hawkesbaycouncilwatch

The Commissioner hearing into the Northern Arterial  continued during the week on the Waipatu Marae.After taking the HDC to the privy council  over the proposed pathway of this road the argument continues.
The iwi concerned have a good case against the designation of this  road  as  it is another land grab in modern times that will rob these people of land that is producing an income for them,is contributing to the local economy and will remove more land that could be precious for future generations.
It is so long since  this road was proposed that  it needs looking at afresh.It would be far better to use and upgrade existing  connections to Napier  and not approach it with a head in the sand approach.
Good luck to the submitters on this one.

On the 15th of April the Environment Court released its decision on the proposed residential development at the Hastings golf course.

The 26 page decision has some illuminating statements relating to the District Plan and in short says that the objectives and policies are to be taken notice of.
It would be one of the clearest rulings relating to an application that has been through the Hastings DC process.
The Commissioners decision was overturned and the guidance contained in this decision will be lighting the way with other applications that are in the pipeline.
The HDC should take cognisance of the decision as it would appear that from this decision they themselves have not,  at times,  shown any effort to recognise their own plans presence.  

It will make the decision on the Northern arterial very interesting indeed. 

The Regional council is advertising for a strategic economic advisor.This may be a warning that a move in a strategic direction could jeopardise the correct role of the Council.
 It is going to depend on the brief the new appointment receives but getting into this area could be fraught with difficulty and encourage more argument about where funds are allocated.
The environmental role of the Council must remain dominant as other authorities have plenty of scope for wasting ratepayers money.

Independent Commissioners have begun hearing submissions on the proposed northern arterial link from Havelock North through to Evenden Rd.
What is interesting about this proposal is that many years have passed since the idea for the link was initiated. Those involved become so entrenched with the direction that they become fixed in their opinion and after so many years and so many changes to roading,the economy, cars on the road etc, there seems a total reluctance to rethink the position, have a fresh look.
The Northern Arterial may be a big mistake.There is an arument now that says it is better to spread the l;oad on the roads especially when looking at the Napier-Hastings links.
The directing of all traffic to the expressway is going to concentrate traffic , particularly at the Napier end, thus causing major congestion around the Napier end.
It looks a far better option for the Northern arterial to be canned in favour of a spread of options for commuting,  resulting  in better traffic flows all round.
The hearing moves to Waipatu marae today as the maori landowners still have a big issue with taking their high class land for this link of tarseal.
Good luck to them.  

What an upside down ,back to front, confusing arrangement.

The Council tells its ratepayers that it will build a sports park and the athletics track is a fait accompli as it is a permitted activity but they need a consent for the stand and oh, why don’t we sneek a road through to Lynhurst while we are at it.
Now after telling ratepayers what they are going to get,  they decide that they will allow submissions on the Park project. Submit on the LTCCP or on the annual plan.Have your say.But are they going to listen.

For goodness sake I hope thousands of ratepayers out there submit on this one and tell this council what they think of this whole appalling mess.
There is no need for this sports park.The best course of action would be to maintain and upgrade those facilities we have and work with Napier where they have better scope for developing regional facilities around Park Island instead of destroying 200 ha of good land. 

It’s easy to say. Only another $6 million will be added to the bill for the possible Percival Rd sports stadium to cater for a gymnasium.
One drops off a few options ,adds another and bingo ,up goes the cost. This project really is getting out of hand.
The worst thing is only two councillors are questioning this huge expenditure. Most councillors cannot see they are digging a hole bigger than splash planet and there is no need to.

The whole question of sports facilities needs to be publicly debated at the outset.

The idea that the head of sports Hawkes Bay said it would be good to have a facility with all sports together was just that.
To act on a whim is not best practise.

What a strange week. We saw a letter to a local newspaper from a council staff member defending the council over issues surrounding facts about the Percival Rd development. How bizarre. Was this a random defence or did someone request this staff member to stand up for the council.
The council continues to create a them and us situation and can’t seem to grasp the fact that they are there FOR us as ratepayers and use OUR money , without thinking too much about the impact on the ratepayer.  

This staff member should now be ready to defend a host of decisions by the council that have been controversial.

I will be looking for fireworks this week.

A new approach may be but one that could be dangerous.
The Regional Council has given elected members portfolios of interest for them to keep an eye on.
The real job of elected members is to make decisions.
There is a danger those holding portfoilios are going to clash at some stage with staff charged with doing the job. 
It is difficult for some to understand where one thing ends and another begins.
One thing to watch now will be staff movements.  

Napier CC  has announced it will spend some $3m on an extension to the wall at the southern end of Westshore Beach.
This is a more promising approach than the artificial creation of a reef off westshore.
Recently it was reported a reef built of tyres off the coast in the  USA had started to break up.The sea and its power had destroyed the lashing and tyres were washing ashore creating an environmental nightmare.
They are now removing the tyres from the reef to who knows where and it must be costing a fortune. 
Sometimes we can learn from history.