Letters to the Editor
Three Waters Viewpoint
Thank you for the illuminating interviews in your issue of 28th December with local MP Scott Simpson and our new Mayor Len Salt. It was good to see Scott reaffirm the National Party position that a National led Government will repeal the 3 Waters legislation should they be successful in the election later this year.
It was however very disappointing to read that Mayor Salt had no real problems with 3 Waters as promoted by the Labour Government. He seems nonchalant about the removal of assets rate payers have paid for from the TCDC balance sheet. And they will be removed despite Government weasel words on this issue. If you cannot borrow money against an asset it is not really an asset and our ability to borrow will be removed. How does that leave the TCDC Balance Sheet Mr Mayor?
He seemed unconcerned about control of those assets being passed to the Tainui tribe with a resultant cost to the rate payers in the form of fees for their professional experience in Water Distribution Management. Mayor Salt’s assertion that we “have a good relationship with iwi..” means nothing. The big fish will dominate and the big fish in this pond is the Minister of Local Government’s tribe, Tainui, not local iwi Mayor Salt. That Minister has already submitted over 130 amendments to the original legislation, most to do with the fee structure to be enabled and the financial penalties for those that do not obey. Our Mayor seems to support an increased burden on rate payers so long as he does not have to put too much thought into the issue.
Regards
Trevor Ammundsen
Whitianga
Low flying pilots
To whom it may concern
I am writing to you to ask you to make the flying community in Whitianga aware about flying rules.
The front page of The Informer Issue 990 on 22. in February 2022 printed an article about a dangerous accident.
Just one year ago people in this town were just lucky.
It occurs that during the holiday time lots of pilots forget about standard safety.
Flying over hills they still should keep to rules and not go lower than minimum heights.
People living up Centennial Heights face low flying pilots every day.
Apart from the unnecessary noise, there is the danger that something unforeseen will happen.
Please help and print a reminder of what happened last year.
We are elderly, local people.
We are really scared hearing the noise while pilots fly so low over our properties.
Regards Bernie Spangenberg