Quill set and an ink bottle
Amalgamation – not a good state of affairs
Any Eastern seaboard residents who thought they were far from the seat of power (Thames), are in for rude awakening. We now have to decide between being governed from Hamilton, Tauranga, or (maybe) Paeroa. Thames will be just a local office. The Thames offices are in a dire state, so will be sold or demolished.
I hoped the Labour party, seeing the concern about loss of local democracy, would announce plans to scrap amalgamation as soon as they took office and make it an election issue, allowing councils to kick the can down the road for a while. Unfortunately, their wishy washy statement condemned National’s haste, but supported the general idea, so it looks like a done deal.
I sympathize with those council staff who will undoubtedly be applying for a reduced number of positions in the new council, and also those board members and councilors who, after many years of service, will lose their positions.
I would however note that the current state of affairs regarding the Accord, the tensions between elected and non-elected members of council, and perceived inefficiencies, might suggest a total shake up and rebuild could be just what we need.
Martin Spinks, Thames
NAÏVE AND UNWORKABLE
I was saddened when I read the article in Issue 1215 of The Informer from the Mercury Bay Arts Development Trust.
It is the most naïve and illogical article I have read and denies any other suggested sites. There is no question that Whitianga needs a dedicated site for the arts but what about other groups and organisations who use the Town Hall on a regular basis? The venue at present is full to capacity. The hall site would not only be expensive to develop but lacks the necessary parking.
During the past few months I have contributed Letters to the Editor in The Informer on the need to have a building to cater for all sectors. The site I keep proposing is on the Whitianga Sports Ground off Moewai Road that is owned by the Thames Coromandel District Council and it is unfinished and there is room and capacity for more development and usage.
This position would be ideal to build a Conference and Performing Arts Centre and be used by art and creative and performing groups, concerts, music events etc all in addition to sports events – a wonderful facility for our region.
The site already has a large toilet block, car parking for over 150 cars and has many outdoor sports areas available on a 10 hectare footprint. The other advantage is that the land is well above flood level and adjacent to the Waterway’s complex that has transformed our region. It is not used at all to full capacity.
It really is a no brainer. I say adopt the Moewai Sports Park site and forget the promoted one at the Town Halland area adjacent to the old fire brigade site. In many large cities and smaller cities, facilities with a number of uses on one site are being built for sport, performing arts and conferences. They are not exclusive in their requirements. It is time to be more creative and combine resources and demand more of this great facility that we already have.
Let our region lead the way.
Noel S. Hewlett, Whitianga
Work harder and succeed ? Not so true!
The song, Money, Money, Money’ by ABBA says this is a rich man’s world. It does appear to be so. To be elected one needs a considerable grubstake for deposits, advertising, and travel, so for people starting out to do this – tough luck!
Having observed humanity for some time, I’ve noticed that the rich are prone to telling their underlings to “work hard and you will succeed.” What rubbish! How will young people ever own a palatial home when they haven’t managed to save even the deposit?
So what makes a wealthy person? Firstly – wealthy parents and/or wealthy grandparents. They grubstake their children and/or grandchildren. Secondly, being in the right place at the right time with the first of their wealth.
Thirdly, feeling entitled to gather payment from the ‘also rans’ who are in a position of subservience, e.g. rent! Fourthly, not sharing so called ‘good fortune’ with others but being thrifty and sometimes mean.
It helps to spread the ‘carrot’ that you can be like ‘us’ wealthy; just work (for us) harder and pay your bills. In the old days, we were the aristocracy and you envied us.
Peter Wood , Whitianga
Correction
Correction re the Art Hub project published last week in The Informer. Wrong email was published.
“We really do want readers to be able to contact us.” Jan Wright
The correct email address is info@MBADT.org.nz
Think bigger on cost of buildings
It was reported Tuesday last that TCDC councillors voted to budget $500,000 for “investigation and works” concerning various council buildings conditions and presumably repair.
The buildings are toxic, with mould and other problems, leading, quite rightly, to a concern for staff’s health.
Have we learned nothing from Covid? It’s time to work from home – staff and councillors. Use FaceTime etc. Save money and enter the new world.
Political members in government should also work from their constitutional areas. The savings would be immediate and the savings to the plant welcomed.
Isn’t it time to “ think big again?”
PS. I communicate these comments from home.
Tony Lovelidge, , Cooks Beach
Tracks
After they arrived on the Coromandel DOC published maps of the land now under their management – look, see! Walking tracks all over the place.
Within a few years many of these tracks were overgrown and unusable and DOC removed their maps from sale.
Clubs of walkers, trampers, pig-hunters, botanists and bird-lovers had established pathways through the hills and alongside the streams, sidings which took you from one valley to the next. These were kept open with regular use. Sometimes a bus-load of botanists would arrive for a day seeking rare plants.
In 1994 many of these clubs were visited by DOC and threatened with exclusion from all DoC – managed land if any of their members spoke up against DoC’s use of 1080.
DC has managed to close many of these tracks down. Cathedral Cove is just one instance among many.
John Veysey, Thames Coast
