Latest news with #ScottWillis
Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Support grows for return of Southerner
Southern MPs Scott Willis (Green Party), Mark Patterson (NZ First) and Rachel Brooking (Labour) celebrate after a petition to restore the Southerner train service was accepted. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Restoring the long-retired Southerner train service from Invercargill to Christchurch has moved a step closer to becoming a reality. Yesterday, supporters gathered at the Dunedin Railway Station to watch as New Zealand First MP and Regional Development Associate Minister Mark Patterson accepted a petition to restore the Southerner service as a regular public transport service from Invercargill to Christchurch. More than 12,000 people from Invercargill to Christchurch have signed the petition. Dunedin resident and former Hamilton city councillor Dave MacPherson said passenger rail was an issue that transcended political boundaries. "It doesn't matter whether you're progressive or conservative or Green or New Zealand First — there's definitely a place for tourist trains, but there's a lot of locals that also want to use this kind of service. The group, Save Our Trains, was asked by MPs to drum up a petition within about a month. "That was their challenge to us — they said, 'Look, we'll try and help you, but if you give us some sort of proof of the level of support you've got, that makes it easier for us'." That was at the end of May, he said. While the group was originally Dunedin-based, it now had support from Invercargill to Christchurch, and in many of the population centres along the proposed route. "We've got one woman from Oamaru who collected about 1500 signatures ... she did an amazing job. "It's a genuine regional thing, not just for Dunedin." They would like to see prices on the restored Southerner similar to routes in the North Island, about $60 to $70. Mr MacPherson, who was involved in getting the Te Huia line from Auckland to Hamilton running, said he had never had such an easy time collecting signatures. "There's a transport and infrastructure select committee they're planning to put [the petition] in front of, and hopefully that sparks a discussion. "It's not going to happen overnight, but the fact that there is government-supported long-distance passenger trains already under way up in the North Island, but nothing in the South Island, is a powerful reason for this getting done."
Otago Daily Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
More clarity on impacts of gold mining called for
About 180 people attended a meeting opposing Central Otago's upcoming gold-mining project, as they called for more transparency on potential impacts. Local group Sustainable Tarras has held meetings in Dunedin and Wanaka over the past week and garnered significant support from the community in its opposition to the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project located in Tarras. The project is being carried out by Australian-based mining company Santana Minerals and will establish an open pit and underground gold mine on Bendigo and Ardgour Stations in Central Otago. The open pit will be 1000m long, 850m wide and 200m deep. The meeting held by Sustainable Tarras at the Wanaka Presbyterian Church on Thursday evening was attended by the Otago Daily Times, and featured industry experts and residents showing their opposition to the project. Sustainable Tarras chairwoman Suze Keith said about 100 people had indicated they would attend the meeting, but the turnout exceeded expectations, an estimated 180 people turning up. "It really reinforces that we're not on our own, because we are a small community, and that the Wanaka community do care beyond the boundary of their town," she said. The meeting also included videos sent in from Green MPs Scott Willis and Lan Pham as well as Dunedin MP Rachel Brooking, who all showed their support for the work the group was doing. One of the main speakers at the meeting was Sustainable Tarras member Rob van der Mark. Concerned about the impacts of the project, the Tarras local took it upon himself to do a deep dive into the impacts of this project several months ago and said he felt there were many gaps in the information available. Throughout his speech, he highlighted the lack of clear communication and transparency he faced when he approached Santana Minerals. "We've had good dialogue with Santana in the past ... We don't learn a lot, but I think they learn a lot from us," he said. Major concerns discussed at the meeting included concerns chemicals such as arsenic and cyanide could potentially be released into the air or seep into the ground and local creeks. The processing plant for the mine will be located in the lower Shepherds Valley and chemicals used to process gold such as cyanide will be held at a tailings storage facility. The storage facility is set to be 260m wide and will include a tailings dam. "Santana will do their best to clean it up ... but everybody who has large dams knows that dams leak and it's that long-term risk that we will be left with," Mr van der Mark said. In a statement released on the same day as the Sustainable Tarras Wanaka meeting, Santana Minerals said the processing plant would ensure cyanide concentrations were below the level deemed safe for wildlife before chemicals were discharged into the tailings storage facility. As the company prepares to finish its fast-track application, it stated many environmental assessments had been completed and several key ecological reports were still in progress. The Sustainable Tarras team are calling for the company to further involve the community by being more open about the reports it is undertaking. "They're telling their shareholders they've completed all these background reports. Well, when we ask for them, we get stonewalled," Mr van der Mark said. Santana Minerals said feedback from its regular drop-in sessions had been largely positive, and the company was committed to ensuring the project was beneficial to the community. "For many of our team this is our home too, and our focus is on listening, refining and working together to build a project that Central Otago can be proud of for generations to come," Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring said in a statement.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Budget To Increase Energy Hardship
Budget 2025 delays our transition to a low emissions and low-cost energy network, this will put even more pressure on households, businesses and the climate. 'This Budget doesn't leave enough to keep the lights on, let alone spark the transition towards a low-emissions and low-cost electricity network,' says the Green Party's Spokesperson for Energy, Scott Willis. 'Stripping $56 million from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority comes on top of last year's vicious cut. This cut is effectively delivering energy hardship to those who are already struggling. 'Aotearoa can be a country where every home is powered with clean, green affordable energy that lowers our emissions and lowers costs on households. However, this will require action and ambition, something that is completely missing in this Budget. 'A meagre $2 million for households to counter energy hardship is a joke when we know there's some 110,000 households doing it tough. 'Since the Government has come into power we have seen the preservation of an energy market that prioritises profit and fossil fuels over our communities and the climate. This Budget further cements that direction and opens the door wide open to more fossil fuelled climate disasters. 'A Green Government would separate the gentailers that are dominating the energy market and invest $4.8 billion in renewables over four years directly in new renewable energy and storage to benefit both people and planet in the long and short term. We can have cleaner, cheaper, smarter power with the right political will. 'Through a mix of grants and interest-free loans, our Green Budget would create a Clean Power Payment to help people cover the upfront cost of zero carbon upgrades and energy efficiency. 'It's not inevitable that thousands of people have to choose between heating and eating. Our energy network needs to work for us, instead of serving shareholders. 'We can build a more sustainable and affordable energy network that puts people and planet before the profits of our gentailers,' says Scott Willis.
Associated Press
30-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
NOVA Infrastructure Invests in DartPoints to Accelerate Growth and Expand Strategic Infrastructure
DartPoints owns and operates colocation data centers across ten Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets NEW YORK and DALLAS, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NOVA Infrastructure ('NOVA'), a middle-market infrastructure investment firm, announced today that it has completed a majority investment in DartPoints, a leading provider of secure, high-performance data center solutions for enterprises. NOVA's investment includes a significant growth capital component designed to scale DartPoints' platform and expand its footprint through targeted investments in capacity expansion and strategic M&A to meet market demand. 'We're excited to partner with a best-in-class data center management team and platform serving a diverse and growing base of enterprise customers,' said Chris Beall, Managing Partner at NOVA. 'We look forward to growing the business and capitalizing on the significant opportunity in DartPoints' target markets, which benefit from shifting demand trends and the decentralization of digital workloads.' DartPoints provides essential IT services to both retail and wholesale customers through a distributed network of data center facilities. The company serves more than 900 enterprise customers, including major universities, hospital systems and Fortune 500 companies, from 11 data centers in 10 markets in South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Louisiana. With the transaction, DartPoints acquired the underlying real estate in DartPoints' Greenville, SC; Baton Rouge, LA; and Asheville, NC data centers, further transitioning to ownership of its strategic facilities. As part of the transaction, existing sponsor Astra Capital Management will retain a meaningful minority stake in the business, demonstrating continued confidence in the company's long-term growth strategy. Orion Infrastructure Capital ('OIC') has also joined as a lender and investment partner, providing a senior secured credit facility and participating as a minority equity investor. NOVA and OIC's commitments to DartPoints total more than $250 million of capital. 'We're entering a new phase of growth centered on infrastructure ownership, operational control and strategic market expansion,' said Scott Willis, CEO of DartPoints. 'We've always believed that Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets deserve the same digital capabilities as Tier 1 metros. This transaction positions us to bring scalable, secure infrastructure closer to the demand wherever it's needed, especially as data-intensive workloads take hold across industries. We are thrilled to work with NOVA to efficiently and effectively grow our business.' Brian Kirschbaum, Partner at Astra Capital Management, said, 'Astra is proud to have partnered with and to continue supporting DartPoints as it builds the leading provider of high-performance data centers outside of Tier 1 markets. The company is uniquely positioned to meet the industry's distributed data center needs.' Bank Street Group served as exclusive M&A advisor, Houlihan Lokey advised on the debt financing, and Sheppard Mullin and Debevoise & Plimpton served as legal counsel to DartPoints. Winston & Strawn served as legal counsel for NOVA and Vinson & Elkins served as legal counsel for OIC. About DartPoints DartPoints is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise colocation, cloud, managed service solutions enabling advanced workloads including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing. Listed on the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S., DartPoints empowers businesses with enterprise-grade infrastructure, operational resilience, and low-latency connectivity. Learn more at About NOVA Infrastructure Founded in 2018, NOVA ( ) is a value-added, middle market infrastructure investment firm focused on North America. NOVA seeks to make investments that pair the downside protection features of the infrastructure asset class with operationally focused, value-added upside strategies. NOVA targets investments in environmental services, transportation, energy/energy transition, and digital sectors. About OIC With approximately $5 billion in assets under management, OIC invests in North America and select international markets. OIC's unique partnership approach – for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs – cultivates creative credit, equity, and growth capital solutions to help middle market businesses scale and deploy sustainable infrastructure. About Astra Capital Management Astra Capital Management is a Washington, DC-based, investment firm that invests in growth businesses in the communications and technology services sectors. Astra targets highly scalable companies with proven business models that have positive free cash flow and significant growth potential. Post investment, Astra works closely with managers to drive value creation. Media Contacts DartPoints Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA) +1 866.695.3629 ext. 19 [email protected] NOVA Infrastructure Ellen DeGiusti [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE DartPoints
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pro jump roper honored for saving teen from icy Indiana waters
*Attached: Winter weather safety tips WESTFIELD, Ind. (WJW) – A professional jump roper and his son were honored Monday after rescuing a teenager from icy waters in December. According to a press release from the City of Westfield, Indiana, David Fisher and his son, Felix, were given the Lifesaving Citizen Award by Westfield by Mayor Scott Willis after they worked together to save a 19-year-old man and his dog who fell into an icy pond on Dec. 14, 2024. All aboard American Airlines jet feared dead after collision with Army helicopter According to the release, Felix heard a man yelling for help and alerted his father before the two rushed into action and pulled the man and dog to safety using jump ropes. According to the release, the Fishers took the man and his dog into their home to help them get warm and wait for first responders to arrive. According to local news station WRTV, Fisher has traveled the world as a professional rope jumper, winning three world records. He did not hesitate before grabbing his double Dutch ropes to save the man and his dog. 'Why me?' Wayne Dawson gets candid about faith amid cancer fight 'I've always known that Westfield is filled with brave, kind-hearted people, but what David and Felix did is absolutely remarkable,' Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said, according to the release. 'Their courageous actions are the definition of what it looks like to care for your neighbor. We are proud to honor them with this well-deserved award.' According to the release, Westfield Fire Chief Rob Gaylor said, 'Stories like these don't always have a positive outcome. My department and I are extremely grateful to David and Felix for their quick-thinking and selfless actions that day.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
