Deadline for
October issue
Monday 13 September
The Coromandel Town Chronicle is published by Jude Publishing Ltd on behalf of the Coromandel Business Association – Completely Coromandel. Up to 3000 copies are printed monthly and are distributed free to letterboxes in Coromandel town and by rural delivery from the Thames Coast to the top of the Coromandel Peninsula. It is also available free in local i-sites and shops.
Letters
This space is available for anyone and everyone to write to the editor and the community. Ask a question, state your opinion, praise or give a ‘point for improvement’. We would love to hear from you.
Send letters to the Coromandel Town Chronicle, PO Box 148, Coromandel 3543 or email to news@coromandeltownchronicle.co.nz. Contributions should be kept short, and should not exceed 250 words. They must include name, address and telephone number. The editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit them for clarity and space.
Letters from September issue are below. Printed in full.
Dear Editor
Following the publication of my letter regarding the Hauaki House gardens last month, I had a phone call from an Environment Waikato representative. He was obviously upset at my comments. He assured me that the Community HAD been consulted, at quite some length. Therefore, I have to pull my horns in a bit, and apologise for claiming they “don’t give a stuff.” I also have to say sorry to the digger driver – not a boy with a toy, but the best driver on the staff at Coromandel Quarry.
I am assured that replanting will be done, and the scars left by the work will be repaired.
Well, OK, maybe I DID get a bit carried away. But it is upsetting to see projects spoilt, when a lot of time and effort has gone into them, even if it was 15 years ago. Surely it is on record somewhere that the work was done by two volunteer organisations, and they could have been included in the consultation that so obviously did take place.
Yours quite humbly
Tina Morgan, Chair,
Upper Coromandel Forest & Bird
Hi, Thought I’d reply to Betty Williams letter (July Chronicle) re: the Marine Farmer’s association saying it’s okay to dump sewage at least 500 metres from their mussel farms.
How disgusting and not a word from anyone.
How offensive this must be to Tangaroa and it’s probably connected at some level to toxic seafood. I made further enquiries and surprise, surprise lots of commercial fishermen dump their waste in the sea, while taking food from it.
This does not add up or make sense.
Also heard a comment on TV when Moko the dolphin died that it was okay for a D.O.C. worker to say a karakia, if they were Maori. What a racist statement if I ever heard one, and not a word from anyone, too much P.C. (Political Conditioning) I reckon. Kia ora.
Kelvin Mouritsen, Waiaro
Dear Editor,
As the Chair, Catchment Services, I need to publicly rebut the statements made by a dissident member of the Coromandel Catchment Liaison committee of recent writings in his bogus- titled article Peninsula Project Update.
Mr Veysey is an appointee by council to this committee. His statements are not supported by the rest of the committee, Council or the staff. He has mis-used his position, and has made totally incorrect statements about the Peninsula Project.
It is important to realise that the targeted rate paid by residents in the Coromandel does not go to pest control. Pest work, whether it be goats or possums, or weed control, is funded through the biosecurity rate, gathered on a regionwide capital value basis. Thus the ratepayers of the western seaboard of the Coromandel have been considerably assisted by ratepayers of the region to achieve their low pest numbers.
It is the region’s fund, it is a rationed and prioritised fund, decided on by the Pest Management Committee of Council and passed through the annual plan.
This year, along with all other areas in the region considered for work, the Coromandel areas were trend monitored. The trigger levels were not met, so the
$330 000 budget for the area was put back in the regional pot and allocated to the next area in the region’s priority list. North Waikato, has submitted to council for several years, its possum numbers are high. Big public meetings attested to the community’s wish for work and the Council through the annual plan process allocated funds to the area.
On the Peninsula, trend monitoring will be done in January. If work is required, funding will be allocated through the priority funding mechanism.
Useful facts to know: Through the Peninsula Project business case, DOC in 2004 received $5million of new money from government for pest control on its land. This has achieved two rounds of possum and goat control on the western catchments of the Peninsula. This has been achieved and was reviewed in 2009. Work now will be focused on keeping numbers low. Ratepayers of the region, through the biosecurity rate, have funded the private land component of pest control on the peninsula through this period of time. Mr Veysey has had this explained to him. The fact that Mr Veysey refuses to accept the facts are his problem.
Other points of correction: NZTA who put the wall in front to the Te Puru shop are working with the owner to address his concerns.
The new bridges on the west coast of the peninsula have been funded by NZTA out of the money delivered from the government to the Peninsula Project.
The Peninsula rate funds flood protection and stream maintenance in five communities; Coromandel, Tapu, Waiomu and Tararu, that has provided increased community safety, and reduced the risk to peoples properties, and their infrastructure.
Mr Veysey does not agree with the fact that healthy well vegetated catchments, assist in attenuating run-off and help to provide stable hill slopes. Well, that is his right to believe, as a private individual. Land managers world-wide agree that over time less damage to property and lives will be achieved by having well vegetated upper catchments. On that premise Environment Waikato will continue to fund pest control and stream maintenance.
From Andra Neeley, Chair of Catchment Services, Environment Waikato
Dear Editor
The Chronicle’s opinion columnist T Everth has either a failing memory or a poor understanding of conservation issues on the northern Coromandel.
His most recent letter (August CTC) dredges up the same unfeasible cross-peninsula pest barrier project that was overwhelmingly rejected just three years ago by area residents and subsequently abandoned by its original proponents – DOC, MEG and EW. He apparently needs reminding that more than 35 directly affected landowners who farm and live on over 80 percent of the private land that would have been “fenced in” north of Colville signed a petition at the time opposing the $5 million-dollar scheme.
Many signatories were and are long-time farming families who have tended the land for generations. Their reasons for opposition to the barrier included pressure for saturation 1080 use on both public and private property, inevitable new regulations and restrictions affecting farms, homes, businesses, tourist operators and all visitors, as well as the high cost of construction and management with its heavy impact on rates.
Farms, aquaculture, lodging, campgrounds, boat ramps, domestic pets, traditional wild kai, and heavy visitor traffic are simply not compatible with the kind of pest-eradication zone that was proposed for Moehau. Everything from rubbish collections to boat landings, pet ownership to motor camps, would likely have been tightly regulated or eliminated and the fabric of rich rural life in the northern Coromandel fundamentally changed. By way of contrast, the only other fence project offered as an example, the floundering Maungatautari reserve near Cambridge, encloses not a single house, farm, business or resident, and it imposes strict controls on all access and activity. And that fence project will have cost regional ratepayers more than $6 million within the next two years.
Those who actually reside on, husband, and kaitiaki the iconic land around Moehau are ardent environmentalists. I suggest the columnist familiarise himself with the families, farms, tourist facilities, and ratepayers here so that he might achieve a more rational understanding of appropriate pest control methods and knowledge of our community.
Geoffrey Robinson, Port Charles
Dear Sir/Madam
A few Sundays ago, at the Ngati Hei Wharenui (homestead), we had the pleasure of hosting the Mayor of Taupo, Rick Cooper, his Deputy Don Ormsby, our Mayor, Phillipa Barribal, along with some leaders in the hunting and trapping profession and a handful of anti-1080 campaigners from around the peninsula.
During the morning we were given demonstrations of the latest advances in trapping, which I have to say far surpasses the old style gin traps. Some of these traps invented here in Aotearoa for rats and mice are developing a very good reputation overseas.
After lunch we sat down to discuss how we can support each other and progress our stance to cease the use of poison and increase the use of trapping and hunting of pests in order to maintain our beautiful forests.
We all agree that had the use of 1080 been kept to truly inaccessible areas, we probably would not have had to meet that day. But when people had to endure this poison within 50 metres of their homes, the loss of their treasured family pets and poison in their water supplies etc, it became an issue we could no longer sit quietly and let continue.
Hunters and trappers who are in the bush on a weekly basis tell us it is possible to maintain pest numbers at an acceptable rate by hunting and trapping. This is an opportunity for local communities to have training programmes for school leavers therefore creating much needed local employment.
For those of us who trot down to the supermarket for our food supplies, would find it hard to comprehend that there are families out there who largely rely on the wild pork or the eels they catch to feed themselves. This is a right as a kiwi to be able to do this. Completely eradicating wild pigs on the peninsula is simply not going to happen. DOC themselves now acknowledge the important role pig hunters play in keeping numbers down. It is also well know pig hunting dogs are well trained and undergo kiwi aversion training.
Of course in other parts of the country deer and deer hunters come under this category.
In summary, these are just a few of the points we covered in our battle to maintain our flora and fauna in a NON TOXIC sustainable way.
I think we all found our visitors from Taupo to be charismatic visionaries and just maybe eased my begrudging emotions felt when handing over regional council rates to protect Lake Taupo.
Kia Kaha
Shelley Balsom, Whitianga
Dear Julie
I am wondering why there has been no police report in the last few Chronicles. Is there a reason for this?
W Malcolm, Colville
We asked John Morrissey for a reply to the above letter:
Hi Julie
Thanks for the letter and the offer.
As previously stated I will very rarely if ever reply to letters to the editor.
I still enjoy your paper as I am sure others do.
John
September issue
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