Letters to the Editor

 

Time to end battle
In your last edition, MRRA (Mangawhai Ratepayers & Residents Association) executive member Barbara Pengelly suggested that the Commissioners at the Kaipara District Council do not care about seeking justice with respect to the historic issues relating to the Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme.

Mrs Pengelly is not correct. The Council has had significant legal advice on whether there is a case to be answered by those responsible for decisions made and advice given at the time. We are seeking accountability against two parties through the courts currently.

MRRA however is on a separate journey – pursuing the Council. What Commissioners are inviting the MRRA executive to reconsider is the wisdom of them returning to courts yet again to challenge the Council over matters relating to Council debt and rates. Last year, after three-and-a-half days of hearings, the High Court made clear rulings on these matters. The MRRA executive did not like the rulings, so have lodged an appeal. The appeal is set down for August.

The litigation initiated by the MRRA executive against the Council is extremely costly for ratepayers. We urge Mrs Pengelly and her fellow MRRA executive to accept the rulings of the High Court and drop the appeal. Let’s end this “battle”, heal the divisions, and invest rates into projects that support Mangawhai’s community development.

John Robertson
KDC Chair of Commissioners

Stop back-stabbing Council
Mangawhai is a developing, once sleepy, rural seaside settlement, facing basic social infrastructure challenges and respect for its environment in which its residents and ratepayers are in a state of denial on how to fund, necessitating the formation of a Unitary Authority for obvious reasons. One being residents and ratepayers’ obstinacy to unite and accept the changing landscape to that of developing suburban population growth needs and responsibility.

Some suggestions:

1. Safeguard all residential zoned properties with a community recycled water-main servicing fire hydrants.

2. Stop recurring silt infiltration in Mangawhai Harbour and ultimate total mangrove invasion despite riparian planting and MHRS efforts.

3. Accept the need to excavate and convert west of the causeway and Molesworth Drive bridges into reservoirs (lakes) servicing the village and heads fire hydrants.

4. Accept excavation of remaining mangrove areas and re-instate Harbour to pre-mangrove status.

5. Zone Campbell Park and adjacent Fagan Place Council-owned units land and other desirable residential lots to ‘retail light commercial’ to make way for Heads shopping mall with sufficient car parking spaces.

Definition of ‘naivety’ is:

1. Those residents and ratepayers who opposed three previous attempts to install a community sewage system and water-main.

2. Council rural-focussed, town-planners lacking vision to plan reservoirs (as distinct from drinking water supply.

3. Council decision-makers, out of fear of rejection, failed to rubber-stamp the inclusion of laying said recycled water main at the time of the EcoCare installation.

4. Residents and Ratepayers believing Council didn’t have the power (ref local by-laws) to impose 24/7 10,000 gallons in storage tanks in front yards for fire-fighting purposes defacing and devaluing residential properties.

Local community, private, public, partnerships could:

A. Establish a medical centre within the Mangawhai Park development.

B. Add 24/7 care units and retirement village apartments for senior citizens to stay, live, buy into, and enjoy current lifestyles and friendships with the added incentive of a discount for locals rather than have them move elsewhere.

C. An alternative site might be to include same in an upper storey above earlier suggested shopping mall.

D. Support a Private Members Bill for local community capital gains tax to help fund community initiatives.

E. Administered by ‘Local Government Board’ and Unitary Authority representative(s).

F. Fund a sealed pathway and cycle lane between Heads and Village.

G. Help fund completion of Skate Park for our youth to develop confidence and engage in outdoor activity

H. Convert Campbell Park buildings into new fire station.

Put your hands up residents and ratepayers! Show some united leadership instead of stabbing your Council in the back for doing ‘your’ job despite its seeming mis-management of the EcoCare project.

Noel Paget
Mangawhai

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