ANZAC services in Martinborough Square, Greymouth. Photo: File photo / LDR
By Sue Teodoro for Local Democracy Reporting
South Wairarapa District Council [SWDC] has unanimously rejected a proposal to put a borehole in a war memorial park, and has sent water planners back to the drawing board.
Wellington Water had recommended putting the borehole in Greytown's soldier's memorial park, which commemorates war heroes. The actual site proposed was close to a public swimming pool.
The decision by the council's Infrastructure and Services committee on Tuesday follows a recommendation from a hearings committee last week. Public consultation showed the proposal was unpopular and formal feedback universally opposed the borehole siting.
The committee unanimously agreed not to progress with the Wellington Water borehole and pump proposal.
SWDC group manager partnerships and operations, Stefan Corbett, said there had been deficiencies in the consultation process on the issue.
"What should have happened was options within the park and options outside of the park should have been properly canvassed. And that importantly should have included costings in the options analysis, so that the community was able to make a fair and reasonable decision about whether they were able to accept a bore in the park in the given location, because there were significant cost benefits.
"Or they would choose to decline that and accept the conditions under which the bore would be placed outside the park. And that didn't happen."
There was wide discussion and general agreement by the committee that further strategic work in the water space was needed.
Plimmer is a member for the Greytown ward, and a returned serviceman.
"The hearings and the public view was very specific; Don't bother coming back with options in the park.
"If you want to come back with options, they have got to be holistic views about what is required for Greytown and Featherston water.
He said the public had been clear that it is a sacred site and they did not want a borehole in it.
Plimmer said some issues raised in relation to the borehole and pump were new and needed to be given proper consideration with the water needs of the district as a whole in mind.
South Wairarapa mayor Martin Connelly agreed.
"The proposal is to put a bore into a war memorial. I think people at the hearings committee were somewhat taken aback by the realisation that somebody was suggesting [the borehole be put] somewhere akin to the square in Martinborough, or next to the cenotaph in Featherston, or possibly the war memorial in Wellington. That would not happen, and clearly the expressed wishes of the community was it should not happen."
Connelly said, in addition, some proposed options should never have been on the table.
"What is the strategic picture here," he asked.
"Are we dealing with these sorts of issues in a 'lets do a bit of engineering here, let's do a bit of engineering here' way, or do we have a grasp of the big picture?"
The committee accepted there were important issues relating to water infrastructure that needed addressing, and unanimously agreed to delegate to the chair to consider the matter and come back with proposals on next steps - including what consultation might be needed.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
