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Written by

Pauline Stewart

Published on

July 8, 2025

My husband Stan would tell me this, so I am sneaking it in.

“Why stay the course?”

A recent online newsletter about the update on the TCDC 10 Year Long Term Plan has the heading, “Year Two – we are committed to staying the course.”

Is staying on course the best course? I met a woman in the grocery store car park last week. She was bright and positive and called out to me. We did not know each other. “I am stocking up on butter,” she called. I responded, “Good on you.” Her reply – “I heard in some places it’s $17 for a block. It will happen here. I love butter. I don’t want additives.” A few minutes later I did check the butter price. It was somewhere between $9 and $10 with “SPECIAL PRICE” tags everywhere.

Whatever our choice of spread or taste in cooking condiments, we are all aware that the price seems too high for what we are getting and too high for a country celebrating its dairy food production prowess. That is why the woman I spoke to had decided “staying on course” was not appropriate for her, she needed to change course.

Back to the online letter from TCDC about the new financial year’s report on the Long-Term Plan (2024-2034 – available on their website). The letter states “It continues to be a time of significant change and uncertainty across the motu/country with fast moving legislative transformation, continuing international economic fluctuation, cost of living pressures, and growing requirements and complexities in the public sector. But we are committed to staying the course we set in our 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.”

There isn’t anyone who would not agree with their description of life. My question is if everything around me is changing, do I maintain the path already set or is there room for changing course? It could be questioned whether the TCDC should continue their course on issues such as the significant rating increases they are imposing, or should they try to understand the extreme hardship they are imposing on many ratepayers?

Everyone who is standing for election is talking about change. However, what is the change we are seeking? Perhaps it is time for local people to use the power that is intrinsically theirs, simply because the present course we are on is NOT working. Perhaps it is time for local people to drive change.

Whose fault is the current situation? I don’t think the blame can be placed on any one person’s shoulders but if it is to change, then the responsibility does rest with local people and with the local government path we have for Community Board members. They are elected to advocate on the people’s behalf to their Ward Councilors who in turn must speak for them on the full Council who in turn advocate to central government. Just accepting legislation handed down does not help communities. We have a Member of Parliament. We have Councilors and we have Community Board members, let’s make them work properly.

I went searching on the TCDC website trying to find some images and explanations of spatial plans to represent each town and community in our Peninsula, also Hauraki as we are becoming more connected to Hauraki.

I found none beside which I could place the detail of the Long-Term Plan headings to see if we were on track or ‘on course’. Thinking about ways to engage people to vote is a priority. I can’t help but think that the Long-Term Plan on its own would at best bring an obligatory, resigned vote for candidates espousing more of the same – the status quo.

I did find one spatial plan which has been prepared by a group in Hahei and at their own cost. However, it had not been endorsed by TCDC. It looks exciting and hopeful, but they will need practical support from the permission givers and active engagement for reality to be on the horizon.

I see Thames has a spatial plan, but it seems as if it is more in the jurisdiction of office staff and not in the hands of the local people to carefully readjust and or expand their town’s spatial plan details.

Interestingly, the predictions on population growth for Whitianga are expected to exceed Thames by 2031. Should we be accepting that?

For Whitianga; what are we doing in terms of practical development of our infrastructure? Or if we are Thames; what are we doing to bring about a better economy? I am relieved that Adrian Catran, Chair of Thames Community Board has said last week he is standing again with one key reason being to get Totara Valley housing underway.

What I was looking for were imaginative visions of how each town might develop and look in 20-25 years. That’s the timeframe in which I feel I could participate for some of that period.

Every time I go past a field of boat trailers stacked along the Whitianga estuary I feel like grabbing a spatial plan and searching to see where else they could sit for whole entire days and nights. I think about what beauty we could enable on the estuary for all ages of residents and visitors to enjoy.

With the LTP by which “we are staying the course,” can we place our detail of basic services set out there against a beautiful vision of each town and community on the Coromandel and in Hauraki? This is a question prominent in my mind.

With the elections looming, I’m looking forward to candidates elucidating a vison of what they think their region could become and be cognisant of the services needed to enable that vision. Saying they stand for change is not enough anymore. Everyone is hurtling through change.

However, there is a complacency in some areas of our society – the message of which is – “Let’s leave things like they are – it’s comfortable for me and my friends.” That is perhaps the most dangerous form of stagnation in a community. But there are many others who, if you paint a picture of the vision and the changes needed, they will choose ‘living’ over ‘comfort.’

We need those dreamers, and we need leaders, accountants and vocational workers to back them. Public service is about working beyond what you sign up for. Don’t stand to be elected in any group unless you are willing to become a servant of the people and have a love for the people. These are hallmarks of democracy.

“Why stay the course?”

A recent online newsletter about the update on the TCDC 10 Year Long Term Plan has the heading, “Year Two – we are committed to staying the course.”

I went searching on the TCDC website trying to find some images and explanations of spatial plans to represent each town and community in our Peninsula, also Hauraki as we are becoming more connected to Hauraki.

I did find one spatial plan which has been prepared by a group in Hahei and at their own cost. However, it had not been endorsed by TCDC. It looks exciting and hopeful, but they will need practical support from the permission givers and active engagement for reality to be on the horizon.

I see Thames has a spatial plan, but it seems as if it is more in the jurisdiction of office staff and not in the hands of the local people to carefully readjust and or expand their town’s spatial plan details.

Interestingly, the predictions on population growth for Whitianga are expected to exceed Thames by 2031. Should we be accepting that?

What I was looking for were imaginative visions of how each town might develop and look in 20-25 years. That’s the timeframe in which I feel I could participate for some of that period.

With the LTP by which “we are staying the course,” can we place our detail of basic services set out there against a beautiful vision of each town and community on the Coromandel and in Hauraki? This is a question prominent in my mind.

With the elections looming, I’m looking forward to candidates elucidating a vison of what they think their region could become and be cognisant of the services needed to enable that vision. Saying they stand for change is not enough anymore. Everyone is hurtling through change.

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