ORC asked for stadium peer review proof

"Show me the evidence," was the call from Stop the Stadium president Bev Butler after Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Cairns rubbished her claims that councillors did not receive peer reviews before deciding to support the Awatea St stadium.

Mr Cairns said councillors had seen the reviews, but Ms Butler said she had evidence to prove they had not and were instead briefed on them by the Carisbrook Stadium Trust.

"That's like someone getting a building inspection done when they buy a house, and the vendor intercepts the report and tells the buyer what's in it."

The peer reviews included a report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers on financial projections, a report from Rider Levett Bucknall on quantity surveying and a Davis Langdon report which pulled it together.

Ms Butler said she was going ahead with plans to lay a complaint with the ombudsman and the auditor-general in which she would ask for an investigation into whether Otago regional councillors received the independent peer reviews on the stadium.

"I would like to see Stephen Cairns produce evidence to prove the councillors did see the peer reviews, and if they were given the reviews, when did they meet to discuss them.

"I also want to know why the peer reviewers were not invited to speak to the councillors. I want to see evidence that these things happened because my evidence shows that it did not.

"He [Mr Cairns] needs to put his money where his mouth is."

Mr Cairns said he was not interested in continuing with "this game".

"If she wants to lay a complaint, she should just get on with it."

He declined further comment.

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