New standing orders recently recommended for the 2016-2019 triennium, by Local Government New Zealand, were adopted through a majority vote by the KCDC.  Standing orders are comprised of rules for council meetings that are mostly administrative in nature.  They are vital in ensuring that Council meetings flow smoothly and efficiently.

What makes these standing orders different from the previous ones, however, is the adoption of section 14.15 (Restrictions) allowing the Chairperson of any public meeting to decline to hear a speaker under the following criteria:

1.      A speaker is repeating views presented by an earlier speaker at the same meeting

2.      The speaker is criticising elected members

3.      The speaker has previously spoken on the same issue

By using the broad catch-all phrase of “criticizing elected members” as a screen to hide behind, any elected official may now refuse to respond to, or even to hear, the concerns of their constituents. If a Chairperson of any public meeting can dismiss a speaker on the grounds of “criticising elected members”, what value does a public meeting have?  If we can only sing the praises of elected members, how can we air our concerns if issues involve the behavior of elected members and, just as importantly, how can elected members know what the community thinks on any issue?  Is the exercising of our democratic right restricted to voting only?  Surely democracy requires a  “mutual understanding” between the governors and the governed?

Where is the “two-way street”?  As councillors do not hold clinics, how does the public now engage with our council in an open, transparent and accountable manner?  Where are the records of public contributions in the public forum?  What is a public forum if the public information submitted is not recorded?  How can we “trust” our elected officials when OUR words and OUR concerns are not a matter of public record and can be dismissed so undemocratically?

The fact that no public consultation took place during the drafting of these new standing orders is perhaps a demonstration of the lip service paid to “democracy”.

Now that KCDC have the ability to silence criticism at any of their public meetings, what does the future hold for communication between the public and their elected members?  Letters to councillors may be acknowledged, but rarely followed up on critical issues. The only other tool we have where we could voice our concerns is at public meetings.

We agree that “criticizing elected members” is a broad term that could be construed as criticizing majority decisions that have been made by either the present council or past councils. – [Eds]

This was actually on the cover of a magazine published in France, which generated some homesickness in the days before the Internet!

As most of those who use the trains know, Muri station was closed on 30 April 2011, so hikers need to use the next station to the south, Pukerua Bay.

At the time the Ganz Mavag trains were only about 3 years old; they finally disappeared from the Wellington region lines last year.

And for those into connected places, there is a Muri railway station in India.

A little stir for a normally quiet town… Some 20 people on the Neighbourly website have commented on reported big bangs heard about 9:20 pm on Sunday; examples:-

“We are in Sunny Glen and it was VERY LOUD here but can’t see where it was from!!”

“I’m in Kohekohe Road and heard 2 large bangs not long ago, sounded like explosion not far from me, maybe Karu Cresc, Te Moana Rd”

There were even more commentators on the Kapiti Coast Facebook page :-

“We are on Te Moana Road, right near Rata Street. There was a VERY loud explosion, shortly followed by a quiet boom, and then another loud Boom a little while after that. Sounded very very close.”

“Fireworks? Probably homemade if they are as loud as people say. Used to have idiot neighbours that would make their own homemade fireworks, then in the middle of the night would let one off. Would sound like a cannon going off.”

“It was on Rata St and it wasn’t fireworks – we saw a man with wires, compost an a battery leading out the the centre of the street – we asked what the hell was going on and he looked flustered and was packing it up, if you go down Rata St you will see the black explosion mark!!! He said he was having a birthday party but definitely not!!! Police have been notified!!!!”

“I’ve just spoken to someone who knows. The Police did come last night and I hope they have charged the idiot. It was a pyrotechnic device. The idiot who set it off was celebrating his mother’s birthday – she lives in Rata Street.”

stuff story

According to the new Facebook page that the Waikanae Community Board has set up this past week, “Significant earthwork still needs to be undertaken to install soak pits for drainage. Such excavation could expose items of archeological significance and the timeframe allows for this possibility.”

It’s good to note that the WCB has heeded our call for a Facebook page so that we know what it’s up to. But if you’re still keen on sitting through the official public meetings the next one is scheduled for 31 January.

At least three of them are; we’re dubious about the one on the left. 🙂  At that time Horowhenua County included Waikanae and Otaki.

From Design Toscano — something different. 🙂

From LGNSW media release 9 Jan 2017 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) welcomed planning reforms but urged the NSW Government not to give private certifiers the green light to approve medium density development in local streets without community input. [LGNSW is referring to the NSW Governments new Medium Density Housing Code.] LGNSW President Keith Rhoades said […]

Read the rest: New Law Excludes Community Input Where it Matters Most — Pittwater Forever

The question Awanui Drive people have had for some time.  This is a two-page spread from the recent satirical book The People Next Door, in the series based on Ladybird children’s books of the 1950s and 1960s (see earlier). Recommended! 🙂

The airport at Paraparaumu has been an important amenity of the district for decades, even if much of the land has been sold for commercial development in recent times.