Youth versus bowls
Vincent Tamihere made one of the more impassionate pleas during Hutt City Council’s annual plan hearings last week.
The Naenae resident voiced concerns about the proposed $6 million multi-purpose but lawn bowls- centric facility planned on Walter Mildenhall Park.
Although not opposed to the complex, Tamihere was unhappy about its scale and said some of the money should be spent on youth facilities.
He also claimed Naenae residents had not been consulted and that people in the local community were not aware of the expensive project.
Naenae youth would be better served by a development that included an artificial turf, he said. The site of the proposed bowling centre is close to the pool, library and retail centre and is the perfect spot for youth facilities.
His comments sparked interest among councillors, with Margaret Willard noting it was one of the very few submissions from anyone aged under 60.
Mayor Ray Wallace asked Tamihere if he had spoken to the Naenae Community Committee.
Tamihere said he’d had a meeting with its chairman, Ted Heslin, but it had not gone well. He walked out of the meeting feeling he had not been listened to.
He asked the council to ‘‘take a step back’’ and to consult with the community on the future of the site.
After the meeting, he told Hutt News he thought it was funny that as a 38-year-old he was congratulated for giving a young person’s perspective.
‘‘I told my wife that and she just laughed and laughed.’’
Naenae is struggling and he said he welcomed the proposed bowls development. But if council had money to invest in the suburb, he argued youths should benefit, especially on a site close to the retail area.
He said he had spoken to a number of schools and most had no idea that a bowling centre was planned.