ED SAID - Kaipara in limbo again

When the Kaipara District Council agreed to place the district into the guidance of a commissioner following discussions with the government review committee last week, it leaves one wondering if they were ‘advised’ to jump or they would be pushed. 

Whatever one’s opinion, the matter will now go before Cabinet to agree to appoint a Commissioner or Commissioners, the latter appearing most likely to avoid autocracy as it is necessary to maintain objectivity in handling a number of complex issues associated with large debt. 

Following the meeting Councillor Wade, who tendered his resignation just days before the announcement, agreed to withdraw his decision to save the council the costly necessity of a by election.

However while ratepayer groups have been pushing to have council disbanded, this announcement is not necessarily meeting approval in all quarters.

“The situation is worse than ever,” Bruce Rogan of the Mangawhai Residents and Ratepayers Association (MRRA) told The Focus. Rogan says though there will be a Commissioner appointed perhaps in a month, in the meantime the KDC has a mandate to forge ahead with their interim rates demand and also the ratification of the Long Term Plan, both of which the MRRA contend are illegal. 

While it is a ‘wait and see’ situation until a Commissioner(s) is in place, the MRRA will continue to resist paying rates and push for an independent auditor to fully investigate council activity over the past decade as they feel this has, thus far, been far from satisfactory. Such an investigation would certainly take many months if not years to reach conclusion yet in the meantime the district still has to function.

For Kaipara Citizens and Ratepayers, chairman Ron Manderson says the LTP “must not be passed in it’s current form. There are so many illegalities and irregularities that a full retrospective enquiry must be held and the matter left to a competent Commissionser(s) to bring a co-operative approach to Kaipara’s problems and regain the confidence of the people.” 

He was optimistic that, in the right hands, Kaipara’s problems could be dealt with swiftly and with a satisfactory outcome.

With the council debt rising by a six figure interest sum per month there is real concern that, should the current LTP be adopted, a Commissioner with little empathy for the district may impose demands upon ratepayers against which they have little or no redress.

This new appointment will also have a bearing on any dates for the next local body elections which will be moved back depending on the length of term the appointment covers, but the immediate issue is to deal with current problems and restore some confidence in ratepayers so that the district can continue trading in a workmanlike fashion. That this can be achieved is viewed with considerable doubt in many quarters.

Any optimism towards governance however may be replaced by a nervous wait for the good fairy to wave a magic wand bringing sweetness and light for all. As we all know there is no fairy, and it’s highly likely there will similarly be no sweetness and light – at least not before there is more tightening of the belt.

Cheers,

Rob