10 | Mahurangimatters 4 April 2012
Viewpoint
TAMING THE WILD
with Penny Webster, Rodney Councillor, Auckland Council ™
Cutting Height Adjustment Step-through Design
For comfortable mounting & dismounting.
Air Induction™
Draws clean air from top and bottom of the deck, enhancing air flow which results in greater grass lift and superior cut.
Fender mounted for easy access and improved ergonomics.
Adjustable Sliding Seat Moves forward and back, upwards and down, for operator comfort.
CTH173 overseas model shown
U-Cut™ Steering System
Extremely tight turning radius of only 20cm, reducing the uncut area of grass by up to 50%. Selected models only.
Lawn Tractor LTH19530 19.5hp – 30” deck – Foot-pedal Hydro RRP $3999
Automatic Diff Lock
Improves traction and performance in a wider range of mowing applications. Selected models only.
Lawn Tractor LT19538 19.5hp – 38” deck – 6 speed Manual RRP $3799
NEW
NEW
Lawn Tractor YTH2242TDRF
22.0hp V-Twin – 42” Fabricated deck – Foot-pedal Hydro – Automatic Diff Lock - U-Cut™ Steering RRP $6499
Lawn Tractor YTH2648TDRF
26.0hp V-Twin – 48” Fabricated deck – Foot-pedal Hydro – Automatic Diff Lock - U-Cut™ Steering RRP $6999
YOUR LOCAL AUTHORISED HUSQVARNA SPECIALIST
Wilmot Motors
Corner Mill Lane & Whitaker Road, Warkworth Phone 09 425 1092 • www.wilmot.co.nz www.husqvarna.com
Defining core business In the final week of the Long Term Plan submissions, the Local Government Minister announced a change to local government and a return to “core business” by councils. In some quarters I know this is a very popular idea and one that I used to espouse when I was in Federated Farmers and before I was on Council. However, before we all get very excited let’s look at the ramifications. Apparently, Councils must look to rates to fund infrastructure which is “core business”. Sounds okay. What about the intergenerational debate and what is core business? Warkworth Town Hall is a concern to many people at the moment as it has been closed due to earthquake requirements and safety issues. Is a new one or a modified one “core business”? And what about libraries? Now that we can go into any one in Auckland, they are costing far more than before in transporting books throughout the region plus staff costs. Should we start charging for that? There would be an outcry. Regional parks – where volunteers do so much work but are not available to all Aucklanders – where do you put those? Not to mention new swimming pools, sports grounds, events, community assistance and presumably economic development. Rodney District Council, for example, helped fund the Puhoi to Pakiri study. That surely is not core business but it helped define this region. Last week, Auckland was named the host for the 2017 Masters Games. The Government put in some money, but Auckland Council is expected to pick up the rest as we did with the Rugby World Cup. Is that core business? Not everyone will benefit and many will argue either way. Last year, the Government changed the rules allowing local councils to borrow more to build infrastructure. Now they are concerned about the level of debt. In the meantime, subsidies for roads have been cut and promised funding has been denied. Of course, I’m sure the legislation has some good points. The idea that the Mayor can set the vision and the budget plus has the ability to appoint the deputy mayor and the chairs of committees avoids the situation that has happened in the past of factions in the Council getting “control” and working against the Mayor. If there are changes to the requirements for endless plans and reviews of plans within a silly timetable, this could be a positive. Many council processes that frustrate growth and development are controlled by legislation, but successive Governments ignore this fact and tinker around the edges. Look at the “changes” to the RMA that haven’t improved it at all. My concern in all this for the Rodney area is simple. The experiment that is Auckland Council is hardly through conception, let alone the birth process. Rodney hasn’t seen too many benefits yet. Now we are getting more change. Sensible or populist. Can communities afford another disruption? Time will tell.
SPCA urges Auckland dog owners to sit tight The Auckland SPCA is encouraging all dog owners to sign a petition regarding Auckland Council’s proposed dog registration fee increases. The Auckland division is urging dog owners with a dog owner licence to sit tight until Council reviews the planned increase and recognises that dog registration fees should stay at a reasonable level. The SPCA wants to see a significant discount for licensed owners and for desexed dogs. Council claims the substantial increase in fees is due to the fact it costs them more than $12 million annually to undertake dog control enforcement and they currently have a budget deficit of $5 million. Info: spca.org.nz
Mark Mitchell MP FOR RODNEY
Meet Mark Mitchell at Mahurangi East Community Centre 21 Hamatana Road, Snells Beach, Monday 16th April, 10am-2pm
For appointments and assistance please call Orewa: 09 426 6215 | Warkworth: 09 425 8603 Email: mp.rodney@parliament.govt.nz
www.markmitchell.co.nz
www.national.org.nz