New Zealand may fund Puaikura jetty

In talks with New Zealand Minister Mccully last week, the discussions included the much touted jetty proposed for Puaikura. Minister McCully is said to be willing to have NZ fund the project on condition that several difficult issues are agreed to.
Apart from identifying the perfect location, Minister McCully and his counterpart Minister William ‘Smiley’ Heather want to have reassurances that the community agrees to the location and if so, that no adverse social and environmental impacts will come out of the project.
The discussion came about because McMully has indicated that NZ is willing to provide an agreed sum provided they can identify which particular location is best for the project. The issue being that the preferred location is for the natural channel in Puaikura which is directly opposite the CICC church. The school is also located there as is the Aroa Nui community hall and fire station. Verbal assurances have been made by some officials that Tinomana Ariki(by virtue of her position as the Ariki) has been approached and agrees to the location, in principle, and now the question needs to be put to the local community.
Concerns are that the uses are bound to clash with such questions as if and when the cruise ship arrives on a Sunday – and having hundreds of people milling around and being bussed out while the church is in service.
During school weeks, there is bound to be increased security services to deal with the international passengers and will in all likelihood impact on the access of the children to their own school grounds. Another two locations in the Oire are also being considered – one being 200 meters from the school and the other is the Rutaki passage.
These are weighty questions and Minister Heather is not prepared to sign off on the project until he is convinced that the landowners and community agree to the project in the first place, the location and then the environment impact assessment needed and so on.
The Minister and his aides plan to visit the sites over the next few days.

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