Editorial: Let the people decide

The Rotorua Pro-Democracy Society

By tomorrow afternoon we should all know what decision has been made by the Rotorua Lakes Council regarding its controversial Te Arawa Partnership Proposal.

Whichever way it goes, the proposal has caused plenty of anger and angst, but also hope and optimism, depending on what side of the fence you sit.

The number of submissions received was a new council record and the five days of submission hearings were well attended by the general public keen to see for themselves what was going on in the council chamber.

It's obvious that no matter what the council does in terms of a compromise it will not sit well with the district's vocal Pro-Democracy Society, who it seems will only be happy if the council introduces Maori wards or its own governance model.

Our mayor says the changes are a compromise arrived at after listening to the many submitters and reading their submissions, which is what consultation is all about.

But, the real question here is what will Te Arawa think of the proposed compromises outlined in the article on p3 of this paper.

Throughout the process they have kept a dignified silence, only speaking out occasionally.

What they will think of this seemingly watered down "compromise" only time will tell.

But, no matter what happens tomorrow I hope all parties involved - the council and councillors, the Pro-Democracy Society, Te Arawa, and the many unaffiliated people who made their feelings known - will show respect to the process and those who had the hard decisions to make.

I, for one, do not believe this issue has divided the city - yes, I have seen and heard plenty in the last year or so that we have been covering this story, but to say it has caused major divisions is a bit of a stretch.

However, I get the feeling that one way or another this will all end up in the courts, and it would be a great shame to see such a process decided by a judge instead of the people of Rotorua.