The Poor Knights are managed by the Department of Conservation under the Marine Reserves Act 1971 and Reserves Act 1977, which strictly prohibit landing without a permit. The islands are the sole breeding ground for Buller’s shearwater — a migratory seabird long harvested by Ngatiwai before protection laws were enacted.
For many years, the trust has
paid a dividend to consumers in the form of a credit on their power bill. We
understand some candidates want to change that and instead distribute the funds
to what they consider to be worthy community causes.
The candidate statements in the
Election Handbook don’t shed any light on this issue, but there are some very
familiar faces on the ballot paper with a track record of reckless spending. Voters
should look beyond the air-brushed smiling faces and think about the damage
that can be done by those wanting to get their sticky fingers on other people's
money to advance their pet social causes.
Voting can be done by post or online
and closes at 12 noon, Saturday, 29 November.
The connection linking Whangarei to the existing northern motorway is being treated as three projects. Construction of the Warkworth to Te Hana section is expected to commence in late 2026 and continue through to early 2030.
The effect is that the WDC and
NRC will disestablish their Maori wards at the end of the current three-year term.
John Bain from Democracy
Northland said he was pleased that the public had finally had their say on the
Maori wards issue.
“The results vindicate the stance we took five years ago when we presented our petitions to the councils. It is a travesty that councillors ignored a petition with more than 15,000 signatures and introduced Maori wards without any regard for public opinion. They should hang their heads in shame and reflect on what it means to be a representative.”
Former Kaipara Maori ward councillor and barrister, Pera Paniora, has pleaded guilty to two charges of assault. She will be sentenced on the 28th of November.
The assaults took place in a
Whangarei shop on the 15th of September, but suppression orders
prevented her from being named during the election campaign. An application for permanent name suppression
has been denied.
Her lawyer is seeking a discharge
without conviction. If this is not granted, she could be sentenced to up to six
months in jail and/or a maximum fine of $4,000.
Paniora failed to retain a seat
on the Council, polling fifth in the Wairoa ward (3 elected).
She previously worked for WRMK Lawyers in Whangarei, but more recently says she has been developing Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua's Te Taiao department.
Photo credit: Stuff
Having voted both for the Maori ward and against giving the public a say, we appreciate Ken Couper would be disappointed that voters have rejected his position. However, it is completely unacceptable that he now intends to disregard the clear public will and pursue 'other ways' to ensure Maori influence at the council table. We would not be surprised if he intends to appoint unelected iwi representatives with full voting rights to council committees.
He promised a line-by-line review of council expenses, more enabling planning rules, and greater focus on building more resilient infrastructure. Larsen clearly knows the key issues and understands the concerns of the communities within the district. Kaipara is now well-positioned to be an outstanding performer over the next decade.
A link to the speech is here >>>
Whangarei has a new mayor and six
new faces around the council table. In a close race for the mayoralty, two-term
councillor Ken Couper beat the incumbent Vince Cocurullo by 435 votes.
In the Urban Ward, Marie Olsen topped the voting and is joined by newcomer Brad Flower, re-elected councillors Nic Connop and Paul Yovich, and Crichton Christie, who is returning as a councillor after a six-year absence. Carol Peters lost her seat, as did Jayne Golightly.