Waipā councillors have extended an olive branch to opponents of the Te Awamutu War Memorial Park upgrades after an impassioned plea from community board chair Ange Holt.
Fighting back tears, Holt told the Strategic, Planning and Policy committee this week that opponents of the plans became angry when they felt ignored by council.
Ange Holt
The Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board asked the committee to put all changes for the park on hold while a full review was conducted.
The park opponents – a group calling themselves the Memorial Park maintenance committee – are not the only ones feeling shunned by council bureaucracy.
Te Awamutu Business Chamber chief executive Shane Walsh, who also chairs Destination Te Awamutu, said council’s decision to pull its operational funding from the Cambridge and Te Awamutu i-Sites showed councillors were listening to what staff were telling them and not to the people who knew what they were doing.
The information centre’s manager Bea Schiller has resigned and finished on Friday while two staff members have been made redundant following the council’s behind-closed door decision to pull its annual funding – $157,000 this financial year – from July 1.
Shane Walsh
“They’re not making decisions with everyone’s view,” said Walsh.
The double whammy criticism is the last thing the council needs as it grapples with cost of living challenges but councillors’ conciliatory tone over the park showed they are taking more heed of public feeling.
They agreed senior councillors and council staff should meet with the opponents, identify core outstanding issues and seek to amend the Concept Plan if required.
Memorial Stone Arch
Andrew Brown said park changes, despite being well canvassed in recent years, were obviously not noticed by people with a passionate interest.
Andrew Brown
“We have a group of people who I am assuming have suddenly realised something they are really passionate about is being enhanced and improved. So, they want to be heard.
“I do not want a group of people in our community who feel they are being ignored.”
Clare St Pierre said the original concept plan did not do justice to the War Memorial portion of the park and there had been a lot of emotive reaction.
“I do think we need to listen to the community and try and give them an opportunity to come together.”
Clare St Pierre
Dale-Maree Morgan said there needed to be a way forward.
“We have an impasse that is not cool for our community,” she said after offering to be involved at improving the relationship between staff and the maintenance committee.
Marcus Gower disagreed, though, saying the project had gone through a “really substantial process.” More consultation would need more money and take council time.
“I don’t see the point.”
Dale-Maree Morgan
Walsh this week told The News, Destination Te Awamutu had employed former i-Site manager Roz Liddell on a part time contract to replace Schiller. Liddell – who worked at the i-Site between 2000 and 2007 – recently sold her florist business in Waitara and has returned to the community.
The only way the i-Site could continue functioning was through this arrangement and with volunteers, he said.
“That’s basically the only way so this is a call for help.”
If his organisation and Destination Cambridge – whose funding was also cut – had been given the time and opportunity to consider their futures, they might have come to an agreement to share managers.
Marcus Gower
“There was no process. We didn’t get that opportunity. It was just bang. It was a very narrow focus.”
Te Awamutu councillors had told him the organisation could make submissions to the Long Term Plan.
“By the time we are able to do that, the horse has bolted,” said Walsh.
Te Awamutu i-Site
