Communities go to bat for public halls

Otago Daily Times

17-05-2025

The smaller communities of Central Otago have come out fighting for their council-owned halls and buildings, with some challenging elected members to push back at central government demands they say are putting rural ratepayers in impossible situations.
The Central Otago District Council heard on Thursday from submitters on its Long Term Plan, which includes a controversial proposal to divest a selection of council assets to save $284,000 (0.54% per ratepayer) in year one of the nine-year plan and eliminate the need for future borrowing for earthquake strengthening.
Michelle Bisset, of Patearoa, told the mayor and councillors it was her view the council proposal was driven by economic drivers while social ones were being ignored.
Ms Bisset called earthquake risk the ''elephant in the room'', having ''such an impact on small communities''.
Despite smaller towns having a relatively lower risk to life from buildings flagged as earthquake-unsafe, they were being treated the same under legislation as more populated areas, she said.
''The onus is on local bodies to start putting the pressure up the chain back to central government so that central government is funding you adequately to do the jobs you are asked to do.''
Ms Bisset, along with other speakers, expressed a wariness at the urgency with which they claimed the council was moving forward with the proposal.
Deborah Dons, speaking in support of the Miller's Flat Hall, urged the council to hold off making any decision regarding their local facility until other funding models could be explored.
''At the very least we're asking for a stay of execution.''
A group of Poolburn School residents brought at least one councillor close to tears as they collectively put forward a case alongside principal Melissa Gare that their hall was ''a keeper''.
One of the young people who spoke, Charlie, said her parents had hosted their wedding dance in the local Poolburn-Moa Creek Community Hall, while she had celebrated both her fourth and fifth birthdays there.
She argued the hall had great ''sentimental'' value to her and to others.
Other pupils spoke of the importance of the building for hosting school discos, productions, sports teams, and prizegivings, with their principal saying all schools needed such spaces, but Poolburn's size made Ministry of Education provision of one unattainable.
Maniototo ward councillor Stuart Duncan asked those around the council table, ''Did we get the list right?'', suggesting it felt inappropriate for representatives from the district's smaller communities to have to turn out and plead for the future of what were so obviously vital community assets.
Mayor Tamah Alley said the discussion was not about the value such assets brought to the community they were located in, but simply whether the council should own them.
She said she had sought advice on the part private ownership might play to fill the gap that council increasingly could not because of budget constraints.
But Naseby Vision spokesman Dave Brady did not see that as not a good option.
''Council, in our opinion, needs to support the community to do what the community needs to do.
''Private enterprise, by its very nature, will take and maximise the gains from these types of properties, which may not necessarily be in the best interests of the community,'' Mr Brady told the mayor.
The council is scheduled to deliberate on its plan on Monday.