Hamilton City Council - more overspending
The current council and its elected councillors are deteriorating in their performance. The recent planned $700k debacle to relocate a bus stop in Anglesea St, which fortunately will not be proceeding, the costly Glenview bus stop issue to rectify, and now the proposed rate increase highlight mismanagement. Using the rates' calculator, our personal rates will surge by $517 next year, followed by $484 the subsequent year, and an additional $558 the third year, totalling a staggering $1,559 increase over three years. This burden falls heavily, especially on pensioners, and there's no guarantee that future councils won't impose further hikes.
Therefore, it's appalling to learn that our Mayor plans to attend ANZAC commemorations in Ypres, Belgium, this year. Couldn't a Zoom meeting suffice? This isn't a fact-finding mission to improve fiscal responsibility or address ratepayer concerns. It's an unnecessary expense. Will she travel economy class, or indulge in premium economy or business class comforts? Is she alone, or is there an entourage? It's us, the ratepayers, funding this European trip, while we're being told to reduce our carbon footprint by walking or biking, and roads are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. If this trip is so imperative, shouldn't she cover the expenses herself?
I deeply regret supporting this council in the last elections. As the next elections approach (believed to be next year). Let's hope for fresh faces around the table and some common-sense.
Submissions for the local plan close on April 21st, and completion is critical. We need to ensure our voices are heard loud and clear. It has never been more crucial!
haveyoursay.hamilton.govt.nz...
Could the jury service process be improved?
Every year, thousands of New Zealanders are called up to serve as jurors in the High and District Courts, and it's an important way to contribute to your country.
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Conservation Fund backs school's tree planting day
A recent tree planting mission by the kids of Walton School was made possible through a grant from our Waikato Hauraki Conservation Fund.
The folks at Holthuizer Farm applied to the Fund for support to protect its waterways and enhance its biodiversity, with the specific intent of including children in the effort.
Farmer Dale Beker says the school's planting day was a huge success, with 40 kids planting 700 natives along a stretch of the Piako River.
In preparation Dale and her team moved the fence back 10m+ from the river, and engaged Restore Native Plant Nursery to drone map the area to estimate plant numbers and advise on weed control and species selection.
"We purchased over 200 plants from the Walton School nursery, which our PTA runs with the senior kids, and another 500 from Restore Native and the Waikato Ecological Restoration Trust," says Dale.
The Waikato Hauraki Conservation Fund is a ‘funding gap-filler’ that supports predator control and restoration planting projects across the region. It was kickstarted by a significant donation from Dianne and Selwyn June in 2021, who participate in its grantmaking decisions, and then boosted by a donation from the estate of the late John and Bunny Mortimer, who established the Taitua Arboretum.
Donations to the Waikato Hauraki Conservation Fund are most welcome, as they help grow the ongoing investment income it uses to support local conservation work by voluntary groups and landowners.
To find out more and donate, click the button below.
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