Had an interesting Council meeting in Dargaville on Wednesday. After all the talk of operating Council transparently at the ratepayer meetings over the past week – what do you know, another public excluded meeting – subject matter: receving and notifying the decisions on the Landscape Variation to the Proposed District Plan. The Mayor was quick to announce that the item be debated in sec...
The Long Term Plan consultation meeting at Mangawhai attracted possibly the biggest crowd ever seen at a local political meeting in Kaipara. The estimated group of some 2500 disgruntled and concerned ratepayers marched en masse from The Hub to the Recreation Centre. The LTP proposal was not well received by the ratepayers (as expected). MRRA chairman Bruce Rogan made a strong address to the meetin...
The problems with Re-Captcha on the WorkBoot forums are now fixed. You may have received a handful of retrospective forum post notifications yesterday as a result of this fix. You can now get involved in the debate in the Long Term Plan forum here. The Council consultaton meetings are due to be held at Maungaturoto and Kaiwaka on Friday, and at Mangawhai on Saturday - see the timetable of me...
There are many highly experienced and talented businesspeople and professionals with interests in Kaipara. They often offer their advice or assistance to the Council in the best interests of the district and its communities - they genuinely want to help make Kaipara a great (and affordable) place to live and work, and have a vested interest in doing so. What has never ceased to amaze me is Coun...
Kaipara District Council voted today to endorse and adopt a draft Long Term Plan (LTP) for 2012 – 2022 with an average rates increase for 2012 – 2013 of 31%. The LTP will be publicly notified for consultation on Monday 30 April followed by submissions closing on 30 May, and public hearings. The Council press release is here. Whilst it is necessary to notify a plan in order to set rates, WorkBo...
It was with sadness that I learned of the sudden death of Owen McShane on Tuesday. Owen was a friend, supporter and mentor to me for many years and fostered my early interest in resource management law and economics. He was an internationally acknowledged authority on development economics, was sought after as a speaker at international conferences, and engaged by central government and other Coun...
With several interviews on National radio during the week, the pressure has been building and now tonight the beautiful coastal town of Mangawhai featured on TV3 news, as the festering woes of Kaipara burst in the national media. The Mangawhai Residents and Ratepayers Association meet tomorrow Sunday 26 February at 130PM in the Senior Citizens Hall, Fagan Pl, Mangawhai Heads, and new Kaipara CEO S...
More on the SS Titanic.... I mean SS Kaipara from Morning Report. The Mangawhai Ratepayers Association says the borrowing of millions of dollars by the Kaipara District Council appears to have been unlawful, and creditors may be at risk click here to listen. You can post comments here For the latest excellent commentaries and analyses on Kaipara Concerns click here.
The Mayor hit the national media on Tuesday about the massive debt and massive rates increases to cover it - all nothing to do with him of course. You can hear the interview here and comment here. Minister of Local Government Dr Nick Smith wants to get rid of regional councils (see The Listener lead story 25 Feb) and favours amalgamation of district councils. With that news the scramble is on for ...
Talk of amalgamation of Northland Councils is back on the agenda. New Local Government Minister Dr Nick Smith believes the sector is "ripe for reform" see here Northland Council leaders and Iwi and met with Dr Smith and MPs Heatley and Sabin to discuss amalgamation on Waitangi Day. I have asked the mayor for a full report on the meeting but apparently one will not be provided because Dr Smith want...