Honesty Vs Greed



Baldeep Dhilion's dream maybe? 



Is businessman Baldeep Dhilion honest?

Is Mr. Baldeep Dhilion an honest man? Firstly who is Baldeep Dhilion well he is the owner of a chain of liquor stores [Big Barrel] in the Manawatu and he wants to open yet another one right next door to three other liquor outlets in Takaro Palmerston North.

Any one who publicly states one thing but then does another would not be considered honest and trustworthy unless of course they happen to be a politician with the name of John Banks.

In a rather pathetic attempt to sell the locals the concept of his new liquor store Mr. Dhilion stated publicly [via the Manawatu Standard] ‘That if the locals didn’t want his liquor store then he would withdraw his request for a licence’,

The Summerset Crescent School hall was packed tight and the community around the proposed booze outlet was fully represented, all but a dozen opposed the planned booze barn. In an earlier Wheelers Corner I wrote:

He [Dhilion] said he ran a responsible business. He had been the first to take party pills off the shelves, and would be first to stop selling single serves if that was recommended.

He would limit opening hours to less than the 9am to 10pm usually sought to avoid the "second serving" problem, where people who bought alcohol on the way home from work came back for more.

Big Barrel would support the local community through sponsorships, as he already did with a range of school and sports groups.

"We are not just here to put all the money in our back pocket.

The applicant said: "If I get the feeling they really don't want us, I will pull my application."

Well the meeting held on Wednesday at 7pm at the Summerset Crescent School has given you your answer…’they don’t want your Big Barrel overflowing with cheap booze in their neighborhood now or never. And since you gave your word [“If I get the feeling they really don't want us, I will pull my application."] the community is expecting you to keep your word, as a man of honour what else can you do. If you don’t they will simply be hollow words spoken by a hollow man.

The other leading local business man who directly let the community down in a big way was: Peter Kynoch

“When is an agreement not an agreement? Now that’s a good question, the answer appears to be when the property developer says so, why because:

Botanical Rd neighbours Des and Phyl Symons and Diane and Bruce Ayers are… also upset because they had signed agreements with property owner Peter Kynoch about his plans to build offices for his own business on the site.

"We were thrilled with the agreement we had. We were quite happy. We sure as hell aren't now," said Mr Symons. "There will be all sorts going on at night, I guarantee it." The Symons' had put a locked gate at the entrance to their section to stop people using their front garden as a toilet.

And how is this for a bit of spin and PR crap, Mr. Kynoch should go work for the ACC… because they write the same kind of agreements as does he, meaningless ones.

Mr Kynoch said things had since changed and he had alternative options for the site. He believed the neighbours should be much happier about the prospect of a nice, clean building next door than living next to a deserted area, which attracted anti-social behaviour.

The district licensing agency has received 28 letters, some of them the same, and five petitions opposing the proposed use of the former service station at the roundabout.

The police did not object they sat on the fence and never even approached the community to seek their view point…and that’s called community policing!



Cr. Billy Meehan. 



City Councillor Meehan organised the meeting at Summerset School that was attended by 120 people and the over whelming majority voted against Big Barrel’s anti-community plans.

If the PNCC Wellbeing committee, headed by the three councillors from Takaro [Dennison, Meehan and Utikere]. Along with  Councillors from Hokowhitu [Guy, Jefferies and Teo-Sherrell] might go a long way to convincing the applicant that he open his Big Barrel outlet in Hokowhitu because they have very few outlets in their Ward, Victoria Ave or the College St might be an ideal spot or down by the lagoon. A visit to both Dhilion and Kynoch by these community minded councillors may persuade our community minded business man to decline opening any booze outlet at all.  

But with the government going soft on booze companies via Peter Dunne type pro booze back downs the community would do well to plan for larger protest should Mr. Baldeep Dhilion not do the right and proper thing and cancels his rather foolish and ill-conceived plans. The question is, ‘Will honesty or greed prevails’…