GOVERNANCE MATTERS

02-Sep-10

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Governance and Determining the Future for Kaikohe

by Les King

Good Governance

Good governance relies on a few key aspects, Vision, an ability to Listen, and Drive. To carry this out a small body to 8 to 12 key

 
  Les King - FNDC Candidate

people is needed. Any larger and you run the risk of being controlled by administration and staff because the core body has too many factions within its group and never sends a clear message. An example of what not to have can be seen in Hokianga Health with 27 Trustees. All decisions reflected from that organisation are from the staff.

 

Select a group that will fight for Kaikohe’s share of the funding! The flood of money from poorer areas to elsewhere has not been through deceptive means it is simply a matter of those people knowing what to do to get it. We can use those same methods to get equity.

We must determine the future for Kaikohe

See the following lists, make your pick and we will go on from there!

Strengths

  • Kaikohe township has flat geography.
  • Good street planning.
  • Good power.
  • Heavy industry opportunity.
  • Good potential for secure water
  • Good sewerage and waste water options.
  • Sits central to both coasts.
  • A great position to leverage off any area in Northland.
  • Heavy traffic route identified to Whangarei Port
  • Central town to Bay of Islands, Hokianga, Mangakahia, Okaihau/Horeke and North Hokianga.
  • Soil identified as some of the best in NZ.
  • Temperatures suitable to good growing.
  • It has the largest cattle sale yard movement in NZ.

Weaknesses

  • Weak political leadership. Leaders being led. No ‘Kaikohe’ leader.
  • No one fighting for Kaikohe’s share of the Central and Local Government money.
  • Weak defence from the current politicians means other towns are poaching business.
  • Obvious town changes required are never done.
  • Numerous street adjustments for no result!!!
  • No cohesive targets with town and shop refurbishment.
  • Not taking advantage to access subsidies for regular bus service links to the town.
  • No Eastern by pass for heavy traffic.
  • Lack of ‘good’ parking, and the old parallel parks need to go.

 

Les King's ‘IDEAS’

To fix it - Leadership:

  1. Elect from Kaikohe a town leader. We can’t call that person our Mayor but something similar will do. Get the position recognized by FNDC. That leader will fight unreservedly for Kaikohe. Not the Community Board representative as they have a wider brief.
  2. Adopt a vision from the lists of opportunities identified by the Kaikohe community members.
  3. Bring self belief and insist that political representatives fight for your Town.
  4. Check every opportunity for subsidized money at local and central government level.

 

Future Development:

  • Reassess all town assets with a view of sale to fund future Kaikohe developments.
  • Encourage low cost overnight accommodation to cater for the cycle way and back packer future. The other higher standard accommodation will automatically follow.
  • Consider Arts and Heritage Centre Development in association or near to Pioneer Village which should house a new Library and facilities for civic occasions etc.
  • Integrate current outdoor sports facilities and parking with Arts and Heritage Centre and Pioneer Village area.
  • Demolish old library in favor of parking and encourage shops to integrate the rear of their businesses with that expanded parking area. Good parking guarantees patronage.
  • Single higher education and trade training centre with linking regular bus services (seek to use and develop the existing vacant buildings in town) Target would be a full Higher Education and Training Campus with bus services in place.
  • Develop angle parking on main street of town – alternate sides. Get rid of parallel parking.
  • Access subsidy money. Funding sources are Government and its agencies/NRC Land Transport.
  • All buses would loop around Kaikohe with different routes in and out of town with identified drop off spots.
  • Research $2 bus from Ngawha.
  • Research $2 bus from Waimamaku daily.
  • Research $2 bus from Mangamuka/Okaihau daily.
  • Research $2 bus service from where????
  • Research Shopping mall environment in middle of town.

Water

  • Storage dam, in times of drought, rivers and aquifers are stressed.
  • Tanks encouraged.

Sewerage

  • More understanding for people, improve quality of discharge and then educate for greater public acceptance.
  • What is the percentage of capacity? Capacity should reflect required portion of development contribution.
  • Life expectancy of system?


Refuse

  • Encourage increased recycling.

Roads / Streets

  • Alternate road should be considered to sale yards or heavy traffic destinations.

Footpaths

  • Any consideration needed?

Town parking

  • Angle parks on alternate sides of main street.
  • Much more relaxed parking control.
  • More established parking areas. Identify disused sections of the township providing large group parking to allow more street activity.

Halls

  • Easier access and better promotion of venue use.

Cemetery

  • Any consideration needed?

Parks & reserves

  • Community events calendar promoted by council to encourage events orientated around the use of parks and reserves targeting healthy communities.

Summary

To sum it all up, everything has to have a starting place, a vision.
Every township needs strong leadership.
Every community should be encouraged to identify its own needs and dreams.
Together the community and its leadership should create a simple plan or list of targeted outcomes.
Then your leader must take up the mantle and start the process of making the list a reality. The key is to start! Everything has to start somewhere…

 

Les King, your candidate for District Councilor in the Western Ward!
 

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