Waihi flags a nightmare
Supplier delays mean tatty old flags keep flying, for now
The tatty banners fluttering over Waihi are no reflection of the proud can-do attitude of New Zealand’s most beautiful small town, but they are a sign of how tough it can be as a volunteer.
Go Waihi committee member Sacha Urlich – a volunteer – has been lobbying hard to speed up what’s turned into a delay of eight weeks for replacement flags.
The town is adorned with 26 double flags and 19 singles that cost $7000.
A promotional embellishment, they were only just installed last Beach Hop in November. “They look revolting,” Urlich said. She said the company that manufactures the flags told her there had been a delay due to a big order from the Government for Covid-19 material.
The cost of hiring machinery and health and safety rules to take them down added to the challenges, and drove a decision to hold off removing them until the new ones had arrived.
“We’re trying to get funding for flag tracks so we could put them up ourselves, but for the town that’s a cost of $52,000 which is a lot of money that people don’t have,” Urlich said.
Obtaining a grant involved getting three quotes from different manufacturers, who all need to sight the poles, which meant more time delays and work.
“The flags were put up just before Beach Hop in November, in theory they should be there a lot longer than that.
“I’m sending the whole lot back,” she said.
She asked people to be kind. “I’m a volunteer – this is why people don’t volunteer.”
Dawn Sinclair, a fourth generation Waihi resident, agreed the flags were not fitting for a town that proudly accepted the award of Most Beautiful Small Town in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018.
Her great-grandfather Charles came up to Waihi with a farming ballot and broke in the Waihi plain, after her great-uncle was working at the Victoria Battery.
“I’ve got four generations of family in the Waihi cemetery, so I’m quite strong on looking after Waihi.
“I can just see them saying ‘I didn’t think you’d let them do that, Dawn’.”
It was an example of the struggle that some of the town’s key tourism assets are facing to keep up with maintenance in a world that’s different to that of her forefathers.
“I feel this is another case of our elected representatives and local council delegating their duty to a group of enthusiastic volunteers with no option planned for regaining control when it all turns to custard. Waihi citizens deserve better.”
Hauraki District Council chief executive Langley Cavers confirmed GO Waihi was managing the initiative.
“While we agree the flags are looking very much worse for wear, we’re pleased to say we’ve heard from GO Waihi that new flags are on their way.
“We understand that they’ve experienced some supplier delays, but expect replacement flags to arrive within the next week or so.
“Once they arrive our staff will take down the old flags and install the new ones.”
Although it receives some funding from council and there is one councillor appointed to the committee, GO Waihi is an independently run community organisation that appoints all other committee members, he said.
Dawn said she believed it should be council that steps in to maintain main design elements on the main street, as they do parks. Sacha agreed.
“It is a massive undertaking purely because we can’t put them up.
“There’s all these health and safety regulations therefore we can’t do it. The solution is the flag tracks.”