Letters 11 December
Main Street Takaka
Today in Takaka I witnessed something truly frightening! It all happened in a flash - onlookers could do nothing but freeze or scream. A curious toddler escaped his family and raced out between parked cars into the path of a courier van, which missed him by inches. I doubt the young driver even realises what happened, but I imagine the tragedy for him and the child’s family if things had been a whisker different.
This is the third such incident I have seen in a few years and as the usual summer busyness increases with its huge swell in numbers and accompanying manic energy, I implore council and the community to rethink what we can do to create a safer situation. Although talked about many times before, nothing has ever been done. How can we think outside the square on this one? Takaka has a narrow main street, parking on both sides and lots of heavy traffic.
Could we put up temporary 30km signs for the summer period? Reassess parking now that we have increased our off-street carparks? Or could we consider the overseas model of cobbled shared roads, much like Napier and Christchurch are successfully implementing, where cars travel at walking pace alongside pedestrians? Rather than adopt the frantic city energy that comes into our town at this time of year, could we promote the relaxed Golden Bay-style that people come here for instead?
We’re only talking a few hundred metres – can we come up with a brilliant idea?
Martine Bouillir
Service of Remembering
Once again the Presbyterian Church is offering to members of the community a chance to remember those who will not be with with you this Christmas. This is not restricted to those who have died but could also include those who are sick, those who have moved away, or even those who are prevented by strained relationships from joining with you at this time.
The Service will be held in the church (opposite the high school) at 7.30pm on Wednesday 16 December. During the Service there will be an opportunity to light a candle and/or put a photo on a board in the front of the Church as an act of remembering.
This time is open to any who feel that they want a special time of remembering before the final rush of family and friends.
Bob Reid, Minister
Re-starting aquaculture
The recent Government task force report, Re-starting Aquaculture, is likely to lead to RMA legislative changes that may impact on what happens with aquaculture in the Bay (see Ministry of Fisheries website). The main proposal is to change from the current Aquaculture Management Areas (AMA), to which aquaculture is restricted, to larger, more flexible aquaculture zones. Other proposals include having a Minister of Aquaculture, funding aquaculture planning from a levy, and streamlining planning. Comments on this report have to be submitted by the 16th December.
The main concerns with the report are that the reasons for the poor uptake of AMAs were not analysed (changing the name and making them larger will not alter these problems), and that there was inadequate consideration of ecosystem management and the wider impacts of aquaculture to local communities.
If the Government makes these changes it is critical that it includes transitional legislation that keeps the current status of aquaculture in Golden Bay, including prohibiting aquaculture outside the approved areas. Secondly, the proposed industry levy should be sufficient not only to pay for council planning and monitoring, but contribute towards the development and use of land-based infrastructure.
Don Mead
Chairperson, Friends of Golden Bay
