Time for our local councils to rein in constant rates increases
THROUGHOUT the whole country, it is clear that rates increases are going to be substantial this year due to many councils being ‘‘cashstrapped’’.
Covid has been blamed, along with additional compliance and regulations forced by central government on councils. Despite the extra work, councils do not seem to do anything but pass the cost on to ratepayers rather than take the matter up with the bureaucrats in government. Note the big cost increases in waste are still to come.
Councils are also whining about the cost of fixing ageing infrastructure. Perhaps if they spent ratepayer funds wisely instead of on lavish vanity projects — wasting money due to the ideology of councillors and planners and clearly overpaying incompetent managers (look at the number of council salaries over $100,000 particularly in Christchurch and Auckland) — there would be sufficent funds to meet infrastructure needs.
With some forecast rate increases over 20%, it is time that central government stepped in and limited council rate increases to, say, 4% maximum and forced them to live within their means.
Many homeowners will struggle to meet the additional rates burden and rents will increase as well.
David Williamson
Invercargill
Hill name
REGARDING the caption underneath Stephen Jaquiery’s very good offshore photograph of Saddle Hill (ODT, 1.5.21).
My understanding is that Captain Cook and the crew of the Endeavour, despite being some distance offshore in late Februaryearly March, 1770, were in a position to clearly see this geographical feature.
Cook, as well as other members of his crew, logged this as a hill that looked like a saddle. Rather than
Cook formally naming this feature, Saddle Hill.
Some other geographical features Cook did formally name in the south of the South Island and the names still being used are: Cape Saunders, South Cape, on Stewart Island, and Solander Island.
I am not trying to belittle the exceptional photography that Jaquiery does, but just to get the historical facts correct.
If in doubt, I feel sure the original
Endeavour ship’s log, and Cook’s personal logs, or copies of them, will still be in existence somewhere. Just a matter of being able to find them.
John Neilson
Ravensbourne