Letters to the Editor

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Community generosity
I would be grateful if, through your paper, I could record our heartfelt thanks to those hundreds of members of the Kaipara community who took the view that Kaipara District Council’s persecution of us for having the gall to call out their illegal and irresponsible behaviour was both unreasonable and unfair and who found it in their hearts to donate thousands of dollars to help us to meet the huge costs awarded against us by a court system that protects the interests of the status quo at the expense of our citizens.

As a result we are able to say that they will not be able to force us out of our home and the district, which was, of course, their main aim from the outset.

Some readers, even some of those readers who sympathise with the council, might be interested to know that the council still has not removed the charging orders against our property, despite now having had our (and your) money since May 22.

Bruce & Heather Rogan
Mangawhai
 

Open letter to Kaipara District Council
We, the undersigned, have major concerns about what is happening in Mangawhai as the economic effects of the pandemic roll through our community, noting that Kaipara Council rates are already a heavy burden for many local ratepayers.

We have met with Cr Peter Wethey about the rate rise Kaipara District Council is proposing despite the hardships caused by the pandemic. We asked how Council could justify a 4 per cent rate increase? We were told that Infometrics had informed Council of its economic projections. Infometrics told Council that while the economy of Kaipara District will be less affected than other areas in New Zealand, its economy is still expected to shrink.

Despite being advised that local economic activity is expected to reduce, Council has still voted to increase everyone’s rates by 4 per cent.

We heard about various business sectors of the local economy and what KDC is doing to support them financially, while increasing ratepayer rates. The $1.25 million council is forgiving rates – or subsidising businesses and other groups in the form of hardship packages – would go a long way toward a zero rate increase.

Council’s core activity is roads, rates and rubbish. Central Government’s job is to support those whose business, employment or non-profit activities are affected, and it has done that. It is not KDC’s job to do that. Ratepayer money should not be subsidising these operations.

Councillor Wethey told us the council had received 10 phone calls from ratepayers who couldn’t pay their new rates, and that the council was aware that 30 or 40 people a

week are asking to spread their payments – even before the full impact of COVID has been experienced.

These calls will just be the tip of the iceberg, and we think are just the start of what can be expected as recession bites. We note and acknowledge that councillors Larsen, Vincent and Wills pushed for a rate increase of 2.8 per cent but the other councillors and the Mayor voted against that smaller increase.

We are a concerned group of ratepayers who have had enough.

We call on Kaipara District Council to:

1. Implement no more than a zero-percentage rate increase for the 2020/2021 rating period.

2. In this time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, reduce services to the essentials.

Signed by:

Debbie Aislabie, Joel Cayford, John Duffin, Ken Fountain, Sue Fountain, Matt Guzik, Simon Hardley, Ross Hinton, Colin Leach, Doug Lloyd, Ian Margan, Adam Minoprio, Peter Nicholas, Darryl Reardon, Kevin Stirrat, Neil Tolich

 

Comments rejected
I write to reject mayor Smiths comments in the recent Mangawhai Focus re Mr and Mrs Rogans settlement with Kaipara District Council.

The mayors notion that the silent majority support the vindictive actions of the council to pursue the Rogans when clearly the KDC has acted illegally over ten years confirms that the mayor does not understand the failures of the KDC to act in a competent and legal manner.

The KDC were bailed out by the Key National Government ramming through the Kaipara District Council Validation Bill, a democratically bankrupt action to validate the complete failure of the council, the banks, and public officials to act properly.

The community had their democratic rights stolen from them as we all had a legal right to know the truth.

G J Smith Kaipara

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