The Northland Regional Council (NRC) has spent another $600,000 on 23 projects to “build resilience to the immediate and ongoing effects of climate change” and deliver “sustainable, innovative and equitable economy outcomes, meaningful partnerships with tāngata whenua, and healthy waters, land and air”.
The CEO says the council is “investing [in] what matters
most, our people and local systems.”
Really? The feedback LETTERBOX has received is that what matters most to ratepayers is putting an end to the exorbitant rate increases! The NRC’s 33% rate increase in the last three years is among the highest in the country. Much of the increase has been spent on increasing staff numbers and funding resilience projects.
The latest spending is the second tranche of $9.2 million to
be spent over 10 years. Recipients include:
$40,000
to install solar panels at the Owhata Marae to “building ability to
participate in climate adaptation, enable holistic resilience alongside carbon
reduction benefits”.
$40,000
to a private company to “create a local peruperu [a Maori potato] economy in
Northland.”
$20,000
to the Mangawhai Museum to hold an exhibition about storms, “to help Kaipara
residents better prepare for and adapt to increasingly frequent and intense
weather events.”
$32,000
to Te aho Taiao o Waimamaku for “monitoring through traditional Māori
science and knowledge to see the effect of climate change.”
$29,700
for student climate action workshops to “build capacity, increasing
knowledge and encouraging participation in climate action.”
This
nonsense will only end if good people with common sense are elected to the NRC.