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Ed Said - Looking ahead

 

dadSmall towns and rural communities throughout the world are looking for ways to strengthen their economies, provide better quality of life, and build on local assets. Many rural communities and small towns are facing challenges, including rapid growth at metropolitan edges, declining rural populations, and loss of farms and working lands to subdivision. Slow-growing and shrinking rural areas might find that their policies are not bringing the prosperity they seek, while fast-growing coastal areas at the edge of metropolitan regions face metropolitan-style development pressures. While not exactly on a metropolitan doorstep, Mangawhai could well fit this latter scenario.

Given movements within the Kaipara District Council over the past four or so years – and also other councils throughout the country who are similarly financially stretched – and the possibility of the whole of Northland being governed by a unitary authority, Mangawhai could well play a greater role in its own destiny.

Smart growth strategies can help rural communities achieve their goals for growth and development while maintaining their distinctive character. Planning where de-velopment should or should not go can help a small community encourage growth in town, where businesses can thrive on a

walkable main street and families can live close to their daily destinations be they work or play. Policies that protect the small community landscape help preserve open space, protect air and water quality, provide places for recreation, and create tourist at-tractions that bring investments into the lo-cal economy. Policies that support walking, biking, and general public awareness help reduce air pollution from vehicles while saving people money.

A recent report in the USA tabled by the International City/County Management As-sociation, focussed on smart growth strate-gies to meet three main goals which could well be applied to the future of Mangawhai and its surrounds: support the coastal and rural landscape by keeping working lands viable and conserving natural areas of beau-ty, help existing places thrive by taking care of investments and assets, and create great new places by building a lively and endur-ing neighborhood where people want to live.

The most important ingredients re-quired include a financial impact analysis, commercial development, wastewater infra-structure, rural roads, and efficient develop-ment patterns – tools and strategies that can help economic growth while maintaining their character.

As far as Mangawhai is concerned, these things have always been the most important ingredients but in recent times the train has threatened to be derailed at various points.

Local population growth cited in the latest census, and that which is currently hap-pening, is testament to the need for such a body to align this growth and coordi-nate policies to help with business needs with regard to both employment and com-merce/industry, improve access to afforda-ble housing options, and instigate suitable housing, sport and entertainment and care for the senior members of the community who need doctors, emergency services and retirement homes to cite just a few.

In one such small American town fol-lowing a public meeting, over one thou-sand people participated in workshops that helped define the cleanup plan, his-toric preservation guidelines, and master plan for the town’s future development. It wouldn’t happen to that extent in Man-gawhai but there are enough well-educated and well-meaning people who have chosen to make it their home to right the Man-gawhai ship.

History is made today, and tomorrow and the next day but it only becomes history in the fullness of time.

I don’t have a crystal ball but when you think about it, it’s no different from today or 10 years ago, only on a bigger scale and, in time, demanding of more urgent attention if Mangawhai is to become what we want it to be.

Just MHO.
Rob

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