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Category: Paul Pope

The Consultative Corkscrew

The Consultative Corkscrew

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The American Unionist Cesar Chavez once said “Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sake and for our own.” With the Dunedin City Council undertaking its “Draft Significance and Engagement Policy“ we might well consider just how we decide and disseminate our individual and collective aspirations. For any community that means having the ability to voice both its opinions and values in the local government environment so that they are heard and understood….

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The Passionfruit on the Peninsula

The Passionfruit on the Peninsula

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The Banana passion-fruit vine (Passiflora mollissima) has become a problem plant for the Otago Peninsula over recent years and has continued to occupy significant areas of roadside in Portobello and Harington Point Roads. Given its highly invasive nature and need for high light levels passion-fruit has begun to choke the life out of many  areas around the Peninsula. Its prolific fruit production has also been shown to be a suitable source of food for possums and birds distributing viable seed from…

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Accepting the Challenge

Accepting the Challenge

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On a rather gloomy damp day that was thick with mist staying in bed seemed like a very good option, but the Pope whanau from Portobello had other ideas. My wife Lyn and I have always encouraged our kids to be good citizens and do things for their community selflessly. We want them to take an interest in their community and care for their region like we do. Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week is always an opportunity to do something positive…

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Home on the Range

Home on the Range

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One of the great things about living on the Otago Peninsula and having children at a local school is you get to do some of the cool things that they do as well. I was one of two parents who took a group of children from Portobello School to Okia Reserve for “World Ranger Day” with the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. Getting children out of the classroom and providing a genuine ranger experience was a great concept, but having pupils from the three Peninsula…

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The Rising Tide – Natural Hazards

The Rising Tide – Natural Hazards

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On a very wet and wild night I recently attended a joint presentation on the Natural Hazards section of the City Council’s 2nd Generation District Plan. With the pot belly stove blazing away in the hall the presentation was a very useful and thought-provoking one.  The preferred options for this section of the coming District Plan has been a joint approach by the Otago Regional Council and the Dunedin City Council and has covered, flooding from rivers, and the sea,…

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For whom the Road Tolls

For whom the Road Tolls

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Its been an interesting last few weeks locally as the City Council deliberates over the Annual Plan. I managed to catch a couple of submissions from Peninsula residents on the Portobello Road widening schedule. Most speakers spoke well and passionately about the road issues, but one question that was raised regularly by Councillors was whether Peninsula residents would support a targeted rate. It’s not the first time that the financial issues around the use and development of Portobello Road have caused consternation…

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Public Transport on the Peninsula

Public Transport on the Peninsula

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With the Otago Regional Council looking at transferring the management of the bus service to the Dunedin City Council. . While no timeframe has been given for the proposed transfer of management its probably a good time for Otago Peninsula residents to consider their use of the current service and what their needs are. Public transport services are important for our area and especially for the many high school children who use them. Currently, the Peninsula service is heavily subsidised and…

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Trial by Bylaw

Trial by Bylaw

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I’m just not convinced that city councillors fully understand the freedom camping issue on the Peninsula (ODT). Undertaking “Bylaw by trial” is not what’s required here and its a poor alternative to appropriate policy based on real evidence and research. The other issue is the fallacy that “there must be a demand” because of the people using Macandrew Bay as a camping site. That’s like saying all students are drunks because of the broken glass in the street. By creating the site at…

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Is the Annual Plan like Christmas?

Is the Annual Plan like Christmas?

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  It’s Local Government Annual Plan  season again, and regional and district councils across the country are preparing their annual plans for public consultation. Unlike Christmas the annual plan season is not something  that communities count down to with anticipation of lavish celebrations or expensive gifts. In fact local government annual planning is more akin to looking at the credit card bill after Christmas. Reading through the pages of charges and sighing that buying grandma a set of pearl handled revolvers instead of a…

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