Red tape throttles good work of dog rescue

Donna Dolittle’s Animal Rescue in Kaitaia needs help urgently.

These lovely ladies sold their homes and chose to live in tiny homes on one site. There is a housing shortage in NZ and the only way reasonably priced land will be available is by innovative people doing just as these ladies have done. Come on Far North District Council, show the community you are working for them, not just the paycheque. Perhaps the whistleblower could help the ladies negotiate the council demands, $6500 was given by the council as a infrastructure grant to tidy up the land. Was there any follow-up or instructions from council while the work was being done?

Why do they now have to pay for a site visit, resource consent and earthworks?

Jenny Ling, thank you for bringing this sad story to our attention and please follow up on this embarrassing council stand-off.

There was a very low turnout in the recent Whangarei byelection because the public don't see any point in voting. Politics/councils have become intimidating bullies as in this case. The North Council District Services Manager, Dr Dean Myburgh, please help these ladies who at their own cost are performing a much needed social service. Animals don't abandon people, it's people who cause the neglect and distress and the need for Donna and Jacqueline to step in with humane help. It is most definitely appropriate for the council to base decisions on an individual’s contribution, you make the rules, help Donna and Jacqueline negotiate them.

If the council looked after the animals as they should there wouldn't be need for these lovely ladies to give up their plans and devote themselves to the animals.

Keep up the good work, ladies. ‘Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers, you learn that you really can survive, really are strong and you really do have worth, and you learn and you learn’.

Author unknown

Bernice Savage

Kensington

Council in the dog box

Why is the Far North District determined to hassle and harrass Ms Donna Badorek and her mother when building consents for single story buildings under 30 square metres do not require a council approval, as scrapped last May by Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa.

Also since when has a container become a house? People are sometimes forced (through lack of housing) to live in these makeshift houses. Do all those fortunate enough to aquire one of the “pods” supplied by a charity also need a resource consent?

It is ridiculous and over the top behaviour by official council. Can they not understand the benefits that these women are providing for the dog population in the Far North with a charity animal rescue shelter.

The local sitting MPs , Willow-Jean Prime and Kelvin Davis, need to step in for these women. This is a blatant example of a moneymaking council disregard for the law rip-off and aquisition of money from those emphatic enough to contribute to a “give a little” page.

If the council is so short of money, they need to go after the wealthy millionaires or billionaires who build and change the landscape willy nilly without consents and get away with it.

Those on the lower end of the economic scale are always the fallguys!

Marie Kaire Ngararatunua

Thank you to ED

I would like to thank staff at the ED on a Tuesday night recently when I needed their services.

The efficient teamwork and professionalism by the staff was impressive, so thank you all. Also to the others who assisted, my thanks as well.

Often we don't recognise and appreciate enough the long hours of training necessary for their roles.

Ross Boyd Waipu