This is the reply received today in response to an OIA request.  From the second page, the number of full time equivalent employees as at 22 May, rather than the approved 303 was 245 full time, 61 part time and 52 fixed term — assuming that ‘part-time’ is an average 20 hours a week, this puts the total at 331.  The number of contractors additional to these working out of council premises is 19.

The page from the financial year to 30 June 2016 annual report referred to is below:

The above letter states that the annual report for the 2016-2017 financial year should be available on the council website on 4 October.

The letter also states that if we want to know how many staff now are in the all-up remuneration bands we asked, it will take them 5 hours.  Given that there are only about 50 in these bands, we think that the ‘estimate’ given of 5 hours to do this would be realistic if the person doing this looks like the one in the photo below.  As we think that is unlikely, we will, as suggested, refer the letter to the Ombudsman.

“Your house is burning? We have no personnel! You’ll get the key for this appliance at the council house.”

Like other voluntary services the WVFB is keen on having a full roster of people who can be called on.  In summer the biggest problem is scrub fires and out of control barbecues, in winter house fires from heaters.

We know that regular firefighters need to be pretty fit people, but that may be less the case in Waikanae as the tallest building (Rymans) is only three stories.

The WVFB website to find out.

The pensioner housing for the elderly in the Horowhenua has sold for the song of $5.5 million. “Information leaked to Stuff reveals the council is selling the pensioner units to a new company called Compassion Horowhenua for $5.5 million – a price some sources have labelled a bargain”. (Stuff) That will be the company we […]

via Horowhenua’s community housing all but gifted to the new ‘front’ company ‘Compassion Horowhenua’ (leaked) — Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch

We posted some pics of the southeast side a few weeks ago, so here is the other side of it, a smaller open area.  It looks like it is in the process of being landscaped — and hopefully that will be it.

A winter view to complement the summer view taken in 2015 (see earlier).

The result of a poll on the French website linternaute.com is that only 8.3% of the 28,597 respondents say they have confidence in politicians while 84.2% say they don’t.

We wonder what the result would be in Kapiti if people were asked the same of the mayor and councilors: much the same, we surmise: all we have seen so far is subservience to the top bureaucrats  But it’s said that people get the government they deserve, and it’s hard to disagree.

France had its Presidential election last month; on Sunday it has its election (first round) for the Assemblée Nationale, its parliament.  The British have just had their snap election, while in NZ voters get to choose the next parliament on Saturday 23 September.

Probably taken late 2015, as it shows the Ryman’s Charles Fleming Retirement Village largely complete, but earthworks are still happening for the stage 1 houses.

The circles (grass circles, not crop circles 🙂 ) to the west of the Ryman complex is the area slated as a children’s playground.

Because of the confusion that resulted from the Dominion Post article on whether there will be a school to the north of this part, we have sent an OIA request to the Ministry of Education on its intentions and will post the reply on here when received.

This Joel Maxwell story on the stuff site gives the events and the pic will have been taken later in the day.  The artist’s impression that the council supplied earlier (presumably what it spent $15,000 with the consultants on) showed a fence in a bit from the curb to the height of the cut, and this certainly needs to be put in place if it is going to look attractive again.

The issue generated debate on the Kapiti Coast Facebook page yesterday, with the majority liking the hedge as it was, although it also had its detractors — each to their own.

What we don’t like at all is the way the whole issue was handled; it’s clear that the council had made its mind up very early in the episode and engaged in various machinations to have its way, see the post from Tuesday.

We have commented on these in previous posts. By our estimate there could now be close to 1,000 Waikanae people living in the three ‘licence to occupy’ type retirement villages.  Whether or not the Maypole company (or others) plan yet another in their developments, we don’t know.

For those contemplating this option there are important details and advice on the MSD’s website here.  Like all business categories, some retirement villages are run ethically — and some are not; see Paul Henry’s comments.

Today’s photo is of a Haast tokoeka kiwi, a shy, mountain-loving bird and one of our rarest kiwi species.

via Photo of the week: Haast tokoeka kiwi — Conservation blog