give and take a bit, but this is beyond the joke, I think… I don't mind the flag lying on the floor, but not with the wording 'wipe your feet'. That's an insult to New Zealand's flag.' He added that legislation prohibits displaying the flag with the intention to dishonour it, and didn't think the artwork should be displayed in an art gallery that was supported by ratepayers. Mayor Nick Smith said he personally found the artwork to be 'in bad taste' and said he and the council had received 19 complaints about it. 'I would hold the same view if an artwork encouraged people to walk on the Tino Rangatiratanga flag,' he said. 'I know others may view this art differently and that is just how art is.' He acknowledged the Suter was independent of the council and encouraged the board and director to consider public feedback of its exhibitions, 'as it is important our art gallery enjoys broad community support'. Exhibition curator Gina Matchitt said that Prince recognised the services of soldiers with 'reverence and compassion'. Another artwork in the exhibition – gas masks woven from flax – even honours Prince's tīpuna (ancestors) who fought in the Land Wars and World War I. 'It's just important to really understand that there's more than one view of our flag,' Matchitt said. 'For Māori, that Union Jack symbolises land loss, language loss, culture loss… the flag actually belongs to all New Zealanders, it doesn't just belong to the RSA.' She acknowledged that Aotearoa New Zealand's past was confronting for both Pākehā and Māori. However, she said an art gallery was a safe way to unpack those stories and recommended people learn about local Māori history, potentially by reading Treaty settlements for their local iwi, to gain a greater understanding of how Māori were treated during colonisation. Matchitt added that the artwork was particularly relevant in the contemporary context as the current Government attempts to 'extinguish Māori rights'. Suter Art Gallery director Toni MacKinnon said 'Flagging the Future' was a significant piece of the country's art history. 'Its return to public view is both an act of recognition and a chance to highlight a pivotal moment in the career of Diane Prince. 'Throughout history, galleries have exhibited works that challenge conventions and provoke thought – it's part of their role in a healthy society.' Diane Prince: Artist Activist is on display at the Suter Art Gallery until 5 October, and is being toured by Porirua's Pātaka Art + Museum.
