Obscene level of debt

None of the aspiring mayoral candidates addressed in their respective manifestos the serious issue of the Far North District Council’s obscene level of debt. I sincerely hope that, despite that glaring omission, the elected new mayor will prioritise this. It is totally unacceptable that the equivalent of well over a 1000 ratepayers’ annual payments to FNDC are just paying for the interest on this debt; no services, just interest on the council’s debt!

Is it little wonder that the council’s esteem is held in such low regard by so many ratepayers who are finding things tough enough making ends meet, let alone funding such profligacy? One way to start to pay this off would be to disband the council’s commercial arm, Far North Holdings, and to sell off their huge capital assets, eg. Kerikeri Airport and Opua Wharf, also saving the millions of dollars in salaries of the staff employed by Far North Holdings. Running commercial operations is not within the remit of the council, which is to run the public services of the communities in this area of the country. With bank interest rates and inflation spiralling, unless severe pruning takes place urgently, we shall all be staring another substantial rates rise next year. The predictable excuse will be: “due to factors outside the council’s control”. Really? I do fervently hope the incoming mayor bites the bullet and proves me wrong, but I am not holding my breath!

Chris Penny

Kerikeri