Recent publicity highlighted the Rodney District Council's intention to sell off some of its landholdings, including strategic forest blocks they had purchased for commercial reasons. If elected, what will your response be when confronted with the option to sell these potentially important environmental assets? Will you sell them to recoup some of the outlay, or will you see a greater value in retaining the forests and enhancing them by covenanting them as reserves?
What is your approach to environmental issues including the expansion of the regional park network?
Geoff
Candidate Answers
Candidate
Answer
Thanks Geoff for you effort. A very sensible question to be sure.
The enhancement, protection and conservation of our environment is vitally important to not only our current generation but the integrity of our future in terms of green belts, carbon neutralisation and environmental aesthetics.
Land is not getting any cheaper and short of some catastrophic volcanic event, I don’t see much more land being made available to us for the next decade or beyond.
It just would not make sound fiscal sense to be selling off any land holdings in my opinion at this point in time.
In fact, I do see advantages in the current climate for the clever purchasing of strategic lands in view of the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP)
Warm regards
Vincent Pereira
Auckland Council - Rodney Ward Candidate
www.wethepeople.co.nz
022 6501 405
Rodney District Council is rash to sell strategic assets and land holdings at this stage- given the purposes the land was purchased initially, the price paid for it, and the opportunities that have arisen subsequently and the considerable public interest, the use of this land future commerical or community gain should not be foreclosed now.
I support the expansion of the regional parks network, but also developing and enhancing riparian links, wildlife corridors, off-road recreational access routes and local parks and reserves to create community and environmental linkages. I support working with landowners, communities and public agencies to care for our coasts and catchments, planting trees, fencing waterways, pest control, to bring back the birds and improve our coastal and freshwater quality.
Rodney District has not sold off any forestry blocks and did not intend to.
I have no problem with the Regional Park network as long as its affordable. Recent purchase of the block near Wendaholm was puzzling as the ARC was working with RDC on land at Te Arai. This was to stop development of a very sensistive area. Also the Park at South Head has no money for development ( toliets alking tracks etc and is vertually un-useable. That is not a sensible solution either
