'Gate War' at Kaimaumau

Tracey Heka telling a meeting at Kaimaumau that she would be erecting a gate on the road to East Beach at the end of February. Photo / Peter Jackson

More than a hundred people who gathered at Kaimaumau on Friday were in almost universal agreement that they did not want to 'gate war,' but that seems certain to be what they will get.

The meeting discussed, again, problems associated with the unsealed road from the village to Rangaunu Harbour and East Beach, including its legal status and the dust that has long plagued those who live alongside it. The immediate concern, however, was a threat by resident Tracey Heka to erect a gate across the road at the end of this month, with keys to be issued only to those who live on the other side.

"Gates will go up at the end of the month with or without your say so," Heka said, prompting farmer Claude Ilton, who lives on the sealed road between SH1 and Kaimaumau, to say he would respond in kind.

"My family has been paying rates there since 1935. If you put a gate up, then so will I," he said.

"If a gate goes up it will come down," another speaker said.

Heka said the road, built by the Cook family and others including Pat Shine and Ljubo Bilcich, belonged to her family, while Lake Rd was the obvious option for providing access to East Beach (although no one seemed to agree).

"You need to figure out what you (the Far North District Council) are going to do for these people and leave our road alone," she added.

Gates would put an end to the dust, the speed of vehicles (despite chicanes placed on the road by Heka's family) and abuse, even rocks, that was hurled at residents and their homes, she said.

Far North District councillor Mate Radich said he had been assured by lawyers that morning that the road was legal, although he would be taking immediate action to have it surveyed.

Meanwhile it was pointed out that the same discussion had taken place 11 years ago, without result, while a resident suggested that with the best will in the world, the council wasn't going to achieve much, if anything, within the next two weeks.

"What happens when the gate goes up?" she asked.

"We'll sort it out," Radich replied.

What the council will do

Far North District councillor Mate Radich was making no promises, but told Friday's meeting that he would be asking for dust suppressant to be laid on the unsealed road to East Beach. He would be doing that yesterday, and asking that the council seal the road, using its annual $2 million unsubsidised fund. He would also ask that judder bars be considered.

The council's area road inspector, Jamie Jones, said the council was looking at sealing and other work, including building a seawall where the road narrowed.

"It's a little bit hard but we will get there in the end. We will get something done," he said.

Radich also undertook to replace rubbish bins at the end of the road - that had been done some time ago, but the bins had disappeared within a couple of days. Signs, asking people not to litter the beach, which had been used to fuel a barbecue fire, would also be replaced.