Snippets from the campaign trail

Cr Gavin Benney has announced he will not be seeking re-election in October. 

Cr Benney is one of two councillors who represent the Hikurangi-Coastal ward. 

The other is Cr McKenzie, who has confirmed he will be standing for a second term.

Guest comment - Marie Olsen: "Marie for Mayor"

This is the second in a series where we feature decision-makers and candidates standing in the local body elections.

Last week WDC councillor, Marie Olsen, announced she will be challenging incumbent Vince Cocurullo for the mayoralty. Here are extracts from her announcement speech.

“Marie for Mayor”

I am Marie Olsen and I am running for Mayor…

There are many things that need changing. There are three policies I am announcing today.

ACT to stand candidates

 

For the first time ever, ACT is looking to stand candidates in local council elections.

ACT Leader David Seymour said “ACT has been focused on tackling the cost of living, wasteful spending, and co-governance in central government. But when I travel the country, I’m constantly told that local councils have failed to address these same concerns at the local level.”

He said it was time “for a clean-out”.

WDC loses fluoride battle

 

A legal challenge by the Whangarei District Council (WDC) to prevent fluoride being added to the town water supply has failed. The Council had sought an injunction from the High Court to delay the implementation of a directive from the Director-General of Health

In a decision released on the 24^th of March, Justice Karen Grau found the WDC’s conduct to defy the directive was unlawful. She noted that the council's evidence, including expert testimony on potential health risks, did not demonstrate immediate risks sufficient to justify interim orders, especially given that over half of New Zealand has had fluoridated water for decades without evident widespread harm.

Justice Grau said it was unlikely the council would succeed in its broader challenge against the directive’s safety and legality.

As a result of the failed injunction, the council commenced fluoridation of the town supply on 24 March. It is still considering whether to continue with its legal challenge.

Further information

RNZ article: Whangārei District Council bows to government directive to add fluoride to water supply Here >>>

Northern Advocate:  Whangārei to fluoridate water after court dismisses district council’s challenge   Here >>>

Quotable quote - gravy train

 

“Nothing screeches louder than the brakes on the gravy train”. – Anonymous

Security called to remove "disruptive" councillor

Security was called to remove a “disruptive” councillor from the debating chamber during the fluoride debate. Waipu ward councillor Ken Couper was ordered from the chamber following a terse exchange with Mayor Cocurullo, but refused to do so, saying, “you will have to physically remove me”.  The Mayor adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes, which resumed without the disruptive Cr Couper.

We cannot recall a previous occasion where security has been called to remove a member from the chamber. While councillors sometimes have acrimonious exchanges, very rarely does it escalate to the point of calling security to remove a belligerent councillor from a meeting. 

Fluoride or jail time?

 

A motion put by the WDC’s Chief Executive to revoke earlier decisions by councillors to ignore a directive by the Director General of Health that requires the Council to fluoridate its water supply has been voted down by councillors. At a meeting held on the 12^th of February, Mayor Cocurullo used his casting vote to break a 7-7   deadlock.

The extraordinary meeting was called after the Council received a letter from the Director General of Health on the 30^th of January. That letter restated their position that it was an offence under the Health Act for a local authority to contravene a Ministry of Health direction.

A staff report prepared for the meeting said the council had received legal advice that councillors may be held personally liable for any losses incurred as a result of their “unlawful” action or imprisonment!

Northport buyout

 

A consortium made up of the Northland Regional Council (NRC), the Port of Tauranga, and the Ngāpuhi Investment Fund Limited (Ngāpuhi) have made a conditional offer to buy out the minority shareholders of Marine Maritime Holdings (MMH, formerly Northport), which is listed on the NZ stock exchange. The offer price of $5.60 a share is a 73% premium to the $3.24 last sale price before the offer.

Should the offer go ahead, MMH will be delisted from the stock exchange. The Port of Tauranga would own 50%, NRC 43%, and Ngāpuhi 7%.

Currently, the NRC owns a 53.6% controlling stake in MMH. The proposal would see it sell down its holding to 43%, and it has stated that it may make a further 7% available to other Maori groups which would reduce its holding to 36%. LETTERBOX has asked the NRC to clarify whether it will be consulting with the public on the sell-down. We will publish their reply in the next issue.

The deal effectively gives the Port of Tauranga control of the port and the substantial land holdings owned by MMH.

Well-beings going going soon to be gone

 In December, the then Minister of Local Government, Simeon Brown, issued a press release headed “Government getting local government back to basics”. 

He says poor decisions have added to rate increases. “Rates are out of control and the Government is taking action for councils to do the basics brilliantly, rather than pursuing expensive extras that burden ratepayers…”.

The specific changes include:

Hundertwasser Woes

 A recent report appearing in the Northern Advocate began, “Three years since opening, the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Wairau Māori Art Gallery is still struggling to make its budget and is reliant on the Whangārei District Council to stay afloat…In the year to June 30, 2024, it had 38,000 visitors against 70,000 forecast. It made a loss of $1.36m - $703,000 worse than budgeted - due to less income from admissions, shop sales, and grants.”

The 70,000 visitors “forecast” is considerably less than the numbers presented to the public at the time the project was promoted by Prosper Northland Trust, which had been formed to steer the project.  This is how they described it:

“Hundertwasser & Wairau Maori Art Centre is an unprecedented catalyst for growth in Whangarei District. The Deloitte Feasibility Study and Economic Impact Assessment have been reviewed and updated by leading Wellington-based consultants Crowe Horwarth, engaged by Prosper Northland Trust…This review confirms the Deloitte report as being conservative…Deloitte’s representatives stood in WDC’s Council Chamber in 2011 and expressed the utmost confidence that their findings would be vindicated. They found that even in the prevailing circumstances some 150,000 people would visit the art centre annually…