LETTERS - 19 Aug - The Coromandel Informer

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August 19, 2025

The purpose of the Letters to the Editor column is to enable members of the public to express an opinion, about an article or a topic of interest/concern. Please keep them to 200 words or less. These letters do not reflect the editor’s view. The editor reserves the right to edit and decide what is…

CR JOHN GRANT – THE MATTER OF WATER RATES

Thanks for shining a light on the water rates concerns for a Whitianga resident. I’m responding as a Mercury Bay Councillor, not on behalf of TCDC, but I’m committed to resolving this and others with similar concerns, as are my council colleagues, Rekha Giri-Percival and Deli Connell.

The core issue is TCDC’s non-metered water charge ($1,030.06 in 2025/26), assumes a higher-than-average use of water. This assumption disadvantages low-usage non-metered properties. TCDC’s pricing aligns closely with councils like Auckland, Hamilton, and Queenstown, despite different methodologies (e.g., capital value, pans). Auckland’s scale (630,000 properties vs. TCDC’s 30,000) brings scale, and our summer population surge to ~300,000 taxes infrastructure, raising costs for water services.

I’m seeking a review of unmetered pricing assumptions and pushing to accelerate metering rollout (~9500 awaiting meters). Mid to long-term, TCDC joining a Water Services Organisation, will I believe help lower costs through scale. In the meantime, we must relook at our current approach and show ratepayers that they are receiving good value for their rates contribution.

I am committed to work with ratepayer groups who have raised this issue and will keep them up to date with progress and I welcome community input—please email me at jgrant@vcs.co.nz to discuss.

John Grant, Councillor MB Ward

Editor’s note – this was intended for last weeks issue of The Informer, to be part of the main article on the unfairness of the Rates process.pages10 &11 issue 1170 12 August. We missed the email from Cr John.

CALLING OUT THE TCDC’S CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY

The Thames-Coromandel District Council’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan focuses heavily on emissions the council directly controls, but that’s just 0.7%⁽¹⁾ of the district’s total. This long, detailed plan produced at taxpayer expense doesn’t meaningfully address the other 99%, for which the Council claims it “can only influence and support initiatives…in conjunction with others”.

So where is this influence and support?

A local council’s job isn’t just managing its own emissions, yet the Council’s plan, for instance, offers almost no guidance on meaningful actions residents can take, such as eating less meat, flying less, or driving less, even though most people won’t act without clear leadership and support. The plan repeatedly relies on vague terms like “encourage” and “promote” for actions that are currently unbudgeted and lack measurable outcomes, such as those focused on individuals’ transport or waste behaviours.

A credible climate plan should set measurable targets, lead by example, and actively promote behaviours that make a real difference – not just pat itself on the back for fleet electrification. Many contractors handling power and water are privately contracted and pay their own bills, so what fleets is the Council talking about? Management cars?

A long report of good intentions addressing less than 1% of the problem isn’t enough.

(1) Appendix 2, page 24 of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan.

(2) https://protectourwinters.nz/top-individual-actions-to-address-climate-change/

Louise Stokes, Matarangi

FAILED BUSINESSES

I feel the need to reply to a letter that was praising our current mayor.

As a small business owner (past & present) I am aware of how difficult it can be, nothing is a given, there are no bail outs if you fail.

Now this chap had four businesses; then he became bankrupt. 2011 is the year records cease, so things might have improved.

And he is in charge of spending our money!

I did ask Len if he thought he was fit for office -of course he defended himself.

Failed businesses and yet one can be Mayor.

Rob Davis, Whitianga

QUESTIONS ABOUT CEO’S’ SALARY

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is apparently on a base salary of approximately $318,000, Defence Minister Judith Collins is on about $304,000. T

his is probably not unreasonable as they make decisions affecting literally millions of people.

How then does TCDC justify paying its CEO $369,025, about $50,000 more than Brown and $65,000 more than Collins from a ratepayer base of about 10% of theirs? Why also did they just give her a pay rise and also extended her contract recently? What are the superpowers this individual has that justify such generosity from her already financially stretched ratepayers? Yes, she no doubt faces “significant challenges” in her role as reported by local media recently, but so do Collins and Brown and that is part of her job, one would have thought.

Can anyone in TCDC help me understand this? Would those candidates currently standing for council positions care to tell us where they stand on this issue?

Alastair Brickell, Kuaotunu

FOOL ME TWICE? NOT LIKELY

Well, don’t I feel like a proper mug. Last local elections, I fell hook line and sinker for misinformation from a local radio station on behalf of their favoured candidate, blaming the regional council for ruining our fishing. Turns out there has been zero impact from regional council policies on my weekend snapper trips. The real damage has come from Minister of Fisheries Shane Jones, New Zealand First and the coalition.

I should’ve seen the signs. Jones has been collecting donations from Big Fishing like his personal ATM. Over $100,000 since 2017! Talley’s alone coughed up $66,900, with Sir Peter Talley splitting up donations to try to dodge disclosure.

What did this buy them? Free range to pillage our oceans.

Jones rolled over faster than a dolphin doing tricks for a bucket of fish. After “wine and oysters” dinners with his mates, he made fishing boat camera footage secret that had previously exposed fish dumping and dolphins caught in nets. He rubber-stamped quota increases without consultation and killed any chance of banning bottom trawling. He’s made it nearly impossible for groups like LegaSea to keep them honest.

This time, if some slick local election campaign resorts to distortions about wrecked fisheries or whatever, I’ll check who’s really pulling the purse strings and doing the damage. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Not likely.

Anton Taylor, Whitianga

PATRICK KERR STANDS OUT AT THE FIRST “MEET THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES”

Tony Fox, Whitianga Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Ass. Inc. (WRRA) chairperson, and his carefully selected team of informed local people, worked long and hard on our behalf, committing their time, energy and expertise into presenting all Mayoral Candidates with a list of questions relevant to resolving the untenable situation we are currently in.

This gave all the Candidates the time and opportunity to be open, honest, and transparent about their positions, and to state factually and competently how they will address the issues.

Patrick Kerr was the only candidate who not only answered every question but also added to the questions asked. He was the only candidate who treated the meeting with the respect due, thus confirming he is a “team player/leader’”, a businessman with the ability to work efficiently, recognising, utilising, and putting to good use the expertise of his team.

All other candidates chose to ignore the list of questions. We just received the usual non-identifying rant, which allowed them to skirt the issues and carefully avoid any that may have negative repercussions.

Was this through ignorance or arrogance? I’m not sure, but neither of these “attributes” is acceptable in a potential mayor.

Openness. Honesty. Transparency. Please!

Ady Cole-Ewen, Wharekaho

LETTERS – 19 Aug