20/06/2006

Tango time for district plan

I would like to extend council's welcome to all new farmers and residents to the Otorohanga district, and I trust that the time spent here is prosperous and enjoyable.
I expect also that Fieldays last week saw a flurry of commercial activity for our many businesses who took part in this region's largest agricultural retailing opportunity.
A fantastic result for this region from the recent Queen's Birthday Honours, with Waitomo's Peter Chandler and John Ash, Otorohanga's June Douglas and former Te Kuiti resident Jim Anderson being chosen as most worthy recipients for national recognition.
It is timely to be reminded of the dedication of service and entrepreneurial talents that so many within our community make available to benefit so many.
Congratulations to the recipients and those responsible for nominating our heroes in this way.
It continues to be very busy for councillors and staff as we begin the district plan review in earnest, with workshops and consultations being planned for district stakeholder groups, iwi and individuals from July.
I note with interest the comments attributed to various groups regarding this consultation process, in particular inferences that council won't consult 'properly'.
In my experience, consultation requires willingness from all parties to discuss the issues and compromise where necessary to achieve a workable outcome. Often that means no party gets everything they want but the result is acceptable enough for the process to move on.
Council is bound by legislation to conduct consultation appropriately and it is important to councillors and staff that all parties with an interest in the district are involved.
The timeframe outlined in the plan review is, I believe a sensible programme to begin with to achieve a
balance between getting people actively engaged to put the issues on the table and keeping the process on a realistic budget.
An endless consultation period would achieve little benefit to the purpose of the review, that is to identify the areas within the District Plan that may require improvement, and would frustrate participants and add unnecessary cost.
I sincerely hope that anyone expressing, concerns before the process even begins will participate positively and mindful of compromise.
The Otorohanga District Plan is a very user friendly document and meets the expectations in a majority of situations most of the time.
Issues identified are likely to include relocatable house rules, harbourside and sensitive area policies, specific land use objectives and so on.
With careful re-consideration the Otorohanga District Plan should continue to be a document that continues to meet the needs of our residents and ratepayers in the future.

Waste away in Arohena

With no rubbish collection to speak of, the small rural community of Arohena has set up a recycling initiative, letting them dispose of glass, plastic and aluminium without polluting the air, or digging a hole.
In May last year, former resident Shannon Davidson called a public meeting to gauge interest in looking after their district's environment.
"The response was positive, and there seemed to be quite a lot of support from the community," said Arohena Recycling group (ARG) secretary Bev Bayly.
A group of eight took on the role of a committee, chaired by resident Matt Foulkes.
Having carried out a survey, the ARG received a 22 per cent response, all positive.
Arohena district has grown to encompass a population of about 400.
"There are about 95 families in the district now, and to eliminate 95 households' recyclables properly will make a great difference," said Mrs Bayly.
"We saw the 22 per cent response as a sign that families in the district would be interested in getting rid of their rubbish properly, if a means of collection was set up.
Otorohanga district council (ODC) has agreed to provide the community with a purpose-built container to use as a recycling collection facility, on the condition that the ARG secure operational funding for the
service.
Having applied to various organisations for assistance, a recycling collection facility in Arohena is now looking more viable.
In addition to the container from ODC, Zero Waste New Zealand has granted the group $5000, with Environment Waikato providing additional funding from their environmental initiatives grant.
"We have applied to a couple of other organisations, but don't expect to hear from them until later in the year," said Mrs Bayly.
"The problem we'll have will be the ongoing operational costs, but with more funding; being granted, we may be able to look after our own rubbish responsibly after all."
For the past six months, a pilot scheme, where containers for tin and aluminium cans have been set up by the ARG, has been well used.
"One of the committee members take the full bins through to Otorohanga or Te Awamutu once every six weeks," said committee member Jana Pokorna.
"The community are definitely using it, which demonstrates a need."
"People are always asking when the day will come that they can recycle plastics, and other materials, so it will be good to see this get off the ground as soon. as possible," said Mrs Bayly.
If further funding is confirmed, the ARG will put the collection process out for tender with companies from towns such as Otorohanga, Te Awamutu, and Taupo.
Arohena's recycling scheme was modelled on a similar project in Kio Kio.