Council reverses reserve decision

: The Darraghs Road kindy is not going to be able to buy its land off the council. Photo: Google Maps.

Tauranga City Council's mayor and councillor Gail McIntosh provided the only two votes supporting a previous council's decision to sell off reserve land to the Opey's Kindergarten in Darraghs Road.

The decision to keep the reserve status on the land, reverses the previous decision and sets council staff to further talks with the kindergarten.

The reserve land has been leased by the kindergarten for a peppercorn rental since 1969. The lease expires in four years and a council policy change means it will only be renewed for five years.

The kindergarten which owns the building on the land wanted to buy the land to ensure tenure. In 2015 the city council decided it would revoke the reserve status on the land so it could be sold.

The decision in September 2015, also noted the sale wasn't available for consideration of proposals for iwi/hapu under the recognition of tangata whenua interests and aspirations policy - on the basis that the land sale was to a defined party who had an investment on the site and the surrounding area.

The decision not to proceed with revoking the reserve status is because of a complaint from Ngai Tamarawaho hapu.

The hapu has been more or less landless since the seizures of most of Te Papa and the Otumoetai peninsulas in the 1860s, and spokesman Buddy Mikaere says revoking the reserve status would put the Darraghs Road section forever out of their reach.

'We are disappointed to find that despite knowing about our landlessness background, the council agreed to the sale of the reserve in 2015 without consultation with us,” says Buddy.

'This is made worse by the fact the council needs our assent in order for the reserve status to be revoked and allow sale of the land. It's something we were made aware of only recently.”

The hapu's counter offer is to leave it as reserve for now, and later sell it to the hapu. Ngai Tamarawaho are happy for the kindergarten to remain, but would renegotiate the lease to include rates, which they would be liable to once the reserve status was changed.

Gail McIntosh moved the council proceed with the lifting the reserve status, saying that owning the land has had an administrative cost on the council since 1969 for a return of only $250 a year.

Steve Morris says the council now needs to take a longer term view with its reserves, especially as the city has agreed to look at intensifying within its boundaries.

'If we start going around removing reserves, that reduces the scope for intensification,” says Steve.

'On the one hand we are saying to Smartgrowth, ‘Yes, we agree we need to intensify within our city boundaries', on the other hand we say we are going to sell a future amenity.

'I think as a council we need to take a long term view not a short term view on this one.”

You may also like....

4 comments

land

Posted on 27-03-2017 14:57 | By dumbkof2

give the i want its a couple of mil and all the oposition will disappear


Brick Walled

Posted on 27-03-2017 16:26 | By Mackka

There is not much in the way of land that iwi will not have the final say on when the new RMA is passed into law! The 'manure' is still to fit the fan when the public realise what the Government has conceded in the way of the rights of the man in the street!


golly gosh

Posted on 27-03-2017 17:18 | By old trucker

Agree with both writers, TCC will ALWAYS give into you know who,as the saying goes SQUEAKY WHEELS get GREASE,my thoughts only,give with one and take it back,(INDIAN GIVERS).Sunlive is No1, 10-4 out.


NZ Takeover

Posted on 29-03-2017 14:08 | By sobeit

Agree with mackka. When the unsuspecting public find out how much Maori have and are being given in Treaty settlements plus control over other lands via RMA there will be a revolution. Its all secret. How many know that Maori have been given ownership of the Police Station, CourtHouse and Boys and Girls College to name a few of the acquisitions under Treaty settlements. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Why isn't this public. Because Govts know there would be a huge negative public reaction.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.