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MARCH 28, 2024
Council admits ‘blue’ By Mary Anne Gill
Cambridge residents in the proposed third bridge blue blob zone forced Waipā District Council into significant changes last week while a strident group did themselves no favours by verbally threatening elected officials and staff. In a tumultuous two days – starting hours before a Cambridge Community Board meeting and ending with the abandonment of a drop-in session at Bridges Church – the council unreservedly apologised for its communications and back-tracked on consultation plans. Consultation on its preferred proposal was to have closed tomorrow (Friday) but has now been extended until April 26. It has opened consultation up to the other options. It is back to the drawing board on the site for a third bridge, but district councillor Philip Coles is unlikely to play any part as an elected member around the debating table following questions about his impartiality. Mayor Susan O’Regan and Transport
manager Bryan Hudson – in the absence of more senior staff - copped the vitriol at the drop in while councillors Clare St Pierre, Mike Pettit, Mike Montgomerie, community board chair Jo Davies-Colley and deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk watched on from the side. Coles was at the back of the room with groups of people who were angrily questioning the council’s actions when Community Services manager Brad Ward called the session to an end. The News was told O’Regan had been verbally threatened away from the public eye. Accusations and name calling were thrown at her and Hudson when they spoke, The council released its “preferred option” for Cambridge Connections to the community on February 29. It resulted in a hail-storm of criticism. A map showed traffic lights dotted around the town, safety humps and streetscape improvements and, controversially, a new bridge from the Town Belt in Leamington across the river to Cambridge’s south-western suburb. That
area was depicted by a blue blob. Owners and residents under the blue blob were shocked, spokesperson Jared Milbank told the community board in its open forum last week. Most learned of the plans from The News. “No one has heard from the council. People are shocked: they are shocked they have not been consulted. “There is a message consultation will come later, but there is already a map affecting our properties, and people think this plan is already fixed. The community board resolved to ask council for an extension of the consultation period and for all scenarios to be considered – and Coles made his feelings clear. “If the recommendation says go for Option C, with the information I’ve got I will not be able to support part of it anyway,” he said. “If we put this (the bridge) in the wrong place it’s going to screw up this place that • Continued on Page 14. See further stories, letters and comment on pages 2, 3, 5,10 and 11.
The moment Waipa community services manager Brad Ward called a stop to the public drop-in session at the Bridges Church as the pressure went on Transport manager Bryan Hudson to his left. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
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By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā’s financial situation has been laid bare in an eight monthly report to the council this week. The $48.2 million surplus budgeted for the end of June is now forecast at $22.9 million with big hits coming from lower development and reserve contributions and a reduction in building and resource consent fees. One bright light is the increase of $606,000 from higher deposit interest rates. Waipā has nearly $13 million in the ASB Bank. Loans stood at $261 million at February 29 - eight months into the financial year – but the council will have to take out a further $35.8 million to bring the year-end debt to $296.8 million. Subsidies and grants have come in $9 million higher than budgeted and are made up of an increase in Waka Kotahi funding - $5.7 million for Cambridge and Te Ara Rimu Kihikihi pathways - $1.5 million for Better Off Funding for Te Ara Wai and grants of $1 million and $530,000 for playgrounds in Cambridge. Clean-up work of nearly $1 million for Lake Te Koo Utu has been stopped pending Long Term Plan discussions next year. In a report to the finance committee, deputy chief executive Ken Morris said the community engagement team began informing the public of the financial headwinds the council faced. “A huge challenge for all councils has been misinformation. In the age of social media, clear and timely communication and engagement is vital now, more than ever,” the report said. “Our external communication and engagement strategy is helping us address this challenge. We’ve implemented monthly social media and online channel reporting, begun improving staff reporting processes, and we’re currently conducting an audit of our main website, its site map and content. “We want to empower our residents to feel confident that they can visit our website, social media channels, front counters or talk to elected members and receive the same, correct, and timely information,” the report said.
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