Letters: Don't fix what's not broken with Rotorua parking

Rotorua's former Lakehouse Hotel is undergoing deconstruction. Photo / File

Regarding the article in the Rotorua Daily Post about "a new state-of-the-art" parking system (Local News, May 28). Rotorua Lakes Council talks about "an urgent need to modernise obsolete parking equipment".

Well, we may have had our meters for a long time, just like everywhere else in the country, but they work well and I have never seen a problem.

The council's claim that it will make it easier for people to pay for parking is absurd. Up until now every parking space has its own meter.

The new meters are 100 metres apart? So, we will have to get out of the car, lock the car, walk to the nearest meter, pay and collect a ticket to be displayed in the car, walk back, and unlock the car again to put your ticket behind the windscreen. Is that easier? Not in my book. And yes, we can now pay with a smartphone. Big deal.

The contractor for the system will pay the cost of the new system, amounting to about $2 million. Of course they want a return for their money which, just like the interest on our overdraft, is leaving our community.

What really annoys me is that the new meters will welcome payers with advertising.

Who wants to study an advert when paying for parking?

Finally, after all this, the council claims that this new system will save us about $500,000 per year. I take the liberty to take this with a grain of salt, a big grain at that.
(Abridged)

Harry Brasser
Rotorua

Tracey McLeod letter to the editor ('Has council learnt from error?' May 28) highlights the complexity of rating valuations. In reference to the author's suggestion, the council's 'mistake costs ratepayers thousands' is inaccurate.

The council removed the rating valuation discount when it realised the Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment Trust Board's CBD land was not Māori freehold land. To ensure fairness for all ratepayers the council considered that the 94 properties are commercial properties as they attract market rental, and for that matter should be treated the same as other commercial properties under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

The Trust Board is however not able to sell the land creating a unique situation where legal clarification is required and setting a precedent for New Zealand.

This uncharted situation has been highlighted by the fact that the Valuer-General funded the council's decision to take the matter back to the Court of Appeal for clarification.

Thomas Colle
Chief financial officer, Rotorua Lakes Council