‘Mr Miserable’ takes a caning

“Not our booming base sound” – Teejay Hemara and Carla Beazley of Zumba Tauranga. Photo: Daniel Hines.

He's been labelled ‘Mr Miserable', accused of being a ‘cowardly couch complainant', and then invited to ‘enrich his life and have some fun' by exercising with the very Zumba class his serial complaining made homeless from the Greerton Community Hall.

Zumba Tauranga has launched a caustic Facebook attack on the complainant, a neighbour living adjacent to the Greerton Hall, who filed 82 noise complainants in just two years resulting in several user groups being banned from the Greerton Hall.

In the Facebook comment on The Weekend Sun hall fiasco story, Carla Beazley suggested the complainant 'move to the country, away from the vibrancy of a thriving community and build himself a soundproof bunker”.

And she also had some blunt advice for the Tauranga City Council. 'Don't indulge the bull**** of a whining individual. Instead support community groups and activities that encourage the healthy lifestyles… of your ratepayers.”

And Zumba Tauranga has the 'sympathy” of Deputy Mayor, Larry Baldock. 'We have these people in Tauranga, and whatever the issue, they become serial complainants. They cost a lot of man hours and a lot of money to achieve very little good.” He says he needs to investigate the level of the noise breaches, but certainly sympathised with hall users.

Zumba Tauranga classes cater for a wide range of people and nationalities, young and old, special needs participants, people living with mental illness, cancer and other illnesses. 'We have the mindset the Zumba class could potentially be the best thing these people do in the day,” says Carla.

'And we give our energy, heart and soul to the class.” Not now, not in Greerton.

Because since being kicked out of Greerton Hall, Tauranga Zumba has not found an alternative venue.

Everywhere in the vicinity that is suitable is booked.

'Let's put this into perspective,” says Carla Beazley. Tauranga Zumba was held once a week at 5.45pm – a respectable and already busy and noisy time of day.

'We are not a heavy metal band practising at random hours in a residential area. We were exercising in a retail/commercial area of Cameron Road - the busiest, noisiest road in Tauranga.”

Carla says if the class was a disruption to the ‘irrational complainant's' life, he could have done his shopping, gone for a walk or even joined in for exercise and fun.

And she says the complainant, 'being the intolerant type,” shouldn't have moved in next door to a community centre. 'He just wanted to see how far his bark could be heard.”

She's perplexed why one person has been pandered to so much. 'If there were 50 of us, another exercise group and a church group – 100 people at a guess – surely those 100 rate payers have more say than the complainant, and better represent the community. But has anyone met with or considered us?”

In a cutting attack, Carla Beazley suggests the complainant would be lapping up the personal and media attention. 'Well done buddy, you've cracked it, you're famous.”

Over the two year period ‘Mr Miserable' was complaining, Carla says the Zumba class had council's noise control snooping around '…making us feel we were doing something wrong by exercising.”

Carla questions ‘Mr Miserable' saying it was never his intention to have events shut down or stop people having a good time. 'Really? I think you got exactly what you wanted. What you weren't counting on was being shamed for being so petty and unreasonable.” And to put the record straight, Carla Beazley says 'no booming base sound” from them. They hadn't had a noise complaint in many months after turning the music down as requested. But because another group received a complaint they got lumped in and kicked out.

The Tauranga City Council had earlier explained it was bound to enforce noise limits under the City Plan and Resource Management Act. If someone complains, then it has to investigate.

Larry Baldock says the council is unfortunately stuck with being regulator and enforcer. 'However some of those breaches are so minor in the big scheme of things, I find it so frustrating. If it means changing the consent conditions as a way of avoiding future complaints, then that's an option we should look into.”

The Deputy Mayor recalls a similar situation at the Mount Speedway. 'One person made it his life's work to complain about the speedway, and it cost a fortune.”

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11 comments

Intolerant

Posted on 20-01-2020 11:11 | By Told you

I find this complaint unreasonable in his objection in his complaining of the Greerton Hall ,why is he home all the time doesn’t he have a job?


Personal attacks

Posted on 20-01-2020 12:02 | By waiknot

He has only had the one complaint, but made repeatedly. What is the actual level of noise please before you attack him. It sounds like the Zumba people are attacking him on a personal level because they can’t address the issue. If the noise is to high? Then why has he needed to complain so many times before the issue was addressed.


No!

Posted on 20-01-2020 12:04 | By Bruja

How ridiculous to say that you were made to feel like 'exercising' was wrong. Utter rubbish! It would have been ENTIRELY about the volume of your 'music' and the level of the bass in particular. I love music and would be quite happy to exercise to music BUT no! ALL of the 'Zumba-style' groups seem to think that unless music is at a level to 'lift the roof off'. How utterly ridiculous! Frankly you might be improving your health but you won't be improving your hearing. 100% correct decision made so leave the poor beleaguered 'complainant' alone! Stop the bullying just because YOU want to behave in an unsociable manner. :(


Sounds like

Posted on 20-01-2020 12:31 | By hostile

someones a bit sour.. and still making noise! The building isnt to standard to control the "bass" being produced by users. Residents should not suffer. Maybe an upgrade of the building should be done? Care to donate Zumba?


I'm surprised to see

Posted on 20-01-2020 12:35 | By earlybird

SunLive print the nasty bullying type comments made by the owners of Zumba Tauranga. TCC would not have acted on this noise complaint unless it had some merit. The bylaws staff would have monitored and checked the noise levels with a noise meter. I sympathise with the complainant, and before you ask, I have no idea who he is, and I would suggest that Zumba Tauranga look for premises in an industrial estate where nobody will mind, or even notice, some loud noise. There are plenty of empty shops in downtown Tauranga as well.


Both sides

Posted on 20-01-2020 14:43 | By Kancho

I can see both sides. A resident should be able to enjoy a peaceful occupation of their property, and not be subject to bullying either . However I also think if buying a house close to a commercial building one might expect some neighbor interaction. Reminds me of people buying houses in Auckland near the sewage treatment plant , near the airport flght paths and near a working quarry with blasting. Seems the idea due diligence may have been good. Yes how about a bit of acoustic engineering so the hall can serve the majority better. I am a bit sensitive to loud noise and would avoid a such exercise classes. However I carry earplugs and often wear them when out there by try to live in the real world


The Zumba attack...

Posted on 21-01-2020 14:24 | By morepork

...is just another example of the "me" generation finding the word "no" unacceptable. It is interesting that nobody else has offered them an alternative... The fact is that thumping, reverberating bass sound is intrusive and disturbing to many people. This was a problem with the One Love concert but they were able to resolve it and it is no longer a problem. Of course, we should have Zumba, but they need to consider the neighbours. Find a more suitable venue, maybe in an industrial estate. This whole issue is about consideration, and the Law. The noise laws are there to protect all of us and it is sad that we even need such Laws. People of goodwill can work out issues and compromise.


Bullying

Posted on 21-01-2020 18:49 | By Slim Shady

This is bullying someone who was on the right side of the law. I’m not surprised to see the Deputy jump on the bandwagon. TCC do not like anybody who challenges their inept laziness.


Nasty people!

Posted on 21-01-2020 19:48 | By Ben Dover

It shows the true colour of these people from the zumba class when they publicly insult and vilify this complainant just because he has upset their little world!


Too loud

Posted on 21-01-2020 20:31 | By lpm67

When the bass is so high that a nearby property vibrates or shakes then it most definitely is too much. I attended one of their classes....I will never be back it was way too loud. We use to live several streets away from an industrial area that had a church that bloody church used to rent its premises for band practices and other parties and the bloody bass drove us bonkers


80%

Posted on 22-01-2020 20:44 | By Bruja

Eight out of ten (that's 80%) say that Zumba were at fault. THAT says it all! Apologise for your nasty bullying! Oh of course you won't. Too 'entitled' :(


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