Boards' futures still in balance

Ruapehu Bulletin, 6 August 1991, Page 3

Boards' futures still in balance

The future of the Waimarino and Waiouru community boards, as well as the other Ruapehu District boards, is yet to be decided.

At last week's full council meeting it was decided to discuss the issue in a workshop situation and make a final decision at a later full council meeting. After the meeting Mayor Garrick Workman said this was not an attempt to keep discussion behind closed doors. He said the decision was made merely to give it more time and he agreed to the press being allowed to sit in on the workshop session. "A workshop session gives us a chance to give such issues the amount of time they deserve," said Mr Workman. Another agenda item was also put off until the workshop session which also has potential for division. The council is to consider whether funds from the sale of surplus

land should be spent only in the ward concerned, or whether the money should go into the general funds of the council. The council has to raview its community board structure before the next local body elections, in 1992, but there appears to be a split among councillors as to their future. All of the northern boards have said they would be happy to cease to exist and for community committees - non statutory bodies - formed. But the two southern boards, Waiouru and Waimarino want to continue though some of their members would be willing for the two to amalgamate. Councillor Ellen Gould said at the meeting on Friday that she felt it was

even more important now for the Waimarino and Waiouru to have one strong southern board, considering the latest central govemment budget and the implications for small rural areas. "I believe we should be getting together more and more," she said, referring to her own board of Waimarino and Waiouru. Mayor Garrick Workman suggested if there was one southern board it could be delegated planning decisions, and deputy mayor Weston Kirton replied that if that were to happen it would have to follow that northern councillors made northern ward planning decisions. Cr Bob Vine of Waiouru said initially there had been support for the amalgamation idea among his board members but that when they heard their representation would drop dramatically they were

not so keen. Cr Lawson, of the Taumarunui ward said there would be an imbalance if the southern wards were allowed to keep their community

board while the north lost theirs. Submissions from the boards as to their future were as follows: from Waimarino - that Waimarino and Waiouru

amalgamate; Waiouru - that it be retained; National Park - that it be replaced by a community committee and that it revert to the South Riding boundaries of the old Taumarunui County;

from Ohura - that a community committee replace the present statutory board. For lack of time to discuss the issue fully, further discussion was deferred.