Councillor Comments
What a month we have had, the wettest spring since 1972 grass up to the third wire on the fences and an earthquake to top it off. On the earthquake this region appears to have got off without any major damage or more importantly loss of life. This 7.8 shake will have an effect on all New Zealand and the Wairarapa won’t escape the disruption.
The port of Wellington has taken a huge hit and to our regions exporters the port a vital link to their markets. Of concern is the confusion over the Tsunami Alert or in this case lack of. The council officers and council members have taken this issue up with WERMO which is the new title for the Civil Defence.
My priority is to get this sorted once and for all as I’m in the firing line here not only as a councillor, our house is 150 meters from the beach. I have contacted people from the coastal settlements to organise a meeting with WERMO and council to sort out the confusion and get a system in place that works.
On the council front we have had to hit the ground running, six new councillors and a new mayor. The work load is pretty full on with all councillors adjusting to their portfolios.
Amalgamation is going to take a lot of staff and council time going forward with the Local Government Commission making a decision early in the New Year. Once this decision is made there will be time for everyone to try and get their head around it before it is finally decided on.
There are a lot of parts to the South Wairarapa and it is not possible for the staff and contractors to be everywhere, so if you see damage or things that need attention please give council a call.
Xmas and the year’s end is just around the corner so I will wish you all the best and catch you next year.
Cheers Brian Jephson
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