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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Letters to the Editor
Are commissioners hands tied?
The commissioners haven’t bothered to talk directly with a Kaiwaka ratepayer to explain why their rates have gone up a massive 315%, from $637.90 last year to $2,009.60 this year, and instead appointed the CEO’s PA to ‘stonewall’ this ratepayer. But it has now been revealed that KDC have falsely charged Kaiwaka ratepayers rates itemised as Kaiwaka Wastewater Connected (targeted rates) totalling $192,000 to pay an annual wastewater maintenance bill of just $104,000. This represents a false overcharge of $84,000, or $525/affected rate payer. Meanwhile, Dargaville ratepayers connected to wastewater and palpable water are said to be paying just $1,600. Currently about 27% of KDC ratepayers are striking to some extent with some refusing to support the commissioners at all, and others simply refusing to pay the increases, paying only the same as last year. These commissioners are costing the ratepayers in the vicinity of $500,000 per year, but not only declined to listen to the Kaiwaka ratepayer, they also declined to attend a recent Mangawhai Resident Ratepayers Association meeting, and are insisting on the pretence that they have no say over the 2012-13 rates regardless of the falseness or validity. Given that they have their head in the sand over the 2012-13 rate charges, the question is, what do KDC ratepayers need them for if not to review the shocking variance in current rate charges? Fourteen thousand KDC ratepayers have a collective debt of $80 million so that would be a one-off increase of $756 per year for ten years, or $480 per year for 20 years – per rate payer, given current interest rates.
Andrew Mackintosh
Mangawhai
St John says thanks
I write in acknowledgement of all St John volunteers and join with them to celebrate International Volunteers Day (5 December). Our dedicated St John volunteers give so much time on our behalf in caring for their local communities. Without them St John would not be able to deliver the level of vital emergency ambulance services and valued community programmes we currently provide. Our volunteers frequently go above and beyond the call of duty. I also give thanks to the families and friends of our volunteers who help and support in the background enabling our volunteers to contribute as they do. We wish your readers, your publication and all our members the very best for Christmas, and thank you for your continued support of St John.
Gary Salmon
Regional General Manager
St John Northern Region
Does Mangawhai need the KDC?
I think not, and maybe it’s time to run up the flag of Independent Mangawhai. Who provided Mangawhai's gymnasium, the library, the domain, the museum, the golf course, built the boat ramp and built the bund wall to protect the harbour? The residents of Mangawhai. None of these items put Mangawhai into debt – quite the reverse. Many of them, like the golf course, bring tourism and visitors to Mangawhai. We are all fed up with the condescending and patronising attitudes of government appointees who believe they know what is best for Mangawhai after a few months in office. The only things the KDC built was the sewerage system, which they stuffed up, and some roading works, most of which followed existing old metal roads and farm tracks. The Noel Paget’s of this world would have us believe that the people of Mangawhai are indebted to the KDC, but are we really? At a pinch the local community could probably take care of the roading and if it had the opportunity to establish a sewerage system at a normal commercial price could probably have done that also without the KDC. The do-it-yourself spirit of the pioneers still exists at Mangawhai and there are lessons for outsiders appointed by the government to learn. For a fee we could teach them a thing or two about running a community on budget. Perhaps we could discount the cost of the four salaries they receive against the price it will cost for Mangawhi to teach them a few lessons on managing a rural coastal community.
Roy Vaughan,
Mangawhai |
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