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Failing the locals
Michael James, Orewa (abridged)
Here is a partial list of the failings of Auckland Council and Auckland Transport as of late: Orewa suicide pedestrian crossings; fire sale of Orewa Service Centre; relying on the public to complain about erosion run-off before attending to the sites; relying on journalists’ investigations before ensuring developers are fulfilling consent conditions; Orewa seawall – $1m spent and no result; collecting petrol tax before giving accurate costs for each proposed project; seminars on how to compost our vege waste, then telling us we will be paying for a bin to collect the waste; removing the express buses from Gulf Harbour and Waiwera based upon a public consultation carried out over four years ago; lack of carparks at Silverdale park and ride; no or little investigation as to the number of people using the ferries. Consult if we must, pretend to listen, then go ahead anyway.Rates and taxes are going up. Services are going down – down to where?
Penalties disappoint
John Watson, Albany Ward councillor
It was disappointing to read of the penalties handed out to the Hibiscus Coast Raiders league club by the ARL (HM August 1). The Raiders have always been a well-run family club with a reputation for encouraging sportsmanship and fair play amongst their teams. This year, as mentioned in the article, the Raiders are in a rebuilding stage and have a number of younger, slighter players in their premier team. On the occasions I’ve watched them they’ve played with a lot of courage despite being up against much bigger and experienced opposition. As a result they’re probably the last team in the Auckland Rugby League to be seen throwing their weight around. By contrast I note that their opposition on the day, Mt Wellington, is the same club that a few years ago was involved in yet another all-in brawl, this time with the Glenfield Rugby League club. On that occasion a number of the Glenfield players and supporters were assaulted resulting in complaints to the police. Afterwards nine players, all of them from the Mt Wellington team, were punished with suspensions, two of them receiving five-year bans. This time around it seems clear that the ARL judiciary has decided to draw little distinction between aggressor and victim in imposing penalties on both clubs. While on the surface this might give the appearance of dealing decisively with the issue, in reality it ignores the fact that some clubs, like the Raiders, conduct themselves as should be on a sports field, while others are not nearly so impressive (and have the record to show it). In failing to draw a distinction between the two, the ARL does neither club any favours.
Less spin please
John Clements, Orewa
I see emblazoned at the bottom of email responses from the Council, is: ‘Better Transport. Cleaner Beaches. Protected Environment.’ Really? I’d suggest: ‘Clogged Roads. Polluted Beaches. Unprotected Environment’. There’s a difference between reality and self-serving nonsense. The Council is very good at the latter, but not much else. More people need to voice their concern.
Godsend for retirees
Dorothy Gibbs, Orewa
I read in Hibiscus Matters of August 1 that a Mobile Home Retirement Park is proposed for Silverdale. This is well overdue – there should be these parks for retirees dotted throughout New Zealand. At my place of employment, many elderly are customers, many of them cannot afford a Retirement Village as they are businesses today. If you become ill and need their medical facility your savings would soon be depleted! Kudos to whoever has invested in this. It will be a Godsend.
Hammerhead follow up
Adrienne Cole, Hatfields Beach (abridged)
Further to my letter published in HM August 1, I would like to detail the following: The land is reclaimed foreshore and should be retained in public ownership. Public rights are guaranteed under the Gulf Harbour Empowering Act. Common sense dictates that we keep it that way. If the land does not remain under public ownership, a Private Plan Change could be sought in future, to allow apartments to be built there.
Proceeds of the proposed sale are theoretically tagged for boat harbour purposes in the Rodney area, but there is no local board control over that money. In 2003-6 we fought and stopped the deal to lose control of the Hammerhead for four stories of 250 apartments by the same leaseholder who has the marina lease now.
A reader sent in photos of the poor condition of the bus shelters outside Silverdale School, saying that in her opinion the damage was extensive and structural and the shelters could pose a danger to the public. Hibiscus Matters passed these on to Auckland Transport (AT). Its spokesperson Mark Hannan says AT will get someone to check the shelters within the next couple of weeks to ensure that they are structurally sound. “We will add the shelters to our renewal programme but we have 1520 shelters in Auckland and there is limited money to replace them,” he says.
This fur seal pup has been seen several times recently in Arkles Bay. The Department of Conservation (DOC) advises the public, including children, to keep well away from the seal (at least 20 metres) and for dog owners to keep dogs on leashes. Don’t disturb the seal by making loud noises or throwing things. Around this time of year young seals wean and can wander, following rivers and streams. As they explore, they can end up in unusual places, such as a paddock, roadside or an inner-city street. If you are worried about a seal, please take a photo from a safe distance and phone DOC on 0800 362 468. Photo, James Dale
