Ups and downs on Gore council
Rachael Kelly looks at the term that was and the one ahead.
Local body elections are looming at a time when confidence in Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks and his councillors is at a low.
Results of the district council’s annual residents survey were tabled at a council meeting on Tuesday. Only 42 per cent of those surveyed felt the mayor and councillors display sound and effective leadership, while 73 per cent were satisfied with the council’s overall performance.
Research First, which conducted the survey, said trend analysis showed overall satisfaction with the council continued to decline.
But with several councillors not seeking re-election, some fresh faces will be tackling big challenges during the council’s next term.
Grahame Sharp announced last week he would not stand again because of spiralling council debt, which was at $19 million, and Ralph Beale and Peter Grant would also be absent around the table.
The council had some big achievements during the term.
The opening of the Mataura Valley Milk plant at McNab, and its associated wastewater infrastructure, had brought jobs and economic benefits, although the construction was not without controversy.
‘‘I think a lot of time and effort went into that and I think that was a plus,’’ Hicks said.
‘‘I think getting under way with water infrastructure ... is also a plus. We’re not there yet and it’s not going to happen overnight but at least we’re on the right path.’’
Gore is enjoying a building boom, and house prices in the district are at an all-time high, but it has been a term of ups and downs for the council.
In December last year the council announced that plans for the Ma¯ tai Ridge subdivision, its first foray into land development, had been shelved, leaving a $750,000 bill.
After a drought in the summer of 2017-18, it started looking at the impacts of climate change and set up a water taskforce to address issues around supply and storage. It has since drilled a new water source to provide the town supply.
The same summer the Pyramid Bridge washed away and construction of a replacement was expected to start later this year.
The bridge would cost ratepayers less than previously thought thanks to an ‘‘alternative design’’, council chief executive Steve Parry said.
An application to the Provincial Growth Fund to develop the former Gore Hospital grounds with an equestrian centre and eco-lodges is being reworked after funding was declined, but work was due to begin on the Maruawai project and the Hokonui Huanui project, both being funded by the PGF.
The next council will have some high-profile challenges to deal with.
After 18 months of negotiation, it was announced that ouvea premix stored in the former Mataura paper mill will start to be moved in October, although residents have asked why the hazardous substance could not be moved quicker.
Structural concerns inside the MLT Events Centre forced the council to borrow money to fix concrete bleacher seating, and the centre now has to close if the wind gusts to over 100kmh due to issues with the roof. Parry said the overall cost was likely to be about $120,000.
The town’s library has moved due to the discovery of black mould and asbestos inside its building, but Parry said it was not as bad as originally thought and the building could be re-roofed and redesigned.
Perhaps the biggest issue will be the WorkSafe New Zealand investigation into how a toddler died in the town’s wastewater ponds in January. The council has hired Christchurch lawyer Garth Galloway to represent it.
Deputy mayor Cliff Bolger, who has been on the council for 20 years, says the district is in a better place than it was at the beginning of this electoral term.
‘‘[The] organisation has got a culture of ‘here to serve the ratepayers who fund it’ and the provision for the future is very, very good.’’