The Post

Neighbouri­ng town resents aid package

- Piers Fuller piers.fuller@stuff.co.nz

Attempts to save the country’s second-oldest rugby club has sparked a war of words between neighbouri­ng country towns over preferenti­al treatment.

The communityo­wned Greytown Trust Lands Trust has pulled its rental subsidy for the Greytown Rugby Club and bowling club’s land, meaning both may face closure without a bailout.

South Wairarapa District Council has suggested saving the clubs to the tune of $2.7 million or buying the land outright, sparking complaints from a neighbouri­ng town of preferenti­al treatment.

Nifo Tauiliili lives in Feathersto­n, the next town over from Greytown.

She said now was not the time for the council to be spending money on sports facilities in Greytown that would have to be paid for by all South Wairarapa residents. ‘‘We’re heading into a recession and a lot of people here are struggling,’’ Tauiliili said.

‘‘I’ve been here for 50 years and I’ve seen Greytown and Martinboro­ugh prosper out of all the three towns. They’re the ones getting all the money and Feathersto­n seems to be getting none of it.’’ Several residents chimed in online, claiming the council should be concentrat­ing on fixing core services and not spending millions on recreation facilities in Greytown.

The Greytown Trust Lands Trust has blamed increasing land values for its decision to withdraw its subsidy to the clubs and its own future being at risk.

‘‘That has meant the rent subsidies from the trust have grown to the point where the situation was getting out of control,’’ it said in a community newsletter this week.

Next year’s rent on the land was projected to be more than $80,000, which would dwarf what the trust gives to the rest of the town’s clubs.

South Wairarapa mayor Alex Beijen said it was disappoint­ing the council had to come up with the urgent proposal to buy the land but it had an obligation to provide

recreation­al facilities to the public.

‘‘It is disappoint­ing that we are being forced into making decisions in haste now we know the financial impact of the trust’s actions but sometimes that’s life.’’

He said there was a ‘‘looming cloud of undersuppl­y of public land’’.

‘‘Normally, this would go in a long-term plan, rather than reacting to a current situation, but the clubs that currently occupy the land will be forced out of operation without a relatively quick decision.’’

He said if the same situation had occurred in Feathersto­n, the council would do ‘‘exactly the same’’.

Former Wairarapa MP and Greytown resident John Hayes has started a petition asking the trust to gift the land to the council.

He told the trust that Greytown residents were concerned it was threatenin­g to sell the rugby club ground and the bowling sites unless ratepayers provided

$2.7 million through rates – ‘‘although the community has already owned both sites since 1871’’.

The trust said it couldn’t, by law, gift the land away and was required to protect the value of its assets.

Hayes was investigat­ing legal options, which might see the rugby club’s rent responsibi­lities passed over to the council and the land designated as a reserve.

The council had around 600 submission­s on its annual plan, more than triple what it would normally expect. Submission­s closed yesterday with hearings planned for June 10-11.

After considerin­g the submission­s, the council would probably make a decision in the following month.

 ?? STUFF ?? Efforts to tackle the Greytown Rugby Club’s land woes have resulted in a heated debate.
STUFF Efforts to tackle the Greytown Rugby Club’s land woes have resulted in a heated debate.
 ??  ?? Nifo Tauiliili
Nifo Tauiliili

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