Editorial: Red tape gone mad

Bureaucracy is a word that can send shivers down the spine of the strongest individual.

Seemingly in all walks of life, bureaucracy can stand in the way or, at the very least, slow down natural progress.

The situation with the re-opening of the Oruahine track on Mauao is a classic case of bureaucracy gone mad.

We all know of the destructive rains that caused such havoc on Mauao nearly 12 months ago.

The Bay of Plenty Times and bayofplentytimes.co.nz showed the images of the damage done to tracks around the base and up to the summit. There certainly was going to be no quick fix.

But hard work and endeavour have seen most of the tracks re-opened and enjoyed again by the public of Tauranga.

You have to wonder what could possibly have delayed repairs on the Oruahine track to the point where it is unlikely to be used again until February, 13 months after it was damaged by landslips.

In June, when the base track was opened, Tauranga City Council declared the Oruahine track could be ready by September. The Oruahine track requires two new crib walls to fix two sections of the path. One crib wall was completed successfully in May, but red tape has tied up the second wall.

Consent applications and archeological consultations have been going back and forth between the council, local iwi, the Mauao Trust, a Mauao Steering Group and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust for the past six months.

According to the council, two forms of authority are required before works can begin. One is a resource consent, issued by council. The other is an archaeological authority, issued by Historic Places Trust.

It is this second authority that is creating problems and delays with one iwi still to grant approval.

Understandably, some locals are angry at the delay.

Climber Roger Mabbett agreed the track had been out of bounds for too long: "I'm just confused and dumbstruck that it's shut."

Bureaucracy has long been the bug-bear of business and can have serious ramifications on growth and progress.

But it hits home to all of us when something dear to us all, Mauao, is caught up in such ridiculous red-tape.