Opinion: Rangatira mourned

Funeral for Reverend Napi Waaka. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

In the last two weeks, Te Arawa have lost two rangatira and we continue to mourn their passing.

Reverend Te Napi Tutewehiwehi Waaka was a stalwart of kapa haka, waiata Maori and reo Maori. His hardcase nature made him one of the most loveable locals and he will be sorely missed.

We've also lost Te Uru O Te Whetu Fred Whata, who was, more recently the kaumatua appointed on to the Te Tatau board of the Rotorua Lakes Council. His life work contributed significantly toward breaking down cultural barriers in the courts and the justice system.

Both of these men were good friends of my late grandfather, George Te Roro o Te Rangi Hori and their death serves as a reminder that we, the next generation must step up to carry on their good work and that life is short. No reira, e nga rangatira, moe mai, moe mai, moe mai ra.

It would be remiss not to mention the devastation that some of our people are going through right now. When the earthquakes rolled through on Monday morning, for many it was scary, it was devastating and it also proved fatal for some.

It's times like that that it pleases me to see our people rally together to help one another. We saw it in Christchurch and we're seeing it again in Kaikoura.

I found myself agreeing with Winston Peters this week when he came out strong against the low lifes who took the opportunity to loot people's houses, while families were heading to safer grounds. These people must be dealt with harshly because in my eyes, it's a brazen act of selfish crime.

To all those affected by the earthquake, our hearts and minds are with you.

Changes to the Resource Management Act have been in the pipeline for some time with 40 broad sweeping changes.

One of the biggest fears is that the decision making for consents will be ultimately in the hands of the minister, therefore taking away the abilities of local authorities to make decisions for their respective communities.

The Government has been without numbers to push these big changes through and rightfully so. Developers, environmental groups and even the Law Society have opposed the changes. In fact the original architect of the act, Sir Geoffrey Palmer has described it as a constitutional outrage because it confers so much power on ministers to override the local will of councils and people.

The difference between the changes being made and not being made came down to one vote. To much surprise the Maori Party threw its support behind the National Party last week and it looks like those sweeping changes will pass next year.

So what does that mean for you and me? Well it means that things like new infrastructure for councils could be about to get 100 per cent more expensive as councils will no longer be able to levy property developers for infrastructure, which means those costs will ultimately be passed on to ratepayers.

In a nutshell more growth could mean higher rates and Rotorua is growing fast. The Maori Party will boast about increased consultation for iwi around the RMA, all the while Maori homeowners will have to pay more in their rates for these so called gains.

The changes to the RMA are great if you're a developer building new subdivisions, because you don't pay for the water, the roads, the power, the sewerage. That'll be left to you and me, the ratepayers.

- Tamati Coffey is the Labour Party candidate for Waiariki and the party's Rotorua spokesman.