Still co-governance Medicine worse than the illness!

Democracy may not be perfect, but it’s still the best thing we have. For this reason the Commissioners appointed by former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta to oversee Tauranga City Council was a huge retrograde step.

Who would have thought that a government could have made such a hash of water reform?

BETH - EL

BETH - EL

la tyb la tyb

CHURCH CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE with Andrews Church, Dee St, Mt Maunganui Study 9:30am - Worship Service 10:45am

Previously, the brilliant Papamoa Ratepayers Association monthly meetings gave us the opportunity to hear from councillors Steve Morris and Leanne Brown of the various works the council was undertaking and the challenges and priorities that existed.

Also replace the words: ONLINE SERVICES ONLY MountSDA@gmail.com

Now Kieran McAnulty is the new Local Government Minister and is proposing 10 regional entities instead of four, which, on the face of it, sounds better and provides for a better chance for some local representation. ˜ e trouble is it is still co-governance, which means that half the members of the governing boards will be totally unaccountable to ratepayers. ˜ is ˝ ies in the face of Article 3 of the Treaty, which gave all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity, equal rights. Funnily enough, having equal rights is called democracy – and that has served us well for many decades.

ALL WELCOME SHALOM

SABBATH 10AM

SABBATH 10AM

With: We look forward to seeing you!

You are welcome to worship with us each Sabbath (Saturday)

OTUMOETAI PRIMARY

OTUMOETAI PRIMARY

Joel & Sharon van Ameringen

Joel & Sharon van Ameringen

021 768 043

021 768 043 info@bethel.org.nz

Messianic Family bethel.org.nz

ALL WELCOME SHALOM info@bethel.org.nz

Messianic Family bethel.org.nz

St Andrews Church, Dee St, Mt Maunganui Bible Study 9:30am • Worship Service 10:45am

Enquiries 021 277 1909 mtmaunganui.adventist.org.nz

We look forward to seeing you!

Tauranga

Churches

We felt part of the process of Local Government. Now we – or I – feel that our council Commissioners are quite remote from us. Largely, as we very rarely see them, Local Government is now conducted in the council o˛ ces and good old fashioned ‘face to face’ communication that councillors had with ratepayers’ groups has been replaced by email announcements or snippets from the Commissioner’s in ˜ e Sun newspaper. Probably they are comfortable with this and in making far-reaching decisions about our city without involving the public at large to any worthwhile extent, but you cannot beat councillors you can talk to, question and hold accountable.

Yes, I know the reason that led to this was a fractured relationship between the Mayor and councillors, but the medicine in˝ icted upon us by government has been far worse than the original illness. David Hallett, Mount Maunganui.

Anything but free!

I hear the Tauranga City Council advertising for people to join the ‘free’ library. As one of the long-su˙ ering ratepayers and a former councillor the library is anything but ‘free’. It is funded, compulsorily, by your rates. And only a small percentage of that is spent on books. About 10 per cent. ˜ e library is an expensive, not free, operation.

Bill Faulkner, Otumoetai.

Not only will the 10 regional water entities be co-governed, they will also be subject to so-called Te Mana o Te Wai directives. ˜ ese directives, which only Maori New Zealanders can give, will provide mandatory rules which the regional water entities must comply with.

Under this Government, we’re moving further and further away from democracy, with those having some Maori ancestry, including other ancestors now of course, having inherently superior rights. If allowed to stand, this will be a disaster for our future.

Margaret Murray-Benge, Bethlehem.

Can someone please explain to anyone trying to get in Tauranga from Katikati, what the sign at Bethlehem and Te Puna means ‘minor delays’? Since the construction of the cyclelane from Wairoa Bridge to Bethlehem a minor delay is at least an extra hour on the journey from Omokoroa – no matter what time of day you are heading in Tauranga. W Galloway, ˜mokoroa. Editor’s note: Wendy, thanks for your view – please read our page 3 story in this edition.