h-member-login

MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER  header call 
Melody sales@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 021454814
Nadia n.lewis@xtra.co.nz 021677978
Reporting: Julia news@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 0274641673
 Accounts: Richard info@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 021678358

 

Archives

Letters to the Ed

 

 

20 Aug, 2021

 

Hands off Wilson’s Dam
Do not think just because the oil refinery at Marsden Point will no longer use so much water this automatically means there will be plenty of water available for Mangawhai. Quite the contrary, as it is necessary to take into consideration water availability long term. We are predicted to have extended periods of drought long term as a result of climate change! This means that the dam is unlikely to re-fill as it is used to and will therefore steadily decline in capacity.

After all, the whole point of constructing the dam in the first place was to provide a regular supply of water for the Bream Bay area. This still has to be its primary purpose. Therefore plans to exploit it to solve Mangawhai’s problems is not on! Mangawhai needs to remember that further development can only take place provided the necessary infrastructure is in place. I have to question whether the estuary there and its wildlife could support more intensive activity.

Remember neither the present developers nor the Kaipara District Council have paid a single cent towards the construction of Wilson’s Dam. They haven’t even contributed to its maintenance. Why should we, the ratepayers of the Whangarei area subsidise them?

Margaret Hicks

Ruakaka

 

Nurses miss pay rise
Nurses need to be paid more – all nurses, whoever funds them. Nurses need working conditions that are safe and supported – all nurses, whoever employs them. DHB nurses are currently fighting for what seems like a no-brainer – pay and conditions that respect and enhance the mana of their cohort. But what of nurses who aren’t directly employed by the DHB’s? Where does it leave them? Particularly those working in not-for-profit and community-based settings? Those that provide safety and services for our older people?

The current NZ Nurses Organisation claim covers 30,000 registered nurses – but only those working for DHBs. Funding of better pay and conditions for the other 20,000 nurses not directly employed by the DHBs are not included.

Minister Little was clear when interviewed by Mani Dunlop on RNZ’s Midday Report (Aug 6) that non-DHB nurses will need to wait two years. This is too long. The reality is, a two-year wait will see an increase in DHB nursing staff – at the cost of the nurses who work in your community, in not-for-profit settings, and most crucially, in residential aged care.

Not-for-profit aged care providers have no other way to raise funds. Our nurses are effectively paid by the DHB, through funding that is passed on. But this increase won’t flow on. So our nurses will have to choose to leave us. And without our nurses, we will have to reduce the number of older people we care for in our services. We may even have to close our services in some communities.

We need everyone in our communities to contact their local MPs and let them and Minister Little know that we want our nurses paid what they are worth, with conditions that match. ALL nurses. NOW.

Nikki Hurst

Executive Officer, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services

 

Sandmining storm continues
In your edition of August 9 you published an article by Ken Rayward entitled Sand theft, eco-terrorism and illegal breaches – the sandmining storm continues. The article contains a number of serious allegations against McCallum Bros Ltd in connection with the company’s sand extraction activities in the Mangawhai-Pakiri embayment, in particular in the off-shore extraction area for which resource consent is held by Kaipara Ltd.

McCallum Bros Ltd denies the allegations. Most, if not all, are exaggerated, inaccurate, incorrect and misleading. They are clearly intended to rally public opinion against McCallum Bros Ltd and attack the company’s reputation in the community. On this reader’s (admittedly inexpert) knowledge of the law they appeared to be defamatory in several respects.

As you and your readers are aware, several aspects of these allegations, albeit expressed in less inflammatory terms, were the subject of submissions by residents and residents’ groups at the May 2021 hearing of the application by Kaipara Ltd for a new off-shore sand extraction consent at Mangawhai-Pakiri. The submissions and evidence heard by a panel of independent Commissioners are still under consideration and a decision is pending. Consequently, it is not appropriate for McCallum Bros Ltd to reply in any detail to the allegations you have published against the company.

To debate in the media issues which the Commissioners are required to decide would be disrespectful to the independent hearing process and to the Commissioners themselves. It might also be seen as a crude attempt to influence their opinion.

For similar reasons, it is inappropriate for your newspaper, which presumably professes high standards of journalism and ethical conduct, to conduct such a debate in your pages, let alone to publish the kind of exaggerated and inaccurate rant provided by Mr Rayward. On behalf of McCallum Bros Ltd, I ask that you apply a firmer and more professional editorial hand in this matter, at least until the decision of the Commissioners has been released.

Shayne Elstob

Chief Operating Officer

McCallum Bros Ltd

 

Three Waters issues
Recent headlines in local papers suggesting that the planned government ‘Three Waters Reforms’ would bring major change to the Kaipara district must be looked at seriously. Presently I can only think of three possible and meaningful changes.

Firstly the cost to consumers of supply and disposal of water and waste would rise significantly as evidenced by previous attempts at government controls in the public domain. Major changes to electricity supply in 1987 promised reduced costs and of course that has never happened. And water is as important to our life as electricity.

Secondly the level of management would introduce a level of incompetence that has been seen in recent government schemes. In the greater plan of things, Kaipara district is a very minor player, less than 1 per cent of the total group.

There would most likely be no representation by local people with 90 per cent of the controlling group being from Auckland and Maori. Democracy? This means that all decisions would be based on Auckland’s needs as a priority. Even the television propaganda is infantile and immature.

And lastly there would be total handover to a third party based on racial grounds. This socialist government is hell-bent on granting Maori rights to all fresh water. Councils will pay Maori for water. Obviously water costs and rates will go up and opponents to Maori claims must fund their own legal costs. In addition they will be giving Maori funding to cover all legal costs to claim the seabed and foreshore, from mean high tide out to 12 nautical miles.

It is expected that there would be public consultation on any decisions prior to implementation of the scheme. “Really!” I just cannot see that happening with this government, remembering their aversion to citizen initiated referendums, which I believe they are considering legislating against anyway.

Any financial and asset gains from any transactions with any change for Kaipara would be short term only. The ratepayers own the assets and any liabilities of our present system, and I believe the council does not have any mandate to alter that. The ‘lolly’ scramble of $16.7 million grant from the government for projects of choice to improve the wellbeing of Kaipara people is yet another bribe for what?

This abuse of power must be stopped and the council told to say NO! There is no room for ifs or buts! If the system is not broke, leave it.

Peter Matheson

Maungaturoto


 
ABOUT US
  CHECK IT OUT
The Mangawhai Focus is the only 'Mangawhai' community Newspaper and is the paper of choice within the local area.

For more information on distribution and circulation please 
click here
 

Directory

Archives

Contact Us


 

 

 

FOLLOW US

facebook   twitter   174855-378

CONTACT US


Sales: 021 454814
  sales@mangawhaifocus.co.nz
Editorial: 027 4641673
  news@mangawhaifocus.co.nz
Office: 021 678357
  info@mangawhaifocus.co.nz