Shane Jones questions place of regional government
local council 40 minutes ago
"What is the point of regional government?" That's the question the regional development minister posed to a meeting of local government officials last week. Regional Development Minister Shane Jones spoke to Alexa Cook.
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Is this the end of Nelson's Richard Nixon statue?
By Max Frethy , Local Democracy reporter One of only two statues of US president Richard Nixon in the world could soon be removed from its Tasman home. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey A small Tasman town faces an important question: keep the infamous statue of Richard Nixon or build a community hub instead? The life-size bronze statue of the disgraced US president has bemused residents of Wakefield, about 20km south of Nelson, for more than a decade. The statue, holding Nixon's double peace sign pose, stands on the notorious 52 Edward Street site known as Fort Haldeman - reportedly the former office of the locally defunct publishing company Haldeman LLC, that had been partly owned by controversial businessman Tony Katavich. According to a list on Wikipedia, the statue is only one of two Nixon statues in the world. But Nixon's days, as well as those of the White House-inspired building he welcomes visitors to, could be numbered. Tasman District Council is currently progressing plans for a new community hub for Wakefield to replace the ageing and earthquake-prone village hall. The hub had earlier been assumed to be built on the Wakefield Recreation Reserve, but the current owners of Fort Haldeman approached the council in early 2025 about the possibility of building the hub on their site instead. The current Wakefield hall. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey Peter Verstappen, a Waimea South Community Facility trustee, said the opportunity "came out left of field a little bit". "Until six months ago, this wasn't even a question. We were always heading to the reserve," he said. "In a way, it kind of complicated the process going forward, because suddenly we've got this other whole dimension that we now have to think about." The council is now consulting the community on its preference between the two locations. Waimea South Community Facility trustees Peter Verstappen and Jenny Lines urge residents to get informed and have their say. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey There are pros and cons to each site, with the reserve offering more space for future expansion but higher costs for infrastructure and utilities, while the Fort Haldeman site is closer to the centre of the village but has fewer future expansion opportunities. Verstappen said, "in all honesty", he doesn't have a site preference. "From what I've seen, I'm reasonably confident we can build the facility that we want, that answers most of the needs of the community, on either site." The council and trust held two community meetings last Tuesday for residents to learn more about the two options. Martin Brown, the council's project manager for the hub, told around 20 attendees of the afternoon session at Wakefield School that it was "very early days" for the Fort Haldeman site. "We're having conversations with the vendors currently. It may or may not progress, but that's part of the process we're having." The Fort Haldeman site. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey A representative for the company that now owns Fort Haldeman declined to comment due to commercial sensitivities. The final decision on the location rests with the council and is expected to be made in August, with detailed design work and community fundraising to occur afterwards. Elected members will be presented with site information as well as community feedback ahead of their decision. While the full range of feedback might differ, comments from attendees of the Tuesday afternoon meeting indicated widespread support for the original Wakefield Recreation Reserve site due to its development potential, possibly saving Nixon from removal. "We're building this for not just the present, or even the present decade; we're building it for 50 years, and we need expansion space," one woman said. Councillor Christeen Mackenzie says the council is right to consider the use of Fort Haldeman instead of the Recreation Reserve. Photo: LDR / Max Frethey Moutere-Waimea Ward councillor Christeen Mackenzie has been pushing the project since she was first elected six years ago. She said trying to plan for 50 years' time was like trying to look into a "crystal ball". "Do you have one big shooting box for absolutely everything in one location? That is not necessarily what you might need into the future. Introducing the idea of Site 2 [Fort Haldeman], I think it's giving the community an opportunity to think about that," she said. "If someone comes to the council with a proposal, you've got to do your due diligence and think about it." Two locations are being debated: the Wakefield Recreation Reserve and Fort Haldeman, at 52 Edward Street. Photo: Supplied / Waimea South Community Facility Charitable Trust The Wakefield Community Hub has a budget of around $11 million with $6.4m coming from developers, $2.5m from community fundraising, and $2.1m coming from a loan that will be repaid over time from an existing community facility pot that was funded through rates. Residents can have their say here . The Wakefield hub used to be part of a collective community facility project for Waimea South, including the town of Brightwater. But the two town's projects have since been split apart, and Brightwater's public hall will be upgraded at a cost of about $2.5m. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
NZ Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll reveals nearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands
Under the Cook Islands constitution, New Zealand cannot pass laws for the Cook Islands. Photo: Supplied / PMN A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union-Curia shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New Zealand citizenship. Thirty percent of the 1000-person sample supported Cook Islanders retaining citizenship, 46 percent were opposed and 24 percent were unsure. The question asked: Taxpayers' Union head of communications Tory Relf said the framing of the question was fair. "If the Cook Islands wants to continue enjoying a close relationship with New Zealand, then, of course, we will support that," she said. "However, if they are looking in a different direction, then I think it is entirely fair that taxpayers can have a right to say whether they want their money sent there or not." But New Zealand Labour Party deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said it is a leading question. "It asserts or assumes that we have hit a dead end here and that we cannot resolve the relationship issues that have unfolded between New Zealand and the Cook Islands," Sepuloni said. "We want a resolution. We do not want to assume or assert that it is all done and dusted and the relationship is broken." The two nations have been in free association since 1965. Relf said that adding historical context of the two countries relationship would be a different question. "We were polling on the Cook Islands current policy, asking about historic ties would introduce an emotive element that would influence the response." New Zealand has paused nearly $20 million in development assistance to the realm nation. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the decision was made because the Cook Islands failed to adequately inform his government about several agreements signed with Beijing in February. Sepuloni, who is also Labour's Pacific Peoples spokesperson, said her party agrees with the Government that the Cook Islands had acted outside of the free association agreement. "[The aid pause is] an extreme response, however, in saying that we don't have all of the information in front of us that the government have. I'm very mindful that in terms of pausing or stopping aid, the scenarios where I can recall that happening are scenarios like when Fiji was having their coup." In response to questions from Cook Islands News , Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said that, while he acknowledged the concerns raised in the recent poll, he believed it was important to place the discussion within the full context of Cook Islands' longstanding and unique relationship with New Zealand. "The Cook Islands and New Zealand share a deep, enduring constitutional bond underpinned by shared history, family ties, and mutual responsibility," Brown told the Rarotonga based paper. "Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens not by privilege, but by right. A right rooted in decades of shared sacrifice, contribution, and identity. "More than 100,000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand, contributing to its economy, culture, and communities. In return, our people have always looked to New Zealand not just as a partner but as family."
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Aucklander stuck in Iran returns home
conflict war 40 minutes ago An Aucklander who was trapped in Tehran amid the bombings over the past two weeks is finally back in New Zealand. Vahid Safinia spoke to Charlotte Cook.
