Villages want to flee Horowhenua

About 1200 people from the Horowhenua settlements of Tokomaru and O¯ piki could be moving to Palmerston North.

The Palmerston North City Council has given the thumbs up for discussions to start on moving the city’s boundary to include the two areas.

More than 200 residents have so far signed a petition encouraging progress.

Arthur Toms, one of the members of a combined committee called ‘‘Tokopiki’’, said the council’s resolution yesterday would add weight to the group’s application to the Local Government Commission for a boundary change.

Toms said people living just 10 minutes’ drive south of Palmerston North had a closer affinity to the city than to Horowhenua’s centre of Levin.

The lobby group had confirmed residents would, at least initially, pay 20 to 40 per cent less in rates to the city council than they did in Horowhenua.

‘‘The two communities have a lot of history, through the flax industry, farming and family.

‘‘And we are sick to death of the Horowhenua District Council, and are paying too much in rates, but that’s not the main reason.

‘‘We want to come home. It’s like pulling the bedclothes up.’’

The communities’ Miranui ward councillor Ross Campbell said initially he did not want to see the ward split up, which would happen unless Shannon stayed within the same local authority as Tokomaru and O¯ piki.

Campbell said he understood people from the area feeling they did not get a fair deal from the Horowhenua council.

‘‘It’s not that they are off the radar, it’s that the radar was turned off.’’

But a meeting in Shannon in August rejected the idea of a move to Palmerston North.

Campbell said many of the

farmers who had talked about dissatisfaction with Horowhenua in the past did not support a boundary change.

More significantly, Maori did not want a change.

Te Roopu Taiao O Ngati Whakatere spokesman Robert Ketu said Horowhenua was where the hapu’s whakapapa links were, it was where its urupa was, and they did not want to see a separation.

He said Tokomaru and Opiki ¯ were also traditional food-gathering areas with links that went back further in history than local government boundaries.

Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith said he understood the argument that the Tokopiki people felt they were a part of Palmerston North, and shared a community of interest.

The city council’s resolution was not a commitment to making the boundary change happen, but enabled the process to begin.

‘‘This is only just starting the conversation.’’

And Cr Lorna Johnson said there should be no assumption that the council favoured the change, just that it was open to considering it.

Cr Brent Barrett said the residents lived in proximity to and felt an affinity toward Palmerston North.

He was prepared to explore the proposal further.

But he said there should be a good strategic reason for the city to want to take on the extra area.

The council’s resolution was to allow the boundary change proposal to be applied for, but it would insist on suitable conditions.

Stuff