Letters Friday 10 September 2010
Joan Whiting Rest Home
Closing Joan Whiting Rest Home prior to the opening of the proposed Integrated Health Facility is an appalling indictment of our times. The 14 residents, four in their 90s (one 98) are to be “relocated” to facilities in Motueka and Richmond. Many of these people have lived in Golden Bay ALL their lives. They are here to be close to their families. How many are going to survive this outrageous move? And what is it about? A short term money fix! It’s called fratricide, the killing of one’s brothers and sisters. I hope those responsible for this move are ready to accept total responsibility for whatever damage this move causes these residents.
C’mon Golden Bay. We’ve got to be united and not be pushed around by the Nelson/Marlborough DHB CEO John Peters. These are our people’s lives he’s playing around with. There must be a better outcome.
Tony Sandall
We write to express our displeasure and disappointment at the closure of the Joan Whiting Rest Home. It is bad enough that the home is closing, without the people there being obliged to find somewhere else to live out of the Bay until the new integrated facility is built. We understood the health board were to finance the home until the new facility became operative so that the dislocation to the existing residents lives would be kept to a minimum. What has changed?
Some of the residents have lived all of their lives in the Golden Bay. We, like many we suspect, came to the Bay expecting to see out our days here and Joan Whiting was one of the attractions.
We realise that the fundamental reason for the closure of the home is the inadequacy of Government benefits that make it inevitable that even a well run and efficient home like Joan Whiting is forced to close, no matter how supportive the local community might be.
They say that a community is best judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It says everything we believe about the present Government that it is happy to spend $1.7 billion dollars bailing out a failed finance company, but is unwilling to find the relatively small amount of bridging finance necessary to keep Joan Whiting going until at least the new facility can accept the present residents.
Warwick And Kate Heal
Primary school speech contest
While visiting family recently, we had the pleasure on 31 August of attending the speech contest which was held for the finalists of the junior schools in the district. It was a most entertaining and enjoyable few hours, with some of the schools’ most talented pupils taking part.
My wife and I enjoyed the variety of topics throughout the contest where the students brought their subjects to life in a very natural way. We felt that the schools’ staff had put such effort and really encouraged the students who took part. It showed that they had worked very hard on their individual presentations.
A most entertaining and exciting competition. There was certainly so much of Takaka in the subject matter of each speech. We congratulate the organisers, participants, and parents for the part they played in making this contest the success it was. Our sincere thanks to you all. Education is alive and well in Takaka.
Pat and Margaret Lynch.
The Big One
Ready for the big one? Say a 7.4 hits Golden Bay, while Motueka and Nelson suffer only 7.1s. The Hill has slips and will be closed for two weeks. The airport has liquefaction. The transformers at the substation fell off their slab. No mains power. No sewers. No water pumps. The ports are open, though roads to them difficult. Telephones are unpredictable. Somebody with portable radio said John Key declared GB a disaster area.
Do you have enough prescription medications? The pharmacy can’t get supplies. Is your petrol tank full? Groceries? Forget it; checkout counters can’t tally and refrigerators are warming up. Schools: closed. Golden Kids: closed. Movie rentals: why bother, no power. Get sick? Oh! Don’t do that! The medical centre is computerised and has no power back up. Twitter, Facebook, Google, ditto.
Where to poop? Where to sleep? What to eat? Where are we going to go with this? If Motueka and Nelson are also seriously hurt, it won’t be Golden Bay at the head of the queue. Can we do better?
Vic Eastman
Crossroads
We seem to be at an important crossroad in Golden Bay. The proposal to amalgamate all our health services and put them up at the existing hospital sounds great but is impractical for the great majority of future users of the service. The practical site is opposite the high school. Everyone knows this. Once again we are being shanghaied by the DHB and TDC into an outcome that Takaka is going to have to live with forever. It’s time to put the heat on our political aspirants and ask them where they stand. Don’t be sidetracked by talk of flooding. Build our new hospital by the High School where it is quickly and easily accessible to the majority of users, particularly the elderly.
Tony Sandall
Pakawau Community Care Group
In May 2010 there was a hearing to determine the outcome of Sustainable Ventures’ latest development proposal for the Pakawau Motor Camp site; the outcome of which was that the TDC granted consent.
Some aspects of the consent appear to deviate from the RMA. After asking for a professional opinion on the matter, I am one of a group of people from Pakawau and further afield who have formed the Pakawau Community Care Group, and have lodged an appeal against the consent. One of the stipulations included in the consent, that on the whole did appear in keeping with RMA policy, was a coastal care solution to erosion on the beach side of the property. Sustainable Ventures have lodged their own appeal against the consent; one of their objections being against the coastal care requirement.
Information regarding this matter can be requested from the TDC, or we are happy to send out the information that we have. Contact pakawits@gmail.com
F Wilson
Let’s get Plastered for Breast Cancer
Last year my hope was to promote “Let’s Get Plastered for Breast Cancer” in our local community. There was an enthusiastic response and the resulting exhibition of Breast casts in The White Room Gallery was well received and attracted media attention from far and wide.
Over the past 12 months the project has grown. This year Rural Women NZ are promoting the event throughout New Zealand, and with the support of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation will be co-ordinating exhibitions around the country. Our local Rural Women Provincial will be organising this year’s Golden Bay exhibition. If you missed out last year, get involved. If you took part last year, why not titivate your cast this year. Self examination is crucial; early diagnosis saves breasts, and lives. Together we can significantly reduce the death toll from breast cancer.
Billy Kerrisk
Local body elections
It makes one very cross to read the caption on Richard Kempthorne’s expensive billboards of “thanks for your support.” Not only is it presumptuous of future support, it brings to mind the lack of support shown to Motueka and Golden Bay communities by Richard when the insidious targeted rate on communities with community boards was imposed.
Prior to the crucial vote being taken on 26 June 2008, Richard Kempthorne spoke in favour of the targeted rate before duplicitously voting against it. It is an indictment on his leadership that no councillor from wards other than Motueka and Golden Bay voted with him.
His minuted statement to council that “the targeted rate is legal and eminently fair” does not stand scrutiny. It is neither. Parliament is trying to legalise such rates at present and Golden Bay pays $4.00 per voting paper under the illegal cost of elections component compared with Motueka’s $1.89. Neither ward should be charged.
I supported Richard last time and recommended him to others who asked. I will not do that again. We need a mayor and councillors who can fulfill their elected role and stand up to the council corporation on behalf of all ratepayers.
Joe Bell
