Posted on 04-10-2010 10:53 | By Richard Moore

The Historic Village has been shamefully treated by council and its officers and is currently being allowed to wither and die. I have talked with many of the people involved in the Historic Village and the stories they tell make me shake my head at the unthinking actions of the bureaucracy. The Historic Village should be a major attraction in Tauranga. It should have artists working there as live attractions. Carvers, painters, musicians, glassblowers, potters ... We need it to have live weekends where visitors can go along and see how our forebears lived and worked. We don't want it to be filled with inappropriate modern-day businesses. Sure they may make the books look better but what is happening is better-suited businesses - such as woodworking - are leaving, disgusted at the council handling of the place. Recently the village flooded - despite a major amount of new pipes being laid by council. One person told me it was no surprise as the new pipes were laid higher than the village's ones. Another said when the works were finished it was discovered the village's system was not even connected to the new mains! It wasn't done because the connection was not on the plans!!!!!!!!!! Now I don't want to see the Historic Village as the major museum for Tauranga. It has its place in the future of my city as a live re-enactment venue much like Motat in Auckland. If elected to council I will do my best to protect and enhance the Historic Village before it is too late to save.