QLDC Libraries Librarian Profile

Lakes Weekly Bulletin and Queenstown Lakes Libraries are profiling our librarians. This month we are profiling Diana Espie who is the Library Assistant at the Arrowtown Library.

Arrowtown Library has long felt like a second home for me.

When my three children were babies, we spent many, many pleasant hours reading under the soft glow of the lantern windows. The library was warmer than our house –and a heck of a lot tidier. And so, when my youngest donned her backpack and toddled off to school, it seemed logical (to me, at least) that I should join the payroll. Fortunately, the powers-that-be concurred. I’ve never been to “librarian school”, but I’ve tried my hand at various roles over the years: journalist; Routeburn Track guide;

WHAT I’VE READ LATELY:

Room – Emma Donoghue

communications manager and full-time parent (is there any other kind?). There was even an edifying period during my student years at Canterbury University, when I worked concurrently as a dental assistant and in a supermarket deli. If you want to know the difference between an impacted wisdom tooth and blood sausage, then I’m your gal.

When I first started working at the library, I assumed that the biggest perk would be being surrounded by books all day. In fact, the best part is being at the centre of such an engaged – and oftentimes hilarious and inspiring - community of readers.

Told in the voice of a five-year-old boy, Room recounts the story of a young woman who has been abducted and kept prisoner for seven years – and the child who resulted from the abduction. This novel could have been a horrific, voyeuristic read, but in Donoghue’s hands, it becomes an inspiring tale of resilience, maternal devotion and love.

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Somehow, I managed to complete an MA and 46 years on the planet without reading this book. Thankfully, I rectified that situation a couple of weeks ago and I’m so glad I did. If you haven’t already, you should read this book. Ideally twice. PS. It’s better than the Baz Luhrman movie.

Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka

This novel reads more like poetry than prose and immerses the reader in a completely different world. Mesmerising and different from anything I’ve ever read before.

Poor People with Money – Dominic Hoey

A darkly comic, gritty, punch-in-the-guts novel that captures life on the poverty line in New Zealand. I loved the female protagonist. Not a book to read if you’re offended by naughty words.

The other day, I signed up a gregarious 84-year-old for her first library card. She drip-fed me Maltesers and royal gossip as I downloaded Libby and Borrowbox onto her iPad. My next customer was a mother who wanted to sign up her 9-month-old for a library membership. The baby didn’t give me any Maltesers, but he did reward me with a gummy grin.

Not bad for a day at the office.

The Happiest Refugee – Anh Do

Anyone with children at primary school will be familiar with Anh Do’s excellent and hugely popular books for younger readers. This heart-warming autobiography is a salient reminder of how little we know about the private pasts of people we pass on the street (or the authors of the books our children read!).

I’ll be Gone in the Dark – Michelle McNamara

This is true crime at its best: a fast-paced page turner and a story of obsession on multiple levels, both laudable and horrific. If you don’t know the full story of the Golden State Killer, then I suggest you wait till the end before you google him. Of course, if you’re the sort of reprobate who prefers to sneak a look at the last page before you read a book then who am I to judge?

Reading Allowed: True Stories and Curious

Incidents from a Provincial Library – Chris Paling

A light and enjoyable read, written by a former BBC worker who takes a break to work in the underfunded community library system in southern England. It won’t change your life, but it will provide a few hours of pleasant diversion and a reminder of the importance of libraries in increasingly fragmented communities.

Hit in the pocket

By Paul Taylor

Queenstown Lakes home owners will be stung for around $500 extra each on average later this year, with one of the highest rates rises this century.

A whopping 13.6% average increase is proposed by Queenstown Lakes District Council, which has massively increased its debt in recent years to meet the costs of crumbling infrastructure.

Under previous mayor Jim Boult, when much of the spending and debt was approved, the rates increase hovered around 4%, while before him, Vanessa Van Uden, was known for her zero-percent increases.

Clive Geddes, mayor from 2001-2010, was criticised for a 7.7% increase in 2010, not least by Van Uden herself, who labelled it “unacceptable”.

Now, under mayor Glyn Lewers, who took the reins in October, Queenstowners face a 13.6% increase for 2023/24.

The impact varies across the district, depending on location, capital value and the type of property, be it residential, commercial, accommodation or other.

The percentage increases range from 8.15% to 21.24%. The dollar increases range from $282 to $29,326 (for a $71m downtown hotel).

For a typical $1 million property in the Lake Hayes or Shotover Country subdivisions, the $3000-ish rates bill will rise by around 15%, to $3450.

QLDC finance boss Stewart Burns breaks the 13.6% average increase into four chunks, in the annual plan consultation document (members of the public can now have their say on the plan and proposed rates hike, online). Some 4.5% will cover the “dramatic overall increase in interest rates in the last 12 months” - council debt sits at $627 million, almost three times its annual revenue.

Some 4.1% will cover the “record high annual inflation at 7.2%... coupled with growth in our operational costs to maintain service levels”. And 4% will cover high costs associated with leaky buildings settlements.

QLDC building inspectors signed off on the leaky buildings around 20 years ago, and now that the developers have gone bankrupt or wound their businesses up, the council has been left carrying the can for repairs. Last year, council settled the claim from Oaks Shores apartments, which had claimed more than $160 million.

When councillors approved the annual plan consultation document on Thursday, deputy mayor Quentin Smith and councillor Esther Whitehead questioned Burns on what had been done to mitigate the costs to ratepayers and future risk.

Burns says council has loaned money to pay the settlement, to spread the cost over many years. So much of the 4% increase will be used to pay the interest on those loans.

It has also used the higher-than-expected Queenstown Airport divided (QLDC is the major shareholder) to repay some of the loan debt.

“If we hadn’t done that, the rates impact would have been much higher, probably doubled to 8% impact.”

When asked by Smith, Burns said attempting to repay the claim in a single year would “certainly not have been sustainable or acceptable”, likely more than doubling people’s rates bills.

Whitehead asked how they can ensure to the community that it is not going to happen again, as the law “leaves us as the last man standing”.

Burns says there are another three or four leaky building claims in the works, but not at the same level as the Oaks properties.

“That’s not to say that there will not be another,” he said, although there is a limitation period on when claims can be made.

He says the standards QLDC now has to meet for building inspections and consents is on a different level to what it was 20 years ago.

The remaining 1% of the 13.6% is to cover a depreciation expense

To keep the rise down to 13.6%, QLDC has deferred dozens of capital expenditure infrastructure projects to future years, mostly related to water supply, storm water and waste water, totalling $106.7m.

It is also proposing to bring in an extra $1.9m in revenue by increasing user fees for things like dog licences, consents and leisure activities.

The draft Annual Plan is now open for submissions on the council’s Let’s Talk website at: https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/annual-plan-2023-24

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Meet the team

David Gibbs General Manager

Kendalle McLeod Finance

Catherine Mercer Account Manager 027 777 2785 | cat@qmg.co.nz

Kylee De Suza Account Manager 021 044 2968 | kylee@qmg.co.nz

Ana Paula Salvi Graphic Designer

Patricia W. Becker Graphic Designer

Paul Taylor Editor/Journalist

Sue Fea Journalist

Bethany Rogers Contributor

Lauren Prebble Contributor

Jay Cassells Contributor