Letter of the week: Larry Mitchell, Rothesay Bay.
The (Weekend Herald, January 16) reports the plan to raise "$106m rates rise ... to clean up beaches".
Additional rates such as are proposed, would have been totally unnecessary if Auckland Council had followed its own rules and policies relating to the proper application-expenditure
of its wastewater funding reserves.
Included in our rates bills going back almost 20 years, ratepayers have already been billed and have paid in advance the huge sums set aside for wastewater renewals. These funds had been paid, collected and reserved for the works that now need to be completed ... to keep sewerage off our city beaches.
Only problem is, the money has already been spent. And it has been spent on many other projects unrelated to wastewater. Council debt levels are currently so high that further borrowing to fund the urgent wastewater beach cleanups is out of the question.
Over time, the diversion of wastewater rates funding to other uses represents a huge betrayal by our council of sound financial management principles. As always, the ratepayer will have to pay for these works, works that they have already been billed for. Serious questions need to be asked.
Silver service
Simon Wilson's essay "Why I am afraid" (Weekend Herald, January 16) raises some important insights about threats to democracy. If inequality, racism and climate change are not addressed, the seeds are sown for deep discord.
It is unfortunate that he pops in a throwaway line, that the [New Zealand] Government's
commitment to progressive change "has been obstructed by officials throughout the public service". He gives no examples, no evidence for this.
This is at a time when public service officials have delivered as never before; "throughout" the public service: nurses, community workers, teachers, administrative and policy professionals in Wellington, chief executives, and many more.
There have been errors, missteps, poor practice – no one is saying the public service is perfect. But the implication that the motivation of officials is to obstruct government, is wrong. Surely we have learnt about the dangers of unsubstantiated claims?
A statement such as this fuels distrust. We should all be doing everything to build trust, not make statements which increase distrust.
Liz MacPherson, president, Institute of Public Administration, Wellington.
Slow clap
You know Auckland is an Asia-Pacific backwater when the county's largest city with its largest public venue warrants the headline "Six a year - Eden Park concerts gets the go-ahead" (Weekend Herald, January 16). Imagine a similar proclamation in, say, Sydney or Singapore.
It's reminiscent of the old regulated days of no weekend trading and the Good Night Kiwi. Is this the best we can muster? How tragic, how stunted can we get in our aspiration for a city we like to believe is up there with the best? But has sentenced itself to a part-time stadium in the suburbs, without even a roof for Auckland's notorious weather. Now is precisely the right time to plan putting one in where it's best suited - on the waterfront. Not to brag about some hopeless compromise.
Phil O'Reilly, Auckland Central.
All meet, no veg
Simon Wilson advocates (Weekend Herald, January 16) for grassroots planning, led by community boards. I was an Auckland community newspaper editor for 30 years and, in that time, attended meetings in Howick, Beachlands and Clevedon that did exactly what Simon calls for.
At these meetings, residents, businesses, and community groups got together with local politicians and came up with plans that were visionary, bold, innovative and do-able.
So what happened next? Nothing.
Why? Because there was no money. There's never any money. And there will never be any money until such time as there is a fundamental change in the way local communities are funded.
Duncan Pardon, Beachlands.
Off-key decision
How on earth does Auckland Council decide that concerts in a stadium surrounded by houses is a good idea (Weekend Herald, January 16) when we have other stadiums that aren't?
Eden Park"s location is less than optimum when compared with Mount Smart, which has no houses nearby, plenty of parking, and has been deemed perfectly adequate by some of the world's biggest acts.
Auckland won't get any extra concerts by creating one more venue, and the council-owned venues will suffer a drop in revenue.
This on top of a $63 million bailout of the non-council owned venues in 2019. We need a stadium strategy that does not include the near-bankrupt white elephant that is Eden Park.
Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.
