Firstly a definition: “gentrification” is the trend in urban neighbourhoods which sees increased property values and the replacing of lower-income families and small businesses with wealthy ones.

It can be the reversal of a trend in the past when inner city neighbourhoods became, if not slums, then at least down-market as the affluent sought neighborhoods further away from the inner-city. This became a trend not only in America, but also in NZ as cities were expanded outwards, encouraged by broadened thoroughfares if not motorways.

An example in Wellington is Thorndon: at the time the foothills motorway was put through in the 1960s it was where poor people lived; now it is inhabited by yuppies, despite the small house sizes.

Transport is a big factor: today people don’t like spending their lives stuck in traffic. Early “gentrifiers” may belong to low income artists or “boheme” communities, which increase the attractiveness and flair of a certain quarter. Local government will spend more in a community’s infrastructure and then the developers move in with upscale apartments and condo blocks so there is population migration.

In a community undergoing gentrification, the average income increases. Poorer pre-gentrification residents who are unable to pay increased rents or property taxes may find it necessary to relocate.

The controversy arises when whole ethnic minorities are displaced this way.  According to this website, “Portland, Oregon, has become one of [America’s] worst examples of Black displacement and gentrification.”

And it’s true: you see very few Blacks there, Hispanics too — and we’re talking about the larger part of a big city (a place Donald Trump would love?)

Portland is a very nice city; as we noted before it is full of tree-lined streets, crime is low, inner-city areas have nice gardens, and it has a great public transport system, including street trams. But some ethnic groups which should contribute to the total picture aren’t there.

The simultaneous converse of gentrification is development of run-down bad neighbourhoods, where if you don’t fit in because of the way you look, you won’t feel comfortable; it doesn’t matter whether these are comprised of indigenous migrants or foreign immigrants, the result is the same.

The point as far as Waikanae is concerned is that property developers and businessmen have a huge impact on a whole town by what they decide to do as a result of the opportunities they perceive — and we the people thus need to impose strict controls on them.

We have been sent this professional opinion by Peter Chemis of Buddle Finlay as a basis for a discussion by today’s KCDC meeting about the misconduct complaint.

Our views

We agree with Peter Chemis of Buddle Finlay that context is important.

Michael Scott’s e-mail was in response to a quite aggressive, condemnatory one by Mrs Sue Smith sent not only to Michael Scott but 12 others.

It is worth noting that Mrs Smith’s defective husband was the local lawyer about whom we filed a complaint with the Law Society in 2013 over a protracted series of antagonistic e-mails and phone calls which not only maligned us, but also experts we had consulted in our dispute with his associate, a local property businessman.  We also believe that Mrs Smith and her husband were involved in producing the anonymous circulars distributed in Waikanae (in which the recipient of Michael Scott’s e-mail was deliberately mis-stated to be Sue Lusk.)

Clearly it is a household that has a pattern of behaving in this fashion.

However, that does not excuse an aggressive and abusive response from Michael Scott.

It is important for everybody, but especially professionals, to maintain the moral high ground and resist the temptation to respond to unsavoury communications from hotheads in the same manner; such can and likely will be used in evidence.  All communications should be considered and made with a clear head free of emotion.

A copy of a statement by the Ombudsman’s Office on the subject we have been sent effectively says this, not in so many words, but in implication.

What the Local Government Act states on the subject is contained in Section 15 of Schedule 7, reproduced above.

A local council is required to have a Code of Conduct by its members; but how that code is enforced, or even if it is enforced, is entirely up to each council. A code doesn’t have to be anything other than a statement of intent, and need not be acted on.

There have been a few complaints under the KCDC’s Code of Conduct about its councillors, and current Waikanae Ward Councillor Michael Scott has been the subject of two in just 15 months.

The clear conclusion is that councillors can breach the code with impunity — provided they are liked by a majority of the other councillors.  If they are not, then the council may vote to waste $15,000 on an outside ‘consultant’s report as happened in the case of Cr Jackie Elliott, but with the same ultimate result.

Should there be a clear statement in the Act as to what the Code of Conduct must contain, processes for dealing with complaints and consequences if the complaint is upheld?  We think so.

It should be noted that local government members are not the only occupations subject to statutorily mandated Codes of Conduct, but in our experience with that applying to lawyers, they are likewise worthless in practice.   A lawyer can be as obnoxious and antagonistic as he/she likes: the most they can expect is a statement from the Law Society or LCRO that they should not make “intemperate and inappropriate” remarks.

Above is part of a recent invoice for a hotel room for a night in Denver, Colorado.  The total taxes on the room charge come to 16.5%, which is more than the 15% rate of GST in NZ, although less than the rate of VAT in some European countries.

The significant aspect is that it shows the allocation to state, county and city governments.

In NZ all GST charged and collected on accommodation goes straight to the central government, and none to local authorities, even though these often supply the infrastructure and amenities for these visitors.

We suggest a similar sharing of GST revenue by the central government to the local councils; this would relieve the burden on ratepayers.

the standpoint of the top photo.  This overbridge includes elevators for the mobility impaired.  Why was such an overbridge between the east parking lot and the corner of Main Road/Ngaio Road not built at Waikanae station?  A good question.

With constant immigration, particularly from Asia, which has increased Auckland’s population by 50% since 2000 and house prices by much more, new medium to high density housing is to be seen in many parts of the metropolis.

Swanson is about 20 km west of downtown Auckland and the final stop on the Western electric railway.

“High density” doesn’t necessarily mean high rise, but usually 2- or 3-story condominium buildings with very little space allocated to yards and landscaping.

Is this what we can expect in Waikanae with developments like that of the Maypole company?  We’ll tell you what we know soon.

Here’s a civic building with distinctive character from the usual — the Town Hall of Midway, Utah, from 1941.

The clock plays Swiss folk tunes and on the hour the doors under it open, a revolving platform with puppet style figures emerges and they do swirling dances.

Midway only has a population of 3,900 but has this impressive building and in fact there are several other buildings there with Swiss styling.

This example is not appropriate for Waikanae, but the idea is — in contemplating rebuilding the Mahara Place, something that will attact visitors from outside Waikanae is needed.

See these notions on the KCDC page

We will be analysing them and reporting in the next couple of weeks.

Last year the KCDC voted to allow legal high (certain synthetic drugs) shops in Kapiti.

A more traditional drug which Colorado and Washington states in America voted in referendums to legalize at the time of the 2012 Presidential election was marijuana and outlets are now widespread in Colorado. This one is in Canon City.

There are some differences to tobacco, though: customers have to be 21+ and if visiting for the first time a short interview is conducted by the dispenser.

There has been concern, however, about THC-laced candy, and one notes the toadstool here on the signage of ‘Boomer’s Emporium.’

The building is shared with a lawyer’s offices — a symbiosis which doesn’t surprise…

Hello Geoff,

Just a curiosity, are you standing for council this year?

Family/friends reckon I should put my name forward for Otaki Community Board .On the fence with it at moment.

Nominations open July 15th. Voting closes Oct 8th.

Best regards, Wallace

Thanks Wallace,

I have been asked, including by 2 existing councilors. Like you, I’m on the fence, but it’s the balance of probability: we need a council free of property  businessmen/developer interest

regards

Geoff Churchman

I have just obtained the CCTV footage of my supposedly “approaching staff” when I accompanied [my wife] Kathy a few weeks ago for her to get a form from council on rates.
I accompanied her because of the bellicose nature of a couple of staff members and most councillors and as it is now well known that council does not have a zero harm environment.

This resulted in my being served a second summons by police several days later.
When I appeared in court on two charges of trespass I was handed the council
complaint by the police prosecutor. This was made out by someone called
Gardner, who is not known to me. He states that I approached staff and breached a trespass notice. The implication is that I acted in a threatening manner (in accord with the Holborow et al hallucinations).

This is another lie. The CCTV footage shows that while Kathy went to the counter to get the form, I walked over to a table by the entrance and picked up some pamphlets on the district plan. I stood reading them. Someone came out and started berating me. I explained I was just waiting for Kathy and would leave as soon as she had the form. I walked over to the chairs and sat down and read the pamphlets. .

While this was going on, all within a few minutes , the staff can be seen on the
footage at what looks like evacuating into the back rooms, as they though they
were following a prescribed emergency procedure, while one woman remained at the counter phoning, presumably, the police.

I ensured that I did not ‘approach staff’. Looking at the footage, it seems to me that staff have been instructed that I am a dangerous man, in keeping with the Holborow charade, and that they evacuate the area should I enter. This is very, very sick, and without any
justification. I am in fact being criminalised and made out to be a pariah.

Again I have been lied about, this time in a court document. The judge dismissed
the case, although the police wanted to go ahead. I did not, again, have any
opportunity to explain the lies and antics of council.

An image of me is being built up by Dougherty et al of my being a dangerous
person, and such statements are with the police.

The lower echelons of this council are obviously being misdirected by others more senior.

Kerry Bolton

[abridged]