Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner www.sunlive.co.nz

Originally dubbed ‘noisy boys' park, the TECT All Terrain Park is a permanent home for activities no longer suitable amongst our increasingly urbanised community.

The 1700ha park title carries warnings for anyone purchasing neighbouring property to expect activities that create noise and involve what some might call ‘dangerous sport'.

It has taken longer than anticipated to get activities underway, but a councillor visit last week confirmed that user groups are actively moving in.

Tauranga Model Aircraft is putting in runways. This involves significant earthworks as model aircraft are no longer the toys of yesteryear and now require a mini airport.

Construction of a claybird shooting range is underway with huge earthworks being done.

Deerstalkers have a 300 metre range nearing completion after carving it out of a valley.

The shooting venues will be fenced and regulated to provide a safety first area.

Mountain bike trails are established along with horse riding and equestrian activities.

Motorsport have the forest roads to run events on and radio-controlled off-roaders also have their own track.

There are four-wheel drive tracks and motorbike tracks for learner, intermediate and accomplished riders.

The facilities are maintained by club members volunteering their considerable talents.

TECT has provided significant funding and the initiative is the result of a successful partnership between Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Even if you aren't actively involved, it's worth a stop at the visitor information centre, just off the main road at the top of Pyes Pa Road.

There is participation from Rotorua residents, but so far their district council has not helped with park development funding.

We made submissions to them, so far unsuccessfully, but hope springs eternal.

Another quality park is McLaren Falls Park and at the opening of its new visitor information centre last week I read a brochure that said it is Tauranga's best kept secret. It is. Up the Kaimais, just off the main highway, this park has an excellent rustic cafe and with the trees and a lake this is a serene and picturesque place for a family to visit.

An oldie, but a goodie

On Saturday, I attended the Otumoetai Golf Club season opening. Again, a self-help group of enthusiastic members have organised this valley into a great amenity.

They lease the land off council, which retains it as a flood plain.

The two parks and this golf course have much in common.

The council facilitates the base amenity, such as land, and people take over and organise and fund their own activity. It's the way of yesteryear and it's the way of the future – council helping people help themselves.

Rates change first

Local Government Minister Nick Smith has signalled ‘reform' is needed.

He may well be right, but – and it's a big ‘but' – there are bigger things to ‘reform' rather than rearranging the desk chairs on the Titanic; for instance, the rating system.

He has a 2007 report outlining some 92 issues identified by the Shand Report as requiring attention. It says the rating system is unsustainable into the future.

He should consider Auckland Mayor Len Brown's dissertations this week on Auckland's rating woes on how to fund his city into the future.

With amalgamation of eight local authorities he has proposed what could be described as raging socialism by decreeing that no-one will get more than a 10 per cent rate increase, nor more than a 5.6 per cent rate decrease; never mind what service you get, nor your ability to pay, and that's just for the next three years.

In the fourth year, 25,000 houses will be faced with a more than 10 per cent increase.

He wants to take money off ratepayers getting big rate decreases and use it to limit ‘hefty' increases.

This is madness and grossly unfair and just one example of the effects of amalgamation. So if there is to be change it should be to the rating system as well.

In simple terms, the general rate could be levied as a percentage of income – just like an ACC Levy. And Mr Smith has experience there as former ACC Minister.

The 1989 amalgamation of Tauranga, Mount and Papamoa did not provide savings as promised.

In much the same way as Len Brown outlines, all that happened was that some subsidised others, and in my opinion, the more established areas paid for the less established areas to be brought up to speed – regardless of the individual ratepayer ability (or desire) to pay.

This week's mindbender from Vernon Law – 'Experience is the worst teacher, it gives the test before presenting the lesson.”