Mahurangi Matters_Issue 374_23 October 2019

Page 1

October 23, 2019

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It was fun, fun, fun and even more fun at the Kowhai Festival’s Huge Day Out. See story pages 18 and 19.

Kaipara spends millions chasing unpaid penalties Kaipara District Council (KDC) has confirmed it has spent more than $1.5 million in legal costs to defend the validity of controversial rates charges. The $1.5 million figure only includes costs up to September 2018. Costs since September 2018 have still to be calculated. Retired lawyer Clive Boonham, who has followed the case, suggests the running total will now be

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closer to $2.5 million. The bulk of the money has been spent fighting court action brought against the KDC by Mangawhai Heads ratepayers, Bruce and Heather Rogan, who are staunchly refusing to pay penalties of about $13,000, allegedly due because of late payment of their rates. Meanwhile, legal costs continue to

mount as KDC persists in pursuing the Rogans and other ratepayers for alleged debts incurred following more than a year-long rates strike by Mangawhai residents in 2012. The strike was prompted after the KDC allowed costs for a controversial sewerage scheme for Mangawhai to spiral out of control, which in turn forced average rate rises of more than 30 per cent, and

of several hundred per cent for some Mangawhai properties. A High Court judge subsequently deemed the decision to build the sewerage works illegal. KDC’s financial problems, together with the strike, prompted the government to appoint independent commissioners to take over the running

Rodney First in driver’s seat page 3

Brewery fire

Fine dining

page 6

pages 29-35

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continued page 2

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