a risky

The trusts are a safe pair of hands. They have experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable staff; dedicated volunteer boards of trustees; comprehensive resources; and unparalleled local knowledge, community goodwill, and networks. The defunding means they will not be able to deliver their many programmes and events, and jeopardises their very existence. And once they are gone, it will take years to rebuild them and regain the capacity they have.

It seems to me that replacing the trusts with two untried and untested sole-charge positions, and expecting them to be able to deliver the same level of community outcomes, is a very risky strategy.

In listening to the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s public workshop on 4 July, there was no clear explanation of their rationale.

A myriad of questions remain unanswered. What ‘problem’ is the board trying to solve,

Peninsula trust is

The Devonport Peninsula Trust is a long-serving community group that delivers a network of community events, builds local voluntary capacity and has created a network of local involvement over decades.

Yet the members of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board have suddenly announced they intend to cut the funding from this invaluable group, giving only eight days’ notice, and without meaningful consultation.

Does the local board have a better plan? Have they discussed this with the community?

if any? If one exists, it was certainly not clearly articulated at the local board’s workshop.

What, if anything, will be different, better, or more cost-effective about the new roles?

What programmes or outcomes will the new roles deliver?

Why has the local board not given the two trusts the opportunity to deliver whatever the board’s new expectations are?

The proposal is a seismic change to the delivery of community programmes in our area, without clear or compelling explanation, and with no evidence offered to assure us that it will succeed.

I believe the public – and the two trusts –deserve better than this.

I hope that the local board will reconsider and, at the board’s 18 July meeting, reinstate funding to the two trusts.

Ruth Jackson

Community Events

This is a significant organisation, and should not be wound down and dismissed.

Three part-time employees meet the deadlines and run the programmes, supported by the trust board. Six active and engaged members on the trust represent different community groups. They oversee the health-and-safety policies and procedures, provide equipment, police vetting, first aid, traffic control and rubbish management. It’s all a labour of love.

The trust is the glue for the success of Matariki and the Halloween Trail for Bay- swater; the Christmas Parade doesn’t simply appear; athletic events, playgroups, senior and community forums all rely on the trust’s dedicated effort. The trust has been working on an emergency-preparedness plan. This is now stymied.

The local board’s proposal of one person to replace the trust and its network doesn’t add up. (For the Friends of the Devonport Peninsula Trust.)

Linda Blincko, Ranjeeta Sami, Yvonne Powley,Trish Deans