Tribunal

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 8, 24 July 1984, Page 2

Tribunal

Ohakune Council decisions recently necessitated four appeals to the Town and Country Appeal Tri-bunal. Council dismally lost all four appeals. To many ratepayers this smacks of misguided direction or a lack of responsibility. The cost to the many innocent parties caught up by the Council's decisions would have exceeded $10,000 with the cost to ratepayers close to half of that. The councillor responsible for the statement that two of the appeals were nothing but frivolous and that the appellant be made to pay for the council's cost displays nothing less than shallow-thinking and total ignorance of the issues. It is this arrogant attitude that is needlessly costing the council its credibility and the ratepayers large sums of money. The only hope I see to reverse what has become a rather monotonous trend of the council in losing appeals, is for newer councillors to become more assertive, stand up to the verbal bullying and reject the i garbage that comes unsubstantiated from the longer serving more 'experienced' councillors. A loss of four appeals out of four is no standard to emulate. The ability to overcome misconceptions and prejudices and the acceptance of the Tribunal's decisions and redirection will undoubtedly measure the calibre of the Council over the next few months.

Bruce

Wilde