On Crux Substack today - paid content

Here's the stories that have just been published for Crux paid subscribers in our weekly Friday Edition on Substack.

The dramatic loss of an overseas tourist’s rental SUV in floods near Glenorchy has sparked accusations that vital Queenstown roads are not being managed safely and put a local couples’ $3 million investment at risk.

We look at what’s going on at the 3,000 house Homestead Bay (just south of Jacks Point) project as BNZ pushes ahead with an $80 million bankruptcy bid involving a major property developer.
Podcast. Tamah Alley - the new Central Otago mayor brings openness, optimism and people skills to a difficult job. Could she be the model for all Kiwi mayors, and does she have what it takes to last the distance?

The QLDC has released some details to us under official information legislation of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that triggered a 15.5% pay rise for council CEO Mike Theelen.
The Otago Regional Council has replied to our request for clarification on why they took no enforcement action after 5 years of environmental breaches by the operators of Macraes mine.
Crux official information requests reveal the extent to which the Queenstown and Dunedin councils financially support “friendly” coverage from selected local media - in particular $1 million of ratepayer money to the publishers of the ODT and the Mountain Scene. We also detail how major Queenstown advertisers appeared to blackball Crux - contributing to our hibernation decision. (Free - on Crux).
In the meantime the publishers of the Herald, NZME, are closing another 14 community newspapers. (Free on Crux).
The cost of Xmas. The Queenstown Lakes District Council reveals their Christmas celebration budget to Crux. Will we have a $1.2 million tree?

Yes - but no. Is the Crown Range going to close for two weeks?
Podcast. Peter Newport talks with award winning documentary maker Bryan Bruce about Crux, our hibernation decision and subsequent subscriber support. Plus NZ media funding - where to next, and is the extinction of NZ journalism a real possibility?

And finally - from the “what did they expect” files. Our mates at the QLDC recently posted video of some work being done on the $128 million CBD “road to nowhere” asking Facebook users if they were excited to see some asphalt being laid. We’ve collected some of the most choice reactions (none were positive.)