On the face of it, The yes campaign appears to have been put together by a bunch of concerned Whangarei citizens who think that the HAC would be a good idea, but it is more likely that Councillor Sharon Morgan and her Whangarei Art Museum Trust board are the ones behind it.
If WDC and the Whangarei Art Museum Trust is representing ratepayers (and indeed they are beholden to ratepayers) then shouldn't there be a corresponding organised way for those not in favour of the HAC to say no?J
Lawrence McLeod, Bay
Shame! Resign!
I am an elderly ratepayer who goes without to pay the exorbitant rates levied by this council that follows its grandiose dreams in spending ratepayers' money on ridiculous projects unrelated to the ratepayers' needs.
The rates here equal what I paid in Auckland for excellent footpaths, excellent rubbish and recycling collection, and good roads.
I am informed by council staff after I have fractured my arm tripping on unrepaired footpaths, "there is no money to repair them properly, or to remove the trees whose roots are breaking them".
This is for four years, so how come that there is money for HAC?
The tap water tastes so bad I have to have a filter, the road's full of pot holes,
Whangarei Harbour is still polluted from sewerage, however, the council refuses to do what they are paid to do - looking after the basic needs and wellbeing of ratepayers who pay their salaries.
Instead they erect structures that will put us further into dept, with likely no return ever.
This HAC has given them an excuse for overseas jaunts at our expense when the works of the dead artist are easily seen on the Internet or in books.
Meetings with architects could have been conducted on Skype as many successful business do, no need to waste our hard-earned money on jaunts.
Mangawhai ratepayers exposed their council's wrongdoing's in court - the same needs to happen here.
We could have a fund set up for this to happen before we cannot afford to pay the increasing debt this lot are happily putting us into.
They should be ashamed and resign!
Caroline Blewitt, Ruakaka
Payrise joke
Your headlines are so misleading e.g. "Values and Affordability" and is putting into peoples' minds dishonest perceptions about the economy.
Most people, apart from politicians or CEOs of large companies, have not had a pay rise this year and many do not even have work! And whoopee-do, the contrived statistics try to convince us all that the average weekly pay rise for the few lucky ones is a huge $22 a week. This is over 12 months!
What can one buy for $22?
The price of supermarket shopping has crept up. Where one used to buy two for $5 it is now $5.50. Buy even 20 items and it adds an extra $5 to your bill.
Go to the chemist for two prescription items, (not even counting the cost of the doctors visit) and there goes $10.
Electricity has gone up and that takes care of the remaining $7.
Politicians have loaded peoples' minds with perceptions of a robust growing economy where, in actual fact, we have less money to spend than ever before.
Subsidised protein producer prices are up, so farmers are buying new cars - for cash or on the never never?
People are being conned into buying on hire purchases more and more.
Wow, 50 months to pay for household items!
The same money is being circulated and NZ needs to get out of a low-wage economy and give hardworking people at least a living wage.
Marie Kaire, Ngararatunua
