Faye White
There are moments in our lives when we have to seriously question the spirit of fair play, and this week this thought certainly comes to the fore.
We all remember the February 1981 incident when Australia was playing New Zealand in an ODI and NZ needed a run to win.
Greg Chappell instructed his younger brother, Trevor, to deliver the last bowl underarm, along the ground. At the time, it was seen as being against the spirit of cricketing fair play and one of the most disgraceful moments in the history of cricket. It certainly left a sour taste and a lasting memory of foul play.
I believe this week we saw the amalgamation issue take a steep nose dive in terms of fair play. In fact, the words "fair play" would appear to have completely gone out the window.
This is clearly an attempt to sabotage a sound, well-run and fiscally sound council. I have been in politics for a few years and I have never felt so angry, so aggrieved, and so frustrated by the steam rolling and clearly orchestrated work by the Local Government Commission and the subsequent ABHB advertising, to undermine the Napier City Council.
I am very pleased we have taken the matter up with the Office of the Auditor-General and that the OAG is "taking the matter seriously". Our in-depth investigation has shown that the Local Government Commission's figures are skewed and by using the commission's formula our calculations put the City of Napier $71million in credit, rather than $45million in deficit.
Using the same and accepted formula, Hastings moves from $55million in credit to $18million in deficit.
The figures produced by the commission beggar belief, given that an independent report was done on our infrastructure in 2014 by well-recognised and respected infrastructure specialists, Waugh Consultants.
It was a bold move by the Napier City Council but we wanted to get an unbiased and complete review. The council's infrastructure was seen to be in good shape. Given that we have just gone through a lengthy Ten Year Long Term Planning process, surely as a council we would have been made aware that our roads and water infrastructure were in poor shape and we required $45million to fix it.
This is a David v Goliath scenario. It is clear that the commission is on a mission to amalgamate us, come hell or high water. Its latest report is absolutely appalling and needs to be challenged because our council does have good infrastructure.
I trust that the people of Hawke's Bay will see the orchestration, the money being put in for the "cause" and vote appropriately when the referendum occurs. If I could have one shred of evidence that amalgamation actually works, I would not be writing this. I do have a firm and very real desire for this region to progress and reach new levels but the track that is being forced upon us will destroy the very fabric of our own communities.
Effective leadership is defined by results not attributes. In the Hawke's Bay, we have things happening at every level - regional events are occurring, tourism is growing and we now have Business Hawke's Bay working across the region to bring economic development and job opportunities. The region is moving forward and moving forward well.
-Faye White is Napier City Deputy Mayor
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