Thought for today

Ken Clark Nelson, January 12 Dan McGuire Nelson, January 15

Freedom campers

I fully support the view expressed in Diana Chandler’s letter (January 11) re. the freedom camping hub.

Surely this government cash did not have to be accepted? But the Nelson City Council couldn’t resist. The council should be concentrating on issues that concern us all and not purely visitors. Just try counting the empty shops, for a start.

Surely, also, the argument that freedom campers are staying longer and therefore spending more is flawed. A ‘‘real’’ tourist must spend four to five times a day what a freeloader spends on a little food and entertainment. In this newspaper’s own article on ‘‘happy campers’’, it cites freedom campers living on noodles and rice – it takes a lot of rice and noodles to repay $256,000!

Now we have this hub where ratepayers pay for the freeloaders – disposal of human waste, electricity, water etc, not forgetting the wage of the site’s administrator. At least it is near the council offices, so that next year, when we will have twice the numbers of these people, the council will not be able to ignore the fact that it turned Nelson into the freedom camping capital of the South Island.

Rates rises

The Nelson City Council has had an unofficial policy of ‘‘gentrification’ for the 12 years. This encourages those on low incomes, and the elderly, to move out of Nelson.

Despite 12 years of rate rises far above general inflation, the council this year intends to put in place the largest rise ever. It has ended the 4 per cent rates rise cap it had for several years. What this means for elderly people on fixed incomes, and those of modest means and incomes, is that they will have to redirect expenses such as medical or other essentials toward meeting the expanding rates during the next three years, at a time when (after taxes and inflation) their bank returns are near zero. Much of the rates collected have been used for the interests of the most privileged, while infrastructure has been neglected to the tune of over $40 million.