4 Mahurangimatters April 12, 2017
localmatters.co.nz
The Kowhai Connection service will continue as is, at least until next July.
See story page 6
YOU SAY
We welcome your feedback but letters under 300 words are preferred. We reserve the right to abridge them as necessary. Unabridged versions can be read at localmatters.co.nz/opinion. Letters can be sent to editor@localmatters.co.nz or PO Box 701, Warkworth
accuracy that we readers expect. However, the suggestion that Jannette Thompson deliberately printed “false news” is unfair and unsubstantiated. Mahurangi Matters has established a reputation as “a great paper” and the paper has always provided quality reporting on local matters, as well as significant advertising support for local charities. Neville Johnson, Matakana
Transformer site Does anyone else agree with me, that installing this transformer on the Town Hall right-of-way wins the 2017 prize for stupidity? There was ample room between the footpath and the Town Hall wall. Simon Withers, Warkworth
More Police needed I was not surprised to read (MM March 29) that there were 480 burglaries in Warkworth and Snells Beach area in the last two and a half years and that 86.9% were unsolved. This area is seriously under-resourced regarding police numbers so it is not surprising that the low-lifes are making a killing. With the police station closing at 4pm daily and only one officer available at night, it is impossible for the police to patrol our area.
Here in Snells Beach we urgently need a permanent police presence as houses are being burgled with increasing regularity. Cars are cruising our streets day and night sussing out properties to break into. While the police, crime patrol and Neighbourhood Support groups do the best that they can, more resources are needed now to combat this plague.
OFF THE RECORD Off the record contributions welcome. Email to editor@localmatters.co.nz
Bryan Jackson, Snells Beach
Accusations unfair Richard Didsbury’s reaction to the false information regarding the Boathouse Bay development, promoted in the letter by Jacquie Staley, is understandable (MM Mar 15). It was an unfair attack on his reputation and integrity. The failure of Mahurangi Matters to check the validity of the letter was disappointing and not up to the usual standard of
A recent customer at the Wharf Street Bistro in Warkworth was impressed with the lengths staff would go to provide service.
Service delay A new public bus service between Warkworth and the Silverdale park ‘n’ ride won’t start before July next year. Although Auckland Transport (AT) was expected to release a draft timetable early this year, this won’t happen now until early next year. An AT spokesperson says consultation on the timetable will happen about six months out from the service’s launch. At this stage, it’s envisaged that the service will start at the current main bus stop in Baxter Street, outside the old Masonic Hall, with stops along Whitaker Road. Stops along State Highway 1 would be subject to approval from the New Zealand Transport Agency, especially from a safety perspective. “There are no specific proposals for car parking as yet, but AT recognises that there will be demand for park and ride, which is likely to require a dedicated facility,” the spokesperson says. “We are planning to provide a seven day a week service, subject to funding. The affordability of this, and the scale of the service generally, will not be able to be confirmed until the tendering process has been completed and we have a clearer indication of our likely budget for 2018/19.” The Warkworth bus service will be included in AT’s North Shore and Hibiscus Coast contracts. Meanwhile, the Kowhai Connection service contract with Gubbs has been extended until the new network is launched on the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore, set for July 2018. No changes are proposed to the service until the new Network North is in place.
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