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

Elected members met with Crown representatives for the local Treaty of Waitangi settlements in a confidential meeting this week.

It was confidential at their request, not ours, and was to update us on what is happening with the local Treaty of Waitangi process. Because it was confidential, I'm precluded from letting you know any of the detail, but I can offer some generic writing about the process.

It's not a democratic process in my view, and these comments relate to the process. The way I see it, Maori list their grievances to the Crown, there's a lengthy ‘argy bargy' process with Crown negotiators about what will and will not be included in a settlement package, that goes to the Minister for Treaty Settlements, who takes the recommendations to Cabinet, who put the rubber stamp on it. So the only community input is through the Minister and the first you out there in ratepayer/taxpayer land will know about the details, is when the settlements are a done deal. It is unlikely that some of these details will be received favourably in some quarters, and I anticipate some anguish, not only when the details are made public, but as the ramifications roll out over the years to come. With the sensitivities involved (on both sides) it's my view the process is flawed, and has the potential for further division in our community.

Take this possible scenario. Over in the Waikato Maori have joint governance rights over the Waikato River. Government has set up an infrastructure advisory board (including our own ex CEO Alan Bickers – now a consultant) to advise Government on the future mechanisms for infrastructure services currently provided by Local Government. I can just about say now what the report will say. Water supplies to a private/Council Controlled Organisation-like operation, which removes water supplies from Council control. Like Auckland's Metrowater (where the CEO gets over $600,000!). So the way is then clear for the Waikato River Governance to then sell raw water to the CCO. No local political, or community input, or control. And it's all seen as Council's fault as they are part of the governance group. Central Government slides out from underneath, there's a period of grief and gnashing of teeth, but as time passes it's all forgotten – just like the promises from Max Bradford about how we would all benefit from the electricity reforms. All but forgotten now by the newer generation of power consumers. Yes, it may be seeing reds under the bed, but it's too late after the event and that's the way things are shaping up. We, the community, are to be presented with a fait accompli and it's unlikely to be good news for the majority.

While on the subject of Auckland's re-organisation and the huge salaries being paid to run the show, it's both amusing and sad to see Auckland now referred to as the Super Shitty. It should come as no surprise that it's not working as promised. Bigger is rarely better – only different and more easily manipulated by those at the top who are subject to less scrutiny. And ratepayers are compelled to pay under threat of the sale of their properties. Outrageous -and not the way to benefit either our community or society.

At Joint Governance Committee (where Western Bay and Tauranga City consider matters of joint interest) it was decided that the CEO's bring back a report on joining services. Like one District Plan, animal services, building consents and amongst others: joint wastewater and water services. My long-held opposition to anything other than the public ownership of water services by Local Councils is well known, and I received assurances that any form of ‘privatisation' would not be on the radar screen. If we can join some services it should produce economies and make bureaucratic processes much easier by having the same rules across the boundaries. Coupled with the hoped-for savings with the present organisational review going on at City Hall right now.

At Projects and Monitoring we heard from new Area Police Commander Clifford Paxton. He said police were making inroads into crime and produced encouraging statistics. The bits for concern were a 100% increase in homicide – three last year and six this year, in the Western Bay of Plenty. Overall there was a 54.1% resolution of all crime – which also means 45.9% of all crime remains unresolved.

The Mount Waka Club addressed elected members in the public forum and told us that our staff must have misunderstood their position on storage of wakas and their gear down at Pilot Bay. They have shifted their wakas to make public access easier and were amenable to a storage shed attached to the public toilets.

The Art Gallery director complaint about anti-social behaviour at the bus stop outside the Gallery will be dealt with by staff and police. Talk of removing the bus stop from outside the Gallery was quickly quashed. This rumour had caused anguish to local retailers and Mainstreet.

Council's graffiti removal programme contract has been re-let, this time for six years to a new contractor – Civic Contractors. It will cost about $13,500 per month to remove this scourge of society. Twenty five volunteers are a much appreciated arm of support too. Graffiti removal has to be rapid to be effective. These cretins are like dogs marking their territory otherwise: 324 were caught and 7,911 tags were removed last year so the programme is working well. $4,692.80 in reparations were ordered by the courts.

This week's mindbender – a fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.