Top 5 Issues

1. 1. Harbour Pollution
   
   The community has made itself clear that the sewerage problem must be fixed. The councils response is an example of poor policy decisions, lack of leadership, reactive not proactive decision making to the clearly identified community issues.
   
   Their intial policy response was a $4 million second pipeline between Okara and Kioreroa Road. Independent commissioners for the NRC described the second pipeline to fix its Okara pump station as “has done little more than transfer the problem to the treatment plant.
   
   The WDC has been given five months to adopt an upgrade of its wastewater treatment plant or face having its application to discharge rejected. Further the commissioners were highly critical of the WDC handling of discharges into the Whangarei Harbour over the past two decades. Since January 2002 there as been at least 50 spills into the Whangarei harbour.
   
   It is quite clear that the Whanagrei District Council current policy in this area has failed, at no time has there been any true leadership show by the elected council or management.
   
2. 2. Generational Debt
   
   Rates capping is poor policy based on lack of trust in our elected representatives.
   
   New Zealand Local Government Rates Inquiry 2007 Report, the panel chaired by David Shand considered the option of rates capping but rejected it on the grounds;
   
   “...a cap on rates is too blunt an instrument to achieve restraint. It would not recognise the different financial position and expenditure needs of different councils and in any case would cover only the less than 60% of local government revenues consisting of rates. A cap based on the Consumers Price Index (CPI) would not recognise either growth pressures or that the price of most local government inputs is rising faster than the CPI. Rather, the Panel considers all councils should be required to adopt clear and honestly measured financial targets, which would be reflected in LTCCPs and a three-year indicative budget. These targets would cover proposed increases in operating expenditures as well as rates.”
   
   
   When Communities do not trust their elected officials to serve their interests they have increasingly resorted to rates capping or restrictions on revenue raising.
   
   Improving the quality of planning, reporting and community engagement is an alternative to a rates capping policy.
   
   The current council rates capping policy impact is generally that costs are shifted to future generations creating a generational debt. Any gap between income and expenditure is made up by reducing service levels and delaying required maintenance and renewal, particularly of those hard to see infrastructures such as drains and pipes.
   
   A report by NZIER stated the international experience with restrictions on local government revenue raising the evidence is compelling that they fail to result in an optimal mix of local services and rates. On balance, rates capping in the jurisdictions studied has led to core expenditure being cut into the bone. Large infrastructure backlogs have been created. Local circumstances have not been well catered for and the evidence suggests that local choice has been denied.
   
3. An area of concern is the WDC Asset sales Policy
   
   In the final 2009 LTCP it records as a significant event the sale of old boys, and goes on to state
   “…council proposed to sell approximately $18 million of property…to keep debt to manageable levels, other sales have been removed…” yet there is push to sell off further assets from our current council.
   
   AND
   
   In light comments by our Mayor and CEO our current council wants to dispose of our infrastructure assets, and does not have faith in his council skills to manage these assets.
   
   
   Mayor Stan Semenoff and CEO Mark Simspon appeared in person before the Auckland Governance committee on 23 July 2009 where they stated
   
   “Something you must get right for the good of the whole country is to separate infrastructure from baby kissing mayors and councilors…..Let local councils or community boards look after libraries, swimming pools, parks and planning. Mayors and councilors can look after those things, but in most cases they don’t have qualifications for managing infrastructure assets.”
   
   
   The real policy impact of private finance initiatives is quite simple – they are creative accounting exercises that disguise a massive transfer of wealth to private consortia that receive guaranteed returns with minimal accountability.
   
   The private finance model reduces public services to a purely commercial venture that is detatched from their social purpose
   
4. 3. Roading affordabilty
   
   Firstly, the $34 million second harbour crossing is an unaffordable cost for the community currently, and does not fit with the current financial policy set by the current council. The money should be re allocated to fix the sewerage and linking the waterfront with the CBD.
   
   Secondly, The current WDC policy of Hold and Maintain for the transport network is linked to their poor rates capping policy of the council which requires reduced service levels and delayed required maintenance work.
   
   Thirdly, Road transport operators do not meet the costs imposed on the roading network by trucks by some margin. Trucks cause significant damage to our roading network, road surface damage maintenance is generally taken to be almost exclusively attributable to the heaviest vehicles.
   
   Therefore a major portion of these costs are met by the ratepayer subsidising road transport operators, which requires some policy work to be done in this area to reduce costs to the ratepayers.
   
5. 5. Vision
   
   This election is about policies not personalities. Our community needs -
   
   A council that is
   inclusive not exclusive,
   represents its community,
   enhances community participation in decision making,
   proactive not reactive,
   trustworthy,
   and has integrity.
   
   Supporting our community aspirations shall lead to improved decision making at the council table which influences better outcomes for all of our community.
   
   The voters of our district have the opportunity to send a message to council, the community wishes to participate in the decision making process.
   
   Its time for CHANGE and COMMUNITY participation at the council table.
   
   Let the community decide our future don’t leave it to one man to decide.
   
   

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