An expensive game

I read your article concerning a reserve sign erected at what is popularly known and historically recorded as Walls Bay in Opua, and twice removed without authorisation. Council has acquiesced and stored the sign in its shed. (All in good time, December 11).

I believe it is common practice for council reserves to be identified. The esplanade at Opua stands out as an exception, being an expensive game at ratepayers’ expense.

Has council identified the concerns of the person who removed the sign? Does it relate to the name given to the reserve, or the identification of the reserve as a public space?

If that person has a problem with the name, and the council is prepared to go through this expensive process to confirm a name change on his behalf, the public should be made aware for the reasons of going to such huge expense.

If that person does not wish the public space to be identified as a reserve — thus distinguishing it from private property council should not consider those concerns as relevant to its duties as administrating body of the reserve, the purpose of which is to enable public access to or along any sea, or to enable unrestricted public recreational use of the esplanade reserve property and adjacent sea.

The public is owed an explanation, and I hope it will provide it to you for publication. M LARCOMBE

Opua

allowing his premises to be used to leave our gear there to help raise funds. Also Harcourts and the flower shop, which allow us to run our fundraising.

If I have forgotten to thank somebody I apologise. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New year. GRAHAM DORMER

President Grey Power Far North

good standard for our metal roads, and for roads (like Okahu Road) to be sealed. The missing piece was to have financial planning in the long term plan (LTP) in order to pay for the sealing to be done.

My strengths are with the process and paper work, and to plan in advance. In local government it does take forward planning to propose motions during the LTP (to make budgets available) to ensure that projects (like road sealing) can be done in the future, two years after the LTP.

This money was originally not proposed in the LTP for seal extensions. This $1 million budget for road seal extensions was a new motion that I moved during the LTP deliberations meeting. Cr Dave Hookway seconded the motion.

Thank you to all elected members that supported the motion to pass (some elected members voted against the motion). Due to that budget now being available, this has enabled

these roads to proceed to have seal extensions.

I really hope that it will be supported in future council meetings to have this road seal extension budget continued, as I personally feel that many ratepayers support more roads being tarsealed.

Which roads will be sealed next year due to these funds being allocated to road sealing? I hope that the budget for seal extensions can be increased in the future, and I look forward to seeing more roads being sealed in the coming years.

CR FELICITY FOY