Decision made?  - Northern Advocate - 3rd April 2012

Has the ink dried?

What a great weekend for the Brother International Rally of Whangarei.  Friday night’s ceremonial start in Cameron Street Mall is always a great opportunity to see the cars and drivers up close, before the gruelling event covering over 280 kilometres of Northland roads can take its toll. The crews work hard to keep the cars mobile throughout the event and also have them sparkling for the finish at our lovely Town Basin.  

So tomorrow its back to reality again, which brings me to something that was quoted at Sunday’s Ceremonial Finish at Quayside.  

We have before us people, a democratic process that our local councils are undertaking this next month.  

Is that a true and correct description of the 2012 - 2022 Draft Long Term Plan, that Whangarei District Council has invited us all to participate in; a submission process?  Sadly I have to say in my opinion, No. 

Whangarei Mayor, Morris Cutforth during his closing address on Sunday at the rally stated “within the next two years we will have a Hundertwasser Building here”, pointing to the old Regional Council building that WDC has had empty for many years, failing to gain a return on the investment.  Really, who is pulling this ‘Puppet’s’ strings? 

The draft summary will have reached you all in the mail in the last week, but don’t be fooled; especially after hearing an insulting comment to ratepayers, like that.  I, like many others have tried hard to believe that the future of the proposal was before us during the submission process, but it seems again that the ink has already dried on their draft copy.

Is the process flawed or do some people in the halls of power have their own ideas already cast in concrete, not really caring what the ratepayers who will be paying the bills, think? 

Do we waste our precious time in making submissions? 

I will let you decide.

Warren Slater

Maunu

 

(items abridged by Northern Advocate in italics, for their published copy)