GARRICK TREMAIN CARTOON - Hospitals

 

MAORI WARDS - update

The Maori Ward Amendment Bill has been passed into law.  Councils will now be required to vote to either disestablish Māori wards created after the public petition right was removed by Nanaia Mahuta, or vote to hold a binding referendum at next year’s local body election. They must decide either or.

How councillors vote will be watched closely and published on LETTERBOX website in the “How they Voted” section.

By the time the local body election comes around, we will have a detailed voting record for each councillor so voters can judge the councillors seeking re-election on their actions, not their weasel words.

ROADSIDE ARTWORK - UPDATE

In the June issue of LETTERBOX we promised to report back on who required the $104,605 (+GST) “archway” artwork in the middle of the roundabout at the intersection of Port Road and Kioreroa Road.

We now know the consent condition arose from discussions between the “Council’s Parks Department and tangata whenua.”

PM GIVES DIRECTIVE

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given local councils a directive to “do exactly what we’re doing here in central government, which is to control their spending to deliver on the basics brilliantly to focus on the must-do, not the nice-to-do”.

WDC IGNORES PUBLIC

A staff report on the submissions to the WDC’s annual plan shows how little regard your elected representatives have for public opinion.

·         87% of submitters opposed the 17.2% rate increase, but the council voted for it anyway! Supporting the increase were: Mayor Cocurullo and Crs Benney, Connop, Couper, Harding, Holmes, McKenzie, and Peters. Those against were: Crs Halse, Olsen, Reid, Ruka, and Yovich. Think about that when voting in next year’s local body elections!

GREEN LIGHT FOR NORTHLAND EXPRESSWAY!

The new coalition government has given the highway  between Auckland and Whangarei top priority on the Roads of National Significance work programme.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the improvements will be a game-changer for Northland. He’s right. For far too long Northland has had too little attention to its roading infrastructure.

He said, 

"For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections between Northland and the rest of the country has been a handbrake on the region’s economic development.”

“The last Government’s decision to stop planning for a replacement to the Brynderwyns has left Northland more vulnerable and requires a significant amount of work to get this project back on track.”

He’s right about that too. This is in stark contrast to the Labour government that shelved the roading projects.

LGNZ and the Whangarei District Council - the price of membership

The Whangarei District Council has never disclosed the membership fee it pays to Local Government NZ 

The union speaks for councils but in recent years has failed to represent the majority view of councils, Three Waters being an example. The fall-out is that several councils have withdrawn their membership (including Auckland, Christchurch, Kaipara). They say LGNZ is no longer a representative body and the annual membership fee does not represent value for money at a time when costs should be cut to minimise rate increases.

At a council meeting on the 23rd of May 2024, the WDC decided to remain a member. We have been told some councillors considered the amount of money involved was not significant enough to warrant review.