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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Letters to the Editor5 Sept, 2022
Councillor volunteer support vital The Tracks Trust has been very grateful for the support of current councillors Jonathan Larsen and Peter Wethey in our drive to provide walking and cycling opportunities for the wider community. In particular Jonathan’s advocacy was critical in getting the Lincoln Downs recreation area across the line. Support from our councillors is very important to Mangawhai’s unusually large and diverse volunteer community, always strapped for cash and often providing services which in other constituencies might be expected of Council. Gordon Hosking Mangawhai Tracks Charitable Trust
Time to get involved in local elections I have seen how the situation in Mangawhai has changed over the years. Large influx of residents has now made Mangawhai the fastest growing town in NZ but unfortunately the infrastructure build has lagged far behind this rapid growth. I have seen the state of the roads deteriorating and the council setting up arbitrary speed limits lowering the speed on a monthly basis on rural roads in order to cover their mismanagement of what I believe is one of the core services in the region. Servicing roads, schools and health are the only thing council should be focused on. I have encountered civil police cars giving out speeding tickets to residents who are just going about their business, covering up for the fact that our rates are being mismanaged and our roads left to deteriorate. Instead of tar sealing the roads they use our hard-earned money to spread metal on the roads a couple of times a year. This is an environmental disaster – our drinking water is polluted, the air we breathe causes sickness, our houses are seasonally flooded because of this mismanagement. The dust is a major health concern for all of us residing in Kaipara. Asthma and silicosis are life-threatening pulmonary diseases that kill on a daily basis. My patients have been forced to sell their houses because of health concerns caused by this dust . Food for thought: Why is nobody listening to health experts? Why do we have to endure with flooding on our property when the loose metal blocks our drains and the council asks the residents to unblock it themselves? Why is it that everyone else is accountable for their jobs except local government and we have to pay what they say otherwise we are criminals and punished? Is this not corruption at the highest level? In a sense we are hostages in our own homes, our movements are restricted, our air is unbreathable, we have to use more time on the road to commute to work, get frustrated when we pay taxes and rates, but still are deemed criminals for exceeding arbitrary speed limits. I have had enough of this deafening silence and will do all in my power to fight this injustice. I see friends and services leaving the area because of lack of accountability from the councils side. I too am seriously contemplating moving out of the area. This will impact the service I have been providing for my patients and I am truly sorry for letting my patients down but continuing to accept these injustices is not beneficial for my mental health or my family’s health and wellbeing. It is time to stand behind a mayor and local councillor who does listen to us and prioritises ratepayers wellbeing, elect them into office and demand change from our locally elected. I will not wait and I am going to local papers and RNZ to raise our concerns. I have received a generic reply from the council regarding our roads and police enforcement. I cannot change the behaviour of council and police but can stop offering my services to the local community as a push-back to this behaviour. Dr Nima Maleki Mangawhai
[Abridged] |
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