Kaipara Lifestyler, June 6 2012

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LIFESTYLER

June 6 2012

Kaipara

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Debt prompts council oversight  by Paul Campbell

Opposition to the Kaipara District Council’s Draft Long Term District Plan is mounting, as central government appoints a council review authority.

Volunteers provide transport solution

Kaipara Mayor Neil Tiller, and Deputy Mayor, Julie Geange, were summoned to Auckland with CEO Steve Ruru, to meet Local Government Minister, David Carter, who said it had ‘become apparent that the council is dealing with some serious issues that it cannot cope with alone’. Mr Ruru said the authority will advise on a number of strategic issues, including the setting of appropriate rating levels and look at the effect of the Mangawhai wastewater scheme. Mr Tiller said that while council are not obliged to act on the recommendations, the authority may make, ‘they would be very foolish not to do so’. The authority is being appointed next week, following Kaipara-wide protests at massive council debt and projected rate rises under the draft LTP for which hearings are now underway. The hearings attracted some 3000 submissions from across Kaipara, but KDC corporate services manager, Barbara Ware, says despite fears all would have to be heard, council contact showed about 420 people actually want to speak to their submissions — 130 in Dargaville, 18 at Maungaturoto, and 272 at Mangawhai. “In our experience on the actual day, the number of speakers attending drops away,” she added. Originally, council set up three panels of three councillors to deal with the estimated 3,000 submissions, a system that would have been illegal, according

Dargaville is about to get a new bus service, supported by volunteers …

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An evening out in the ‘Real Kiwi Town’ The town of Maungaturoto was coming to life last Wednesday …

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Young Dargaville powerlifter raises the bar P15

 Kaipara District Council CEO Steve Ruru, and Mayor Tiller announce ministerial intervention at a press conference in the council chambers

to Farmers of New Zealand director, Bill Guest. A council quorum of five was the minimum legal requirement for the process. “Now the full council will be present at each hearing location — a day in Dargaville, probably half a day in Maungaturoto and two days in Mangawhai,” said Ms Ware. Kaipara Citizens and Ratepayers’ chairman, Ron Manderson, says the government-appointed review authority

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“should throw much-needed light on not only the long-standing financial mismanagement of our district, but also on a number of allegedly questionable practices. “It’s to Kaipara’s great shame that the Tiller/Geange leadership has brought us to such a low point in our history. Having lost the confidence of the people, they must resign immediately.” Ms Geange has already refuted such a suggestion. continued on page 3 . . .

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