Rangit¯ıkei mulls plans for future
Residents speak at council’s Long Term Plan hearings
Turning town centres into free WiFi zones should not be a priority, but, if the Rangit¯ıkei District Council was to do so, no settlement should be left out, Marton resident Carolyn Bates says.
She was speaking at the council’s Long Term Plan hearings on Thursday.
The council received 144 written submissions to its Draft Long Term Plan which also includes proposals to increase the pool of funding for local events and economic development, and restore the Taihape Memorial Park grandstand.
It is proposing an average annual rates increase of 5.3 per cent over the next 10 years.
Bates argued there were more important issues for the council to deal with than WiFi in town centres which would have an upfront cost of $64,000 and a monthly cost of $2600 to install in Marton, Bulls, Hunterville and Taihape.
“I struggle to see how WiFi is deemed to be more important than the necessities of life, such as fixing the appalling drinking water in Marton.”
But should free Wi-Fi be implemented across the district, Bates said she believed it should be installed in every settlement in Rangit¯ıkei, rather than just Bulls, Marton, Taihape and Hunterville.
The council also heard from architect Paul Marcroft, who spoke in support of the council’s proposal to make a provision to budget $1 million for the restoration of the Taihape Memorial Park grandstand. Marcroft said that he first visited the grandstand a few years ago, and immediately understood why the facility is seen as one of the most significant constructions in the town. “I was immediately struck by the charm of the building, its timber structure, and its unfussy honest appearance.”
Marcroft said that it was a nobrainer to restore the stand so future generations can enjoy the facility.
“I strongly believe Taihape’s grandstand can be revitalised and given a new lease of life that will not only suit current community needs but reflect a level of pride in the town.”
Another submitter didn’t speak to any of the proposals in the plan, instead noting an omission she believes the council needs to act on within the Long Term Plan.
Jocelyn Hunt, a resident of Marton’s Cobber Kain Ave, where 22 council-owned units are located, asked the council to consider the paving of the road to make the area safer and cleaner.
Despite being a legal road in the centre of the town, Cobber Kain Ave isn’t sealed and is paved only with gravel.
“I want to know why we’re living on a dirt track,” Hunt asked. “Is this in the long-term plan? If not, can we put it there?”
With oral submissions complete, the council now moves towards deliberating on the draft plan in the coming weeks.