By Paul Yandall
AUCKLAND - The Peace Foundation may act as peacemaker in standoffs between residents and the Auckland City Council.
The foundation's offer to resolve wrangles between bureaucrats and the community comes with an olive branch for both sides - it promises to halve their legal bills.
If it wins council approval,
the programme will be integrated into its disputes resolution process. When a conflict arises the foundation will act as a go-between and bring the parties together.
The scheme has received strong backing from long-time peace campaigner Maire Leadbeater, who chairs the council's community partnerships committee. Noting that the programme could halve the council's legal fees, she has referred it to the community development committee for approval.
"As a new councillor, I've seen so many situations where the use of someone skilled could avoid legal fees and costs to the council," she said.
The foundation, which wants $27,000 in ratepayers' money to implement the proposal, already has links with the council. Maire Leadbeater has taken part in events organised by the foundation and has been on its mailing list. Two other councillors, Dame Barbara Goodman and Richard Northey, are members of its governing council.
In the financial year just ended, it received $1500 from the council and $2500 from three community boards.
A foundation spokeswoman, Margaret Stanners, said there was a need to address the lack of effective methods available to the community when a dispute arose with the council. Most disputes could be resolved by mediation.
"We aim to provide an affordable and readily available form of dispute resolution that can restore relationships."
