Upgrade projects on Wairoa agenda

Council chief executive Fergus Power. Photo / Glenn Taylor

The battle lines are drawn for a Wairoa District Council meeting today concerning the town's future.

The council is divided on a decision to suspend funding for a planned "reboot" of the town.

Today's extraordinary meeting, being held at Wairoa Memorial Hall at 1pm, will review the suspension of funding for seven projects, valued at $929,000 and approved in the annual plan process, at a previous extraordinary meeting on September 12.

The projects include the Marine Parade public toilets and Whakamahi Beach enhancement, each estimated at $250,000 and part of a drive to transform the district.

Councillors Hine Flood, Chris Joblin, Benita Cairns and Mike Bird voted for the decision on September 12, while Mayor Craig Little, Deputy Mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare and Councillor Min Johansen tried to have the matter adjourned, but were outnumbered.

Council chief executive Fergus Power said the decision, which he hoped to see revoked today, had caused "massive disruption to council's work on many of these revitalising projects".

Mr Joblin said he wanted the projects' funding suspended until there was greater clarity on the council's finances.

"Before we commit to capital expenditure we want to be comfortable in our financial situation ... We have no financial information beyond June 2013."

He said there was no evidence to suggest the council was in a precarious financial position, but felt councillors had been left in the dark financially, which was a "historic and endemic" issue in the organisation. Ms Cairns said she didn't want to see the decision revoked at today's meeting, but was open to having it amended.

"We need a resolution that allows us to progress forward as a whole council."

Mr Johansen said he wanted the decision reversed. Ms Flood couldn't be reached, and Mr Bird declined to comment.

Mayor Little,a strong advocate for Wairoa's transformation plans, said a briefing with the council's legal advisers about the decision had drawn attention to "some irregularities and unintended consequences that should be addressed sooner rather than later".

"It would be great to discuss it [the decision] with time on our side," he said of today's meeting.