That was one of the motions passed unanimously (except by 4 councillors present who had to abstain) by a meeting called yesterday afternoon on the issue of Mr Maxwell’s strenuous efforts to close the Park Avenue greenwaste and recycling facility (see earlier posts) on 1 August. This call for his resignation resulted from his reported bullying and abuse of the Councillor opponents.

Some 60 Waikanae people showed up to express their disapproval of the closure of the facility and support those who spoke.

There were speculations voiced about why Mr Maxwell and his cohorts were so keen on closing the facility, which mainly focussed on the intended Summerset development adjacent to the facility. It seems pretty clear to most that Summerset have been secretly offered the existing driveway and an extension of it into their proposed village. A speaker raised the possibility also of NIMBY (not in my backyard), a reference to future residents of the village not liking odors that may emmenate from the compost, although our editors Geoffrey and Eva are dubious that greenwaste causes any.

Apart from organiser Marie O’Sullivan, speakers included Nigel Wilson of KC News, Margaret Stevenson-Wright of the WCB, John Vickerman, and Crs Sophie Handford, Jackie Elliott and Prvanov (who were 3 of the 4 who voted against closure. The 4th, Bernie Randall was in the audience but didn’t speak.)

The speakers intend to look at options available; longer term ones involve official challenges, shorter term ones will need to involve some form of community support for users of the recycling part of the facility. The greenwaste part of it will continue for a year but it seems with reduced hours.

This is the informational display put on the walls by John Vickerman:

Address by Margaret Stevenson-Wright

Address by John Vickerman

(more to follow)