New medical centre for Levin first project of Horowhenua NZ Trust

One of the first projects the recently established Horowhenua New Zealand Trust hopes to project lead is a new medical centre on public land Horowhenua District Council sold to BOHR Property Ltd late last year.

Council's chief executive David Clapperton and council's economic development manager Shanon Grainger have both publicly stated the medical centre project will be led by the Horowhenua NZ Trust.

At the FCB meeting on 18 September 2017 Mr Clapperton said "the new purpose-built medical centre" was a Master Plan project which he described as, "the product of years of collective effort” ...before going on to say, "it can be anticipated that further large scale projects like the medical centre will flow into our district."

In his council report on supporting the establishment of the Horowhenua NZ Trust Mr Grainger said the Trust’s role up to July 2018 is to roll out Project Lift including, “a series of modern process-designed projects" which are part of the, “Master Plan: Quality Care and Lifestyle for Older People."

Six former Horowhenua District Council economic development board members have now been named as trustees in a recently filed Trust Deed including Cameron Lewis, Antony Young, Andrew Wynn, Ron Turk, Evan Kroll and Larry Ellison.

Concerns have been raised by residents about whether the community will benefit from an extensive number of land and property development, construction and infrastructure projects the charitable trust intends to initiate throughout the district.

The public were excluded from participating in the council sale of the now demolished 100 year old historic Jack Allen House in Durham Street, Levin to BOHR Property Ltd for a new medical centre.

Due to the secrecy around the sale of the Jack Allen House there is concern about how transparent council will be about an intention to transfer up to 40 percent of public assets to the Trust as "seed" funding.

In a councillor column in a community newspaper last year Councillor Neville Gimblett said the medical centre land deal, "reinforced that effective growth is a partnership between council, central government and private enterprise....away from the unsettling glare of public commentary."

According to Companies Office information Levin Chartered Accountant Hamid & McHutchon Ltd of Queen Street holds 116 of a total of 120 shares "on behalf" of other un-named shareholders of BOHR Property Ltd and Hamid & McHutchon Ltd is not the "ultimate holding company."

The two directors of BOHR Property Ltd including Bente Ongkiehong and Johannes Roberti own two shares each worth 1.67 percent.

The Master Plan was the brainchild of the council's economic development board according to a timeline in the Master Plan document. Former mayor Brendan Duffy and Mr Clapperton confirmed support for the Master Plan one day after the concept was presented to them by the board.

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