Letters to the editor: Future high rates if Panepane Pt proposal goes ahead

Panepane Point on Matakana Island. Photo / File

The Bay of Plenty Times (News, July 29) states that the proposal to return Panepane
Point to Māori is "expected to have an impact on generations to come".

It certainly will. WBOPDC ratepayers pay the highest rates of all district councils in New Zealand so we can ill-afford for one of our few income-producing assets to be given away.

Future generations will continue to pay high rates if the council goes ahead with this proposal.

The land at Panepane Point was purchased under the Public Works Act in 1923 so navigation aids for Tauranga Harbour could be installed and erosion of the coast controlled.

The Public Works Act requires that if the land is no longer required for the purpose for which it was acquired it must first be offered to the original owners at current market rates.

The land is still being used for this purpose so there is no legal requirement to dispose of it, let alone give it away for free. This proposal breaches the act and could precipitate litigation.

We encourage all Western Bay of Plenty ratepayers to make a submission asking the council to maintain the status quo.

Keith Hay
Secretary Katikati-Waihi Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association

Support land decision

I support the decision by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage to turn down the application from the University of Waikato to take away public reserve land at Sulphur Point.

Public reserves with access to the sea are extremely limited.

In my experience of dealing with issues under the Resource Management Act, authorities seldom fulfill their obligation to examine properly the range of alternative solutions.

Next to this reserve is a large area of the port reclamation area that is being used by the port company and foreign traders to store empty containers.

This area has been reclaimed at huge ecological cost to the harbour. This area could be better used by renting it to the university to build a high-value marine research facility. There may be other un-examined alternatives.

(Abridged)

Basil Graeme
Tauranga

Welcome Bay Rd speed

So Western Bay of Plenty District Council is reducing the speed limit on 35 roads as they are becoming heavily used.

I wonder when Tauranga City Council is going to reduce speed on Welcome Bay Rd from 60km/h to 50km/h as this road has now had several crashes and hasn't changed in 30 years.

It's time to put up new speed signs reading 50 km/h, council.

Alan Ryan
Welcome Bay

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