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EDITORIAL: Dec 3,2002

“Do more of what you do, get more of what you get”.
     An old adage no doubt but one the ‘new’ council needs to be aware of. In areas of constant indecision, precedent is being established; particularly unalterable when it reinforces the errors of the Government dismissed previous Council.
    Specific example?  The failure to take action over the hours of forestry operation traffic in areas Council has permitted to become “Lifestyle” domestic housing.
    At this point in time the disturbed residents live in Puhoi and Krippner road; their complaints make them sound as ‘niggling’ and ‘tiresome’ to those who will shortly find out why -- “when a forest opens near you”.
    Despite these complaints, councillors vacillate. They have been advised they ‘do not have the power to control” trucking, they say. Yet the Courts have ordered in favour of Moirs Hill residents and Bylaw powers provided by Central Government  (See Bylaws) would appear to be a method -- if willing.
    Trucking company owners are laughing all the way to the bank.  Meanwhile it seems to be that “an orchestrated cacophony of lies” is the basis by which the ‘new’ council continues to be kept in line.
    For those currently affected from SH1 to Goods Forest in Krippner Road, a stream of vehicles including rattling empty logging trucks wakens Puhoi residents soon after 5am.  Krippner Rd Assn monitoring sees evidence that the decisions on this time are not the responsibility of the truck drivers -- who must earn their livings and do as instructed) -– as Paragon Trucking owners would like to have council and residents believe. The first vehicle this morning (Dec 3) typically arriving at the forest at 5.30am was the loader.  He was obviously preorganised to meet and load the first truck, which arrived 10 minutes later and left loaded before 6am. A second arrived 11 minutes after the first and left 30 minutes later. Not preorganised for an early start? And nothing like the promises trucking owners made to Mayor and Krippner Road committee.
   Unless bylaws balancing the justifiable commercial trucking operations with sleep and social rights of Ratepayers are put in place now, the uproar as forestry comes on line all round will have Voters once again blaming the Mayor and Councillors for the mental stress they are facing. “The evil men do lives after them, the good is often interred with their bones”. 
                           PER Managing Editor