Cr Bill Faulkner Faulkners Corner www.sunlive.co.nz

Along with some other elected members I attended the signing ceremony of the Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims between Ngati Ranginui and the Crown (Government/taxpayers).

The settlement included an unreserved apology from Minister for Treaty Settlements, Chris Finlayson, on behalf of the Crown; and a $39.5 million settlement package of commercial properties, cash and cultural properties (45 in all). This is the first of four settlements locally and when I last heard a total settlement amount it was rumoured to be in the $400 - $500 million range. I did pick up from comments from some Maori that this is the first in an ongoing process. This will give cause for concern as settlements are touted as a full and final settlement.

As I wrote last week, the history behind all this depends on your perspective. We were taught about Maori Wars. Today it is Land Wars. In the version we were taught, Maori were the baddies. Today there's another version where Maori well and truly thumped General Cameron and his troops at Gate Pa on 29 April 1864. Maori tactics well and truly outfoxed British formal warfare. Maori chief Henare Taratoa, who had been taught English by Archdeacon Brown at the Mission House, had drawn up rules of engagement which Maori adhered to. Well, British Colonial rule didn't take kindly to that thumping and on 21 June 1864, as Maori were digging another fortification at Te Ranga, Colonel Greer and 600 troops opened up on them from 700 yards with four and six pounder guns. They flattened the pa site and after a two hour bombardment, surviving women, children and elderly escaped. As the British troops marched on the pa, the Maori warriors walked out of the pa unarmed. The troops dropped their arms but were then ordered by their officers to keep firing. That day 107 Maori were massacred, with few badly wounded survivors. That's a bit different from the suicide charge we were taught Maori did. And of course it was all about land. Subsequently the Crown confiscated 86,602.804 hectares as a punishment for 'those persons as having been engaged in rebellion against the Crown's authority...” That by the way is a very brief, simple and general overview of a complicated issue.

As the minister and his party came onto the Te Ranga site, they were challenged by a real fearsome haka – the best I've seen – no tourist bit here. These haka must have scared the daylights out of the British! And as the ceremony proceeded I reflected that of the Crown representatives, most were of Maori descent. I didn't detect one representative of the British Government nor an accompanying cheque. New Zealanders apologising to New Zealanders and compensation being paid by New Zealanders. It was the same story wherever British Colonial policy and supremacy was conducted. Africa, India, China, America, Australia, New Zealand. Both good and bad. Ireland, Scotland and Wales proved the British would even do it to themselves. Now it's time to put it all to rest, learn the lessons and move forward as one nation and people.

Back at council and Projects and Monitoring Committee. Staff said we were on track for a $2.7-$3.1 million rates surplus this year ending 30 June. Clifford Paxton, the new area police commander told members that there had been an overall crime reduction of 13.8 per cent in the Tauranga area, with a 58 per cent resolution of all crime.

There were 240 responses to the trial of tsunami sirens by one of the tenderers, Kordia. Staff thanked all respondents, including those who didn't hear a thing. I asked how you would know if you didn't hear! Seriously though, this was a test by a tenderer and not necessarily the successful tenderer, as that hasn't yet been decided. To get a resource consent the decibel range has to be between 75-105 decibels. As someone said, you might be dead but your hearing will be okay.

At long last the successful applicants for the trust board to administer the Frank Sydenham Park at Brookfield are about to be announced by council. This has just gone on and on; hopefully now there can be some community action. A planning consent application has been received for a supermarket at Bureta on the site of the Bureta Park Motor Inn. The land to the east of the hotel is a council park and will remain along with the trees on it. It is a notified application, so you will all your chance to have your say. I suspect there will be plenty said.

As reported last week, the Southern Pipeline from Maleme Street to Memorial Park is now complete and operating and around half a million dollars under budget. Well done to contractors, Downers, consultants, sub-contractors and staff for a relatively smooth and well organised project. There was a lot of flexibility and initiative put into this to reduce public disruption to a minimum. For example, at the project's beginning getting past the Merivale shops at affordable cost and not unduly disrupting their service was a problem. This was solved by a new underground thrusting system that popped up late in the scheme.

Treasury staff reported interest rates we pay for city loans have dipped below six per cent and are not expected to move markedly in the foreseeable future. Total council net debt at May 31 was $385.3 million, of which $271.3 million is ratepayer funded. Route K and Pyes Pa Bypass loans totalling $69.9 million is the monkey on council's back – or more likely a grizzly bear. Interest is being capitalised and negotiations with NZTA are ongoing. Former TCC CEO Stephen Town is presently acting CEO of NZTA. I just mention that as a point of interest. No no, not interest on Route K!

Council will make submissions on the Local Government Amendment Act. This act won't be a king hit on councils but there will be a much needed change. One positive side-effect is that the sole Local Government Commission of Mssrs Piper Bull and Kirby are gone. Good riddance in my opinion to a busy body of small-minded, left-leaning failed autocrats imposing their personal view of democracy on communities – without any appeal or recourse to their victims.

Council has struck next year's rates – 3.8 per cent rate revenue increase. The only change from the draft is to road resealing. It will now be on a ‘fit for purpose' basis – not ‘like for like'. NZTA advised council that ‘like for like' will cost ratepayers around $1 million extra over three years. Development Contributions (DC) are likely to be addressed next year in another bid to uncomplicate what has developed into a science. Larry Baldock, Rick Curach and Catherine Stewart indicated support for more ratepayer funding to reduce DCs. I'll cover more detail of these matters next week.

This week's mindbender from Adlai Stevenson – flattery is alright – if you don't inhale.