I thought Bob Wichman had retired!
In reality old politicians never actually retire, they just can’t help interviewing their own keyboard and then go on about “our politicians”.
In Bob “which way“ Wichman’s latest epistle in the Times, he tells us all that the Burswood busway scheme is ridiculous and riles against the whole idea of buses but previously it was all okay so long as they ploughed through all the industrial and commercial businesses lining Ti Rakau Drive through Burswood.
It’s a little late to be shouting at the moon Bob, with the Panmure to Pakuranga section completed and if anyone was in in a position of influence during that time, it was you with a long career in local body politics.
This is the same man who was a councillor in the old Manukau City Council 20 years ago that rallied in support of double rating the work from home units in Burswood claiming that “they can afford it, they are running businesses”.
The Multi Rating Action Group was set up to fight paying double rates for dual use residential and commercial properties (the Wastewater charge was actually triple the rate). We fought on the basis of proportional rating the use of the property under a single title. The Local Government Rating Act stated that a separately used or inhabited part of a title could be separately rated unless they were contiguous (which means joined and used as one).
In simple terms, we maintained that Manukau City Council was acting illegally due to the contiguous nature of our units and that proportional rating was legal, double rating was not.
In a classic David versus Goliath battle, we won. We took the argument to Parliamentary Select Committee and the multi-rating was dropped and proportional rating adopted and was carried over as it is today under the new Super City.
It was no thanks to good old captain sensible Councillor Bob Wichman though and his cabal of Manukau money grabbers. Our only two champions were the late Dick Quax and Len Brown.
Ironically, this is highly relevant today as working from home has become the norm. Imagine Aucklanders waking up to find their rates have suddenly doubled for using their home now “commercially“.
So getting back to Bob’s busway bee in his bonnet, I truly feel sorry for those people losing their homes and forced to take a pay-out and move and, yes Bob, we all see the desolate bus lanes with the shiny new double decker with the sole passenger on it but you are a little late to the party there with your letter.
What you could do to have a voice is stand for election for your local community and really get your voice heard with those who have the levers of power.
Oh that’s right, you tried that.
Malcolm Anderson, Burswood
