Letters to the Editor

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OAG failed ratepayers.

There are many who have grave misgivings about the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) impartiality in its inquiry into the affairs of the Kaipara District Council.

It would seem that the OAG initially failed ratepayers because it did not discover, nor inform ratepayers of the shocking state of the (Kaipara
District) Council's financial affairs.

The Mangawhai Residents and Ratepayers Association (MRRA) were the whistle blowers and without its action the financial state of the Council
would have been even worse. It would seem the OAG either failed to do their task properly or its terms of reference regarding the audit of local government are inadequate.

In either case there would seem to be a strong case for independent auditors to audit the OAG and its role in handling the Kaipara District Council. Instead we have the progressive and subtle vilifying of the MRRA as if it was the cause of all evils we now face.

Kaipara ratepayers have every reason to know just how competent or incompetent the OAG's office was in this matter. We don't need to be told that the KDC was incompetent – that has been apparent to those who have followed this matter for years. We want to know why the OAG  apparently failed to do its job and I doubt the OAG will tell us why.

Roy Vaughan
Mangawhai