Waimea Weekly
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Your Community Newspaper
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Firm line We’re on safety ready Page 4
Page 14 - 15
Falcons run riot Page 23
Residents What a catch! could buy the village
A deal to buy Waimea Village from current owners Michael and Carolyn Wright has been proposed as court action looms in the bitter dispute between residents of the village and the Wrights. Tasman District councillor Kit Maling has been working with residents at Richmond’s Waimea Village in their dispute over lease fee increases over the past two years. He says residents need to start thinking long term, and buying the village from the Wrights is one way to secure their future without having to worry about massive annual lease increases. He says he has been in contact with representatives of the Wrights over a proposed deal but hasn’t had an answer as yet. The proposal comes hot on the heels of the latest special meeting hosted by the residents committee at the village on Sunday, where its chairman Jerry Row-
land confirmed a court date for their case against the Wrights. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 13 as the residents attempt to get a repair and replacement fund put into a trust, as they fear the money stipulated for repairs and replacement is not being used as it should. The separate fund was ordered by the arbitrator in the last round of lease disputes last year. Jerry told the packed village hall, with some having to stand outside the doors, that their lawyer Warwick Heal was confident of success. In an interesting twist, the two sides will meet this week to discuss the dispute. But residents at the meeting were clear in their opposition to any deal being struck with one resident saying he doesn’t trust Michael Wright to act in good faith. But the major issue of the day SEE PAGE 5
Rowan Young with his first prize winning 4.2kg crayfish, caught for the McCashin’s Motueka RSA Fishing Club Competition held over the weekend. Photo: Sinead Ogilvie.
Fishers big and small, from the seasoned to the young took part in the McCashin’s Motueka RSA fishing competition over the weekend, weighing in huge kingfish, scallops, crayfish and spotties. The annual fishing competition is in it’s 13th year and saw over 230 entries, from all over the Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay region. Motueka RSA Fishing Club president Murray Hyde says some great weather over the weekend contributed to the competition’s success, with a lot of people checking the forecast during the week before entering. “The great weather played a big part over the weekend. But even when it’s not so good, people still seem to show up to weigh in.” Mark Nicholls and his 6.6kg snapper won the heaviest snapper category and a huge kingfish caught by Jason Manson of Motueka weighing in at 20kg was the heaviest of the day. Justin Scott caught the heaviest kahawai at 2.26kg and the winner of new category ‘the big three’ Mark Williams took home $500 worth of Richmond Mall vouchers with his 1.78kg snapper, 0.64kg gurnard and 2.04kg kahawai. Rowan Young took out the heaviest crayfish with a 4.22kg whopper caught from the Abel Tasman and Murray says while it was a standout there were a lot of crayfish and some top contenders for the prize, with entrant Wylie Williams donating six crayfish to the fish auction which sees all proceeds go to Nelson Marine Radio.
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