More time sought to repay ICC

Hockey Southland is asking the Invercargill City Council to wait another eight months for $160,000 it owes the council.

Hockey Southland chairwoman Penny Simmonds said yesterday it had already paid $100,000 of a $260,000 bill to the council after it helped it move to its new home in the city.

Hockey Southland this year moved from Queens Park to Turnbull Thomson Park where it completed two new hockey turfs of international standard.

As part of the deal, it swapped grounds with the Metropolitan Cricket Club, agreeing to meet conditions in the process.

Ms Simmonds said these included paying about $80,000 to extend the former hockey pavilion at Queens Park for the cricket club, and turning the hockey turf into a cricket pitch at a cost of about $180,000.

The city council got contractors to do the work and Hockey Southland was to pay the council.

Invercargill City Council finance and policy committee chairman Norman Elder said yesterday he believed Ms Simmonds had agreed to pay the money in one hit, but after the work was completed she asked to pay in instalments.

"She discovered there were funding shortfalls and other commitments and she had to prioritise," Cr Elder said.

When asked if Hockey Southland had reneged on paying the money back in one hit, Cr Elder said: "Reneged is one interpretation and that would be correct, but Hockey Southland is doing its best to meet its commitments.

"I don't think they are trying to deceive anyone. It's just a reality."

However, Ms Simmonds said yesterday: "I would like to see the deal where we agreed to pay it in one hit. But we have sought agreement from the council to pay it in (two) instalments and we are waiting on a response to that."

Hockey Southland had already paid the first instalment of $100,000 and it planned to make the final $160,000 payment in August, she said.

But if the council wanted it to pay the rest of the money before that, then it would do so, she said.

All council discussions on the matter have been held in private meetings. City council finance director Dean Johnston declined to comment yesterday, saying the matter was being dealt with "in committee".

Ms Simmonds said Hockey Southland was "in a good financial situation ... but the turf project is going to have to pick up a ($135,000) loan".

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