Council cautious on Twizel offer

Press, 6 May 1983, Page 4

Council cautious on Twizel offer

The Mackenzie County Council has adopted a cautious approach to the Government’s offer of handing the South Canterbury township of Twizel over to the council, together with a grant of $150,000. The council’s chairman, Mr B. J. O’Neill, said last evening that the council was prepared to accept the Government’s challenge, subject to certain conditions. The council did not want to accept. the town if it would put any burden on existing county ratepayers,

so it had to be a viable proposition. “We’ve had a look at the fine print, but the fine print is hard to decipher. We are not sure what the Government is really offering. We want to be sure what is being offered,” said Mr O’Neill. The council has therefore decided to arrange a meeting with senior Ministry of Works and Development officials next week. Members of the Twizel Community Council will also be invited to attend.

The Mackenzie council wants to know what assets the Government is offering, and it wants the opportunity to negotiate for assets not at first offered. It also decided to investigate the market potential of the houses by inviting people to buy them. Asked about the role of the Australian entrepreneur, Mr Howard Hall, who wants to market the properties, Mr O’Neill said that Mr Hall’s position would be “extremely doubtful at this stage.” -