Leaflet another anonymous party plea

Shane and Dot Jones’ annual pre-Waitangi Day party at their Bay of Islands home has long been famous for the conviviality and generosity of the hosts, but it’s also gaining a reputation as a magnet for the disaffected.

Last year guests were plied with anonymous leaflets calling for the Far North District Council to be replaced with a commissioner, on the grounds that it was too slow to issue commercial building permits and was suing “dozens” of ratepayers who would negotiate a settlement if they were given the chance.

This year another leaflet was distributed, offering the government a six-point “regional recipe” for staying in power, including the dumping of its central purchasing scheme, a “really stupid idea from Steven Joyce,” which meant regional businesses couldn’t deal with government agencies.

It also called for re-opening the rail line to Moerewa, construction of a rail link to Northport and changes at NZTA, which the writer said was spending $18 million on a bridge at Taipa which could have been fixed for $1.4 million.

The anonymous author also wanted an end to “hail tests,” which require all former horticultural or industrial land to be tested for chemical residues, and dismantling of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into smaller ministries that people could deal with directly.

He/she again called for a commissioner to be appointed, claiming the council was about to lose its accreditation to issue building and resource consents.

Former Far North Mayor Wayne Brown brought the leaflet to media attention, saying he found a pile of them on a table at the party. Mayor John Carter did not respond, saying he wasn’t interested in commenting on “silly anonymous stuff.”

Resource consent processing delays were not unique to the Far North, but was an issue many councils around the country were grappling with, he said.