COUNTY COUNCILS’ CLASH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 52, 11 July 1947, Page 5

COUNTY COUNCILS’ CLASH

WAINUI BOUNDARY QUESTION LIVELY OPOTIKI MEETING The recent move by Opotiki county ratepayers on the Wainui Road for their properties to be transferred from the Opotiki County to the Whakatane County reached another stage at the meeting of the Opotiki County Council on Friday when representatives from the Whakatane County Council and the Wainui Road Settlers waited on the council in support, of a petition recently presented to the council. The chairman, Mr W. A. Gault, presided. Cr Starkey (Opotiki) moved that the Whakatane deputation not be received. There was no seconder. Cr Headley (Opotiki) then moved that the deputation be received but no seconder was forthcoming. # In the absence of a seconder to either motion the chairman ruled that the deputation be received.

Mr J. L. Burnett, chairman of the Whakatane County Council, thanked the council for the opportunity to discuss the proposed change in boundaries. Cr Starky, interjecting, said rather heatedly that the representatives should have come before and charged the Whakatane County Council with stabbing Opotiki in the back ■and using “backyard” methods.

Charge of Hitlerian Methods

Mr Burnett asked if he was to have an opportunity of explaining the matter. They were disturbed to read that they had been charged with using Hitlerian methods to extend their county. The Opotiki council had got the wrong impression. The initiative did not come from the Whakatane County Council but from Opotiki’s own ratepayers. When the Whakatane -Council received the petition which was wholly out of order they did lend assistance. The access to the Wainui ;portion of the county was only a bit of a track over a hill. The proposed deviation was in the Opotiki county but the chairman had said that he was not interested in it.

No. 1 Priority Job

Mr Gault said that he may have .said that but made it clear that any “Opinions he expressed were his own and not necessarily those of the 'Council. A £22,000 Job Mr Burnett said that the deviation would be a £22,000 job and some of their own ratepayers would benefit from it. There was the question of the expansion of Ohope which was split at Ohiwa. Ohope t\Vould probably have to be put into ;a town planning scheme and dual by two county councils would be no good. Whakatane was concerned about port facilities and at Ohiwa there was deep water. As far as taking over that portion of the county was concerned, it was undeveloped and not a plum or an asset. Rather it would be a liability which Whakatane was willing to accept.

Mr McCready, Taneatua representative on the Whakatane council, first asked if the settlers who were waiting outside the council chamvbers would be permitted to enter. Consent was given.

Mr McCready said that at Ohope they were right at the edge regarding building sites and the only possible extension would be the spit at ■Ohiwa.

Mr Gault: We’re not preventing ;you.

Mr McCready: We’re making a contribution to the road that you should be maintaining. Mr Upton (engineer): That was by an arrangement made in 1914. Mr McCready: It would be impossible to have dual control there. What are you losing? Several Voices: Then what do ;you want it for. Mr McCready said that they wanted it to be under one control. Opotiki was 30 miles away and it was :not a case of stealing a lump of territory as it was right on their boundary.

“Opotiki’s Future AH Behind, It” Mr Gault: The same applies to another part of your county but we’re not claiming it. Mr McCready: Your future is all behind in Opotiki but it is not so ■over there.

This remark caused an outburst of protests from Opotiki members and the air was getting rather heated.

Mr McCready: You said Hitler’s spirit was not dead. Mr Gault: Neither it is. Who took "the petition round.

Mr Burke said that Mr Stewart "went at his request to make it easier.

Mr Gault: Mr Brebner witnessed -five or six signatures. I was not wrong when I said that the Whakatane County Council engineered the petition. “Plain Theft” Mr McCready objected to this allegation. “Why argue over a thing when it will eventually happen ?” iJie asked.Several Voices: “Like H !” Other Voices: “Plain theft!”

Continuing, Mr McCready said that he could not talk when he was being interrupted all the time. They could not prove that it was engineered by the council as the petition came from the settlers of “Burma Road.” Opotiki wouldn’t put up with a road like that for five minutes and he wouldn’t like to live there. Mr Gault asked if the Whakatane County Council was finding all the money.

Mr Burke: It hasn’t reached that stage yet. The petitioners represented 78 adults not including Maoris, and with children they represented 150 to 200. It was not just a few Opotiki ratepayers. Regarding the charge that the Whakatane County Council was at the bottom of it, Mr Burke asked members to look back 10 to 11 years when Mr Reid was chairman. He was not impressed. The Minister was asked to make a survey and during the war the matter was dropped. When in Whakatane recently, Mr Semple said that it would be No. 1 priority job. It had got to that stage and was genuinely needed. The area was much nearer to Whakatane than Opotiki. Whakatane had a large part of the road to maintain and was getting nothing for it. They had located a good route for the deviation which would give a level road to Whakatane. The road was at the extreme end of the county and Opotiki had not a great interest in it. He asked Opotiki to agree to let the land go.

Mr Gault said that his council had never objected to the deviation, but had merely asked for No. 1 priority for Taneatua road sealing. “Yet you say this is No. 1 priority,” said Mr Gault. Mr Burke said that at the rate roads in the Opotiki county were getting put in order it wouldn’t be. They wanted to get in now. Mr Wilson: Didn’t the Opotiki and Whakatane County Councils make a joint application for the road some years ago? Charges Refuted

Mr Burnett: It will be both.

Community of Interest

Mr Whije: Not since the war.

Mr Burke: Mr Reid was not interested in it. One thing he wanted to say was that he had no recollection of Whakatane County Council taking the initiative in the petition. They received no support from the Whakatane County Council whatsoever—he wanted to make that clear. Mr C. Black mentioned the cost of cream cartage, the bulk of which came to Opotiki. Would cream go the other way or to Opotiki? Mr Burke said that cream would still come to Opotiki. Cream was by no means his biggest cartage cost.

In reply to a question by Mr A. E. Martin regarding the difference in\ rates iq the two counties, Mr Burke said that the question of rates made no difference.

Mr McCready said that Mr Semple had assured him that Wainui Road got No. 1 priority. Mr Gault: There is something wrong somewhere. We were given to understand otherwise.

Mr Burnett said that this road could not be mistaken with the Taneatua road which had already been started and had been given No. 1 priority. That did not interfere with the Wainui Road. The Wainui Road would be a Public Works job. Mr Gault said that regarding the question of a harbour board, there was nothing to stop Whakatanefrom building a wharf at Ohiwa and his council wouldn’t object. Ohope To Go To Borough

Mr Lucas, clerk of the Whakatane County Council, said that the council’s policy was to hand Ohope over to the Whakatane Borough Council as soon as it wanted to go. Mr Gault said that it might be only two or three years before it was in with the borough. Mr McCready said that Ohope wanted that extra country, There was no room for schools. Mr Martin said that when it was put into a town area that portion of the Opotiki County that was wanted would automatically be taken out.

Mr McCready said that they were anticipating. They thought Opotiki was not awake to the position and was not interested. Mr Wilson: Is the Whakatane County Council prepared to spend £22,000?

Mr C. White: I don’t think so. Mr C. Black said that Mr Burnett had dropped the remark that it was to be a Public Works job. He asked whether it was to be a Whakatane County Council or a Public Works job.

Mr White said that some years ago a walk over estimate was given at £3OOO.

Mr Upton: A precious poor “guesstimate”! Mr Gault said that Whakatane in the first place agreed to maintain a portion and asked if it was fair that Opotiki should contribute as much as Whakatane.

Mr White: That’s why we asked for a transfer.

Mr Gault said that when they talked about community of interest, that applied to all counties in New Zealand. Mr White: We are 4 miles from Whakatane with no voting power.

Mr Martin asked Mr Burnett if they were merely taking over those people from a philanthropic point of view or were they going to make something out of it.

Mr Burnett said that it was not entirely philanthropic. Mr McCready asked what Opotiki’s expenditure and revenue was over the area. Mr Gault said that most of the people lived on the main highway and the council contributed as a whole. Mr Sax said that cream from the area comes to Opotiki and goods go out. The way he was geographically placed he was within 9 miles of Whakatane and for anything very urgent he had to go to Whakatane. The change would not mean that they would not bring cream to Opotiki. The Wainui district being in two counties did not give the association the same weight and if the boundary were shifted they would be in a stronger combined position. The Opotiki County went almost into Whakatane.

Mr Gault said that the Opotiki council had never objected to the deviation.

Mr White said that they hadn’t helped. Mr Gault: You have never brought it before us.

Mr Gault said that there was nothing to stop the road going through Opotiki county. Mr Burnett: We couldn’t spend much money on it.

Mr Gault: It’s a Public Works job so you wouldn’t spend much money on it in any case Refusal to Give Figures

Mr McCready said he would like figures of expenditure and revenue. Mr Gault: We’re not going to answer it.

At this stage some lively exchanges took place between Mr Starky and Mr McCready. Mr McCready said he would like to know the figures because it would be in his riding.

Mr Burke said that as the guilty party he would like to say that he took the petition round. It had been insinuated that it had been done in an underhand manner. He took the opportunity of informing them that there was nothing underhand about it. Mr Wilson said that Mr Burke had informed him of the petition. Mr Burke stated that he had tried for 11 years and had not got one shovelful done by the Opotiki council.

Mr Upton: Did you ever ask the Opotiki Council? Mr Burke: You did come out. The council never backed up the scheme. Mr C. Black said they didn’t want to go to Whakatane but wanted the road to go through White Pine Bush as it was nearer for them. The Wainui road was nearer for the Wainui residents.

Mr Martin suggested interesting the Whakatane Borough in getting the main highway that was to go through Whakatane put through.

Whakatane Out of Highway Scheme Mr McCready: The borough has been cut out of the main highway scheme which will now go through White Pine Bush. Mr Semple told us definitely when he was in Whakatane.

Mr Gault said that the meeting had discussed fully the request. He regretted it and if the same thing was going on all over New Zealand there would soon be jungle warfare. Whakatane wanted to shift Wainui road to Cape Runaway. The council would consider the re-

Offer to be Made

quest and let its decision be known in. due course. Mr Burnett thanked the council stating that he was sorry if he could not state the case clearly. The council was apparently still unconvinced but he assured them that it was quite above board. Whakatane had been accused of “back door” methods, but he would remind them of what had happened some years ago about Nukuhou. Mr Upton: The council had nothing to do with that. It came from the settlers. Mr Burke also thanked the council for its consideration. The move had been going on for 10 years at least.

After the deputation had retired Mr Wilson said that the Whakatane County Council should have asked Opotiki to assist. Mr Black: They’ve started something that wants continuing. It is time both counties got together and looked into the matter of adjustment. We could come to some amicable arrangement to get new boundaries to suit both bodies.

After councillors had studied a plan of the locality it was decided to reject the petition and to make an offer which the council considered would fill all the requirements of the settlers and the council. The suggested transfer included that portion of the county in which the proposed deviation is situated and also the sand spit extending from Ohope to the mouth of the Ohiwa Harbour.