Letter to the Editor, Thursday April 14, 2016

Kill it - smartly

Keen observers of the Far North District Council report moves afoot there to foist the hated and unwanted fence around the Mangonui boardwalk on its citizens, at their expense. This will be as unpopular as the Mexico wall, but at least Donald Trump told folks about his equally crazy wall proposal.

This stupid waste of money has crept in via the annual plan document, with no discussion or consultation with the public of Mangonui, who don't want it. Nor do they want their rates wasted on it.

Since the boardwalk was put in place there have been five Mangonui festivals, with thousands of people using the boardwalk, many of them partly inebriated, yet nobody has needed a fence to save them. Citizens of Wellington, Whangarei, Wanganui and more all enjoy fence-free harbourside walks, yet our council seeks to secretly foist a fence on us.

If they were to fence the boardwalk then they should fence all the way to the Old Oak, and if they have money to do this then why not extend the boardwalk that far instead? That would at least add to the town and respond to a real need.

What is driving this mad idea? Council made a total hash of the first resource consent, then tried to build the boardwalk with no boards. Locals fought to get what they have, and only a fool would propose this, which is presented as a safety fence. Well a safety fence will have prevented many of the water sport activities widely and safely enjoyed at last week's Mangonui Festival.

Our councillors, both district and regional, should just tell their staff to leave this alone, and tell the protagonists to buzz off. Instead they should be talking to local residents about how and when they are going to extend the boardwalk, which has made the very popular Mangonui Festival possible.

Councillors, we are watching you, and remember, there is an election later this year, and unless you want an angry bunch of voters following all meetings to make sure you don't get elected, you had better make sure that this fence idea is killed off smartly. Open discussions with your electors who pay for your salary is what we expect, not this nasty secrecy.

P O'LEARY, E AICKIN, P AND R WILTON, W BROWN, J WALLIS
Mangonui Business Property owners, Residents and Promotion Society Members