Reversing the decline
then is the Moutoa Gardens partnership in Whanganui, and the iwi-Crown Lake Waikaremoana, Urewera National Park, and Whanganui and Waikato river governance arrangements?
Who was the last Maorirepresenting Tasman district councillor? The reality is, iwi representatives aren’t being elected, don’t make the decisions, and Resource Management Actrequired consultation is a world away from actual decision-making. Messrs Gately and Millward (Letters, June 25) need to wake up to the new reality of our post-Top of the South Treaty settlements, which require genuine iwi-council partnering. odds with his position on the Waimea dam, where the whole of Tasman District is expected to help pay for a project of dubious effectiveness which is hoped to alleviate the commercial overallocation of groundwater in the Waimea Plains. When will Mr Kempthorne take the same stance as in the two situations above and stop using his casting vote to keep this doubtful project alive?
Bruce Geddes
Pokororo, July 3 Once again the cold winds of change are sweeping across our city. Nelson’s commercial centre is being decimated. Vacant shops and offices, empty sections and derelict buildings reflect a city in decline. Closing-down sales and intensive discounting may hasten the death throes of others. One might ask, has the city had any similar experiences in the past, and what were the council’s reactions?
In the 1960s, commercial properties were in decline, resulting in the residential ratepayer subsidising the city centre commercial ratepayer. Lack of parking contributed to the decline. Council took up the challenge to turn this around. It purchased a large number of properties in the commercial centre and called in the demolition teams. The Buxton and Montgomery squares were born, and new blood flowed into the city.
With our current problem, salvation will only come through innovative thinking and unlocking entrepreneurial activity. There are many things the council can do, without spending a lot of ratepayers’ money, to set our city on the way to a more prosperous future.