Letter to the people of Raglan/Whaingaroa
from
Jennie Hayman
Candidate for Waikato Regional Council
While it does not directly relate to Raglan and the Whaingaroa Harbour, the Healthy Rivers Wai Ora Proposed Plan Change 1 is a game-changer. The fundamental issue is water quality. The Regional Plan will move from the current permissive regime for farming activities to a much more regulated environment.
On 15th September, at a marathon meeting, the current Council adopted the proposed plan: it will soon be notified for public submissions. I attended this meeting as it was of critical importance, and as a candidate, I need to know and understand what Council is doing. However, this plan is controversial and has caused dissent within the community and within Council.
I see the need to work together far more effectively, to be inclusive, to understand all viewpoints, and to aim for the best outcomes. This requires carrots as well as sticks, particularly as further plan changes are developed to address coastal water issues. Please vote, and vote carefully (preferably for me) in these local elections.
Email contact: jennie4waikatoregion@gmail.com
Authorised by P Buckley 1036 Island Block Rd RD2 Te Kauwhata
Regional Council was split 7:7 on this, so a pity Jenny hasn’t made it clear which way she’d have voted.
That’s what I struggled with on her carrot approach. To me every other business has to manage it’s waste responsibly at its cost. Also farmers in Rotorua and Taupo lake have been living with similar conditions for a decade now. I wonder why Frank did not get sustainable waikato endorsement his leadership of whaingaroa harbor care speaks for itself.
Tony, in response, I re-iterate that my view is that both carrots and sticks are required. Working with communities leads to far better outcomes than beating them with a sledgehammer. Equally, a regulatory regime is mandated under the RMA (and in this case under the Treaty Settlements legislation). As I stated in the above post, the operative Regional Plan is very permissive; it is long overdue for review. As to waste, Raglan leads in this regard, and I wish that other communities would follow suit (facilitated by Council, of course). I disagree that all other businesses currently manage their waste responsibly – I think there is much, much more work required in this area. And, finally, I remain concerned that a Council can be so divided on (aspects of) such a fundamental issue. Surely, we can do better.
As I indicated in conversation with you today, one cannot, or should not, vote on matters where one is not in full possession of the facts. I am not currently an elected member, and therefore I am not privy to all the (huge volume of) relevant information. Had I been a member of Council, I hope that I would have pursued the reasons for the dissension, and tried to resolve the conflict. I agree that the public generally, are oblivious to the implications of this proposed plan change. It will shortly be in the public domain, and everyone will have to opportunity to submit.