Letters: Why Rotorua must invest in infrastructure

Councillor Charles Sturt says Rotorua Airport's profitability is increasing, with its growth in air movements and passengers numbers rising. Photo / File

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Regarding Peter Jones' (Letters, April 13) views on the Rotorua Airport upgrade, at the last Operations and Monitoring Committee which I chair, the CEO of the airport company reported to council on where the airport is at, its profitability increases, its growth in air movements, passengers numbers rising.

The need for the airport extensions was reported to the council in the last quarter. To get the full facts, you can go online and watch, listen and judge for yourself what is accurate.

So let's have integrity in debating where the council is investing in Rotorua's future with real private, government, philanthropic and personal contributions to many of the big moves council is jointly working with to ensure they become a reality.

Remember the negative Nellies who stated Eat Streat wouldn't work, Crankworx was a white elephant; aquatic centre changes would be counterproductive for staff and the community, rural roading seal extensions should be cut, councils finances were out of control and tried to paint a picture that the office of Auditor General dispelled.

Ratepayers must be aware debt funding for better services for sewerage, water, refuse streetscapes, roading should not be paid for by today's ratepayers as the assets last up to 100 years and the costs are spread to reflect the life of each asset.

Austerity is not on my agenda and with the growth we are experiencing in Rotorua (which many in the past prevented happening) illustrates the need for investing in infrastructure. Council's debt, of which 80 per cent is for infrastructure planned over the next financial year, and is paid for by users over the life of the asset by fixed charges. (Abridged)

Cr Charles Sturt

Rotorua

Green Corridor

When I read the headline "Green Corridor faces the axe" (News, April 6), I thought it must be an April-fools joke. How elated I was to find out that it wasn't! A very costly project that was never going to bring the desired results.

Sadly, the removal of the Green Corridor will not put the buzz back into the CBD. Its demise was the removal of the police and Information office in the area known as the City Focus. Let's face it; bean bags are not for the elderly and, neither is having petrol fumes seep up one's nostrils, as vehicles try to negotiate the latest layout.

With the local elections looming, maybe we will get some fresh councillors who will listen to the people and give serious thought to what Rotorua is all about. In my view, it should be about the people, not about racking up huge debts to have some grandiose sculptures and such like, to distract motorists. And so, on that note, I will be raising my glass to the removal of the Green Corridor.

Pauleen Wilkinson

Rotorua

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