ED SAID - When the lines become blurred

Meetings have been held to discuss the merits or otherwise of a unitary authority to govern parts of Whangarei, Kaipara and Far north. It is felt that changing the dynamic of local government would bring greater stability and a more even distribution of funding than is  currently the case and would be better for the north overall.

With regard to Kaipara’s problems alone, there has been more than a stage whisper suggesting that Mangawhai should be aligned elsewhere than Kaipara. Changes to boundaries are nothing new and are addressed from time to time to maintain an even demographic principally for electoral purposes. However, from whichever way you look at it, east is east and west is west and NEVER the twain shall meet. 

Never was this more true nor obvious than with the current situation that rules within the Kaipara. After all the demographic – geographically, socially, spiritually, philosophically (almost every ‘ally) – is entirely different. One not necessarily better than the other, just quite different. Mangawhai’s has much more in common with other settlements up the eastern coastline from Orewa right through to Tutukaka than the predominantly rural service industries further west. 

Basically, drawing a line running up the island from, say, Wellsford separating east from west is an easy and admittedly a simplistic view but, as far as Mangawhai is concerned who to be aligned with is the poser. Who would want Mangawhai’s debt you ask ? Certainly one for deep discussion but I suggest this would not necessarily be a major problem as a well-run Mangawhai would develop in such a way that longterm pluses would far outweigh the minuses. 

Whangarei has been mooted as a possible bedmate as has Auckland. In both cases Mangawhai would be but a pimple on the backside of either region. Regarding the former, would Mangawhai people be happy to pay a share of a multi-million dollar Hundertwasser Centre in Whangarei for example? I think not.

I believe Auckland would accept Mangawhai almost without question as the majority of ratepayers are already Aucklanders and the Supercity would then be getting two bites of the rating cherry from those people. However, again, would Mangawhai ratepayers be prepared to fork out for the west Auckland Waterview Tunnel connection or proposed rapid rail scheme? Again I suspect not, which brings us full circle to the situation we have today best described by the disambiguation ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’ 

Just my humble opinion. Please feel free to send us yours.