Trafficking of people

Instead, Porirua City Council decided to take ratepayers on an adventure into the high-risk world of property speculation and development, mostly decided behind closed doors with no consultation.

Now, having bought all the land and buildings, and realising ownership, holding and development costs are out of control, the council is looking for commercial partners.

In simple terms, that means you and I footing the bill to sell the land and buildings to private developers at a loss, agreeing to lease back some of the office and retail space, and providing funding, guarantees and rates holidays to private developers.

Instead of concealing information because it’s commercially sensitive, how about being sensitive to ratepayers, and spilling the beans on what we own, how much we have paid, how much it’s costing every year, and how much revenue has been lost since purchase. The CBD is a high-risk tsunami area. It is at risk of liquefaction in an earthquake, and of flooding due to poor stormwater in the surrounding hill developments, which council has ignored/ under-invested in for decades.

No major retailers are missing from North City and MegaCentre.

Retail is changing, with smaller outlets, and a significant shift to the internet.

Against that background, will it be easy to fund and sell enough streamside apartments for $500,000-plus to even remotely reimburse ratepayers for the costs to date?

A reality check is needed at 16 Cobham Court. Amazing (and scary) as the A21 Campaigns claims are, even they don’t propose that ‘‘27 million are trafficked just into European Union countries each year’’. Your editorial (January 20) is a gross exaggeration of their claims.

Their claim is that 27 million people are in ‘‘bondage’’ worldwide at any time, a frightening statistic, which you have misrepresented.

I would question where their estimate of 27 million has come from.

No doubt it is a worthy organisation, but I think their cause would be furthered without the proliferation of wild claims.