Viewpoint – Stand and deliver

I hope people had the chance for a good break over the holidays. 

Certainly many needed it as the last 12 months had more than its fair share of challenges – the devastation of the January floods, the move by Auckland Transport to discontinue the local ferry service, the closure of Gulf Harbour golf course and a proposal to demolish North Harbour Stadium. Throw in the sharply rising cost of living and the careless sale of what little remains of the council’s family silver and you could be forgiven for wondering what on earth was happening in 2023.

Sometimes such unpalatable decisions are unavoidable. In these circumstances you just have to grin and bear it if it’s for the greater good. It’s quite a different story, however, when these decisions are avoidable or when the actions of others are anything but fair or reasonable. In such cases people quite rightly question why the whims or self-interest of those others should be allowed to adversely impact the lives of entire communities. The answer to that, of course, is that they shouldn’t.

In this respect Hibiscus Coast residents have always had a proud tradition of standing up for what they believe in. This goes back to earlier decades when ratepayer and community groups virtually ran the place – the Waitematā County Council (as it was then) a distant and infrequent  presence in an area referred to vaguely as the ‘Northern Beaches’. Community groups by contrast acquired land, built halls and sports facilities and did their own maintenance. They planned, financed and delivered these projects and services, often debt free, with the overriding goal of providing better for residents present and into the future. Today we are the beneficiaries of their efforts. 

Those days might be gone but that spirit remains with people still willing to stand up for what they know is fair and reasonable, and for what they believe is best for the long term future of the area they live in. 

As the saying goes, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” People on the Coast have always known what this is, even if others haven’t. In 2024 then, it’s game on to ensure the public good prevails for these issues of importance to our communities.

Finally it’s great to actually see physically what is now the largest roading project north of the bridge, Penlink, steaming ahead at real pace. Also to know that council has fixed most slips, roads and repairs to coastal assets and parks from the floods. It’s taken a while but this has been a massive job. 

All the very best for the New Year everyone.