A submitter on a new development says Kawerau should get its services right before allowing more housing developments. Photo: LDR / Supplied
A shortage of doctors in Kawerau has been cited as one of the reasons for not adding 80 more homes to the district, when Kawerau District Council heard submissions on its plans for a new residential development at Stoneham Park on Wednesday.
Submitter Tracy Wilson raised several issues she had with the proposal to remove reserve status from Stoneham Reserve, so that it can be developed for housing, and apply that reserve status, instead, to the stock pound land that is currently partially rented out as grazing for horses.
Horses using the stock pound land. Photo: LDR
Wilson who has worked at Kawerau District Council in the past as its parks and recreation officer and more recently was a nurse at Tarawera Medical Centre, said she believed Kawerau should get its services right before inviting more people into the district.
As well as water services and problems staffing the town pool, which are the direct responsibility of the council, she mentioned a lack of medical services in the town.
"We're already struggling with some of those services and we're going to compound that struggle when we add extra community. It concerns me that current organisations cannot cover the needs that we've already got and we're proposing to add another 80 families. I'm afraid it may tip them over the edge."
This sentiment was echoed by fellow submitter Kristine Windle.
"At my doctors [Kawerau Medical Centre], there are three doctors and you can only get a virtual consult or you can get your prescription from a nurse. At Tarawera [Medical Centre] I know that Dr Williams has just left. I've got a friend who goes there and it takes at least three weeks to get an appointment."
RNZ reported on Monday that two doctors had recently left one of Kawerau's two health centres. Doctor availability was dependent on urgency and there were wait times as long as four weeks for non-urgent patients.
Mayor Faylene Tunui acknowledged that, coming off the back of Covid-19 and health service reforms, service delivery in the health space was very difficult and the council had a role to play in advocating for better services.
"It is a bit of a cat and mouse game, where if we don't have the people here it's very hard to advocate for the service delivery, but as you say, for those who are already here, there's not a lot of availability."
Wilson and Windle were the only two of the 40 submitters on the Stoneham Park development to speak at the hearing on Wednesday.
Four others had indicated they wished to speak at the hearing but were unable to attend the revised date for the hearing because of various work or family commitments.
The submitters also shared concerns about the stock pound area being made into a reserve.
Wilson said it would not only mean the council losing the $2500 a year it received in lease payments but the land would require a greater cost to the council to maintain than Stoneham Reserve.
"I see a number of the reserves could do with some more maintenance and it concerns me that we're adding to the reserves' stock. Stoneham Park is reasonably easily maintained just by mowing, but there are other sorts of reserves that require a different style of maintenance that costs more. There's nothing cheaper than mowing or grazing."
She said the most recent exchange of land for reserve she was aware of was the Waterwheel Trust.
"If you took the time to go down and have a look at that, it's not something we would be proud of, I think."
Windle, who has leased this paddock for many years, said the only cost to the council while her horses had been there has been blackberry spraying. She also believed the council's maintenance of parks such as Monika Langhem Reserve was lacking.
"There hasn't been any blackberry spraying there for a number of years," she said.
Wilson said Windle enjoyed the privilege of maintaining that [land]. Members of the community enjoyed seeing the animals there.
Windle pointed out that dog walking and bike tracks, which have been suggested as uses for the reserve, were already available at nearby Monika Reserve and Stoneham Walk.
"Those things are available 500 yards down the road. They've had bike tracks up there and they've only lasted a short while. After Sarah Walker won her Olympic medal they had done up the BMX track and that's hardly used now and the mountain bike track has just disappeared."
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
