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East Coast-centric
You are completely wrong in your editorial (MM Mar 18) to state that Mangawhai Beach is Kaipara’s premier surf beach. Dargaville’s Ripiro Beach – at 66 miles, the longest beach in New Zealand – is Kaipara’s premier surf beach. Mangawhai Beach is small and insignificant in comparison.
Once again, your reporter is doing the NZ blinkered East Coast-centric media’s trick of totally ignoring the West Coast.
People from the Hobson and the west Otamatea areas of Kaipara are completely sick to the back teeth of always having to financially bail out Mangawhai, whether it is over their prolific wastewater scheme or now, over funding the slip behind their surf club.
Mangawhai residents should be charged a dedicated specific rate to fund this repair. Visitors there, should have to cough up as well.
The rest of Kaipara – west of SH1, where 85 percent of the roads are gravel – should not be lumbered with these costs. Perhaps a solution to raise funds would be for Kaipara District Council to toll Cove Road – make the Aucklanders going north pay something to Northland.
Derek Smith, ex-Dargaville
