‘Just give $400,000’
Mayor: We know the problems and solutions

$400,000 is what the Takitumu Vaka Council needs to do its job effectively, Mayor Teariki Matenga said on Tuesday.
Matenga was responding the Internal Affairs Minister Hon Ngamau Munokoa’s recent call for greater efficiency from the Vaka Councils, or face the prospect of being dismantled.
Matenga says Takitumu Vaka Council’s annual budget is approximately $140,000. Of this about 70 per cent goes on personnel costs and 30 per cent on operational costs.
The council has a mayor, a chief administration officer who handles finance, an office clerk and nine councillors.
Council’s work involves: road cleaning, assisting community projects, involvement in disaster management and co-ordinating at the village level government initiatives.
In the past year council has been clearing streams. Difficult work, says Matenga.
There was plenty of debris still left over from the 2005 hurricanes. This work was urgent but sourcing funds was a problem. There was also the Kent Hall stream gabion project for which funding is being sought.
As to the nature of additional work council would like to undertake in the Vaka, Matenga said some examples were;
n maintenance of sports grounds
n tree trimming
n road repairs like fixing pot holes
n household rubbish removal
n maintaining and cleaning water intakes
n maintaining beautification projects
n structural repairs and maintenance of public/community buildings.
REPORT
The council submits a regular financial report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It meets monthly at the Kent Hall and pays a fee of $100 for each meeting held there.
Matenga says the Mayor does not have an “office” so he works from home or his workshop. He finds this arrangement most practicable for the moment.
When the budget allows, he will be seeking to centralise the council’s administration at one facility.
The long term plan is to base the council’s administration at the new development proposed for Pa Ariki.
Matenga is not impressed with the Ministry’s proposal to bring in an overseas expert-Terry Parker - to upskill councilors and create efficiencies. Parker is a regional advisor on local government capacity building for the Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific Project which is based in Suva, Fiji.
SOLUTIONS
Matenga says Parker’s visit is not necessary because the problems and the solutions are already known:
- Government failed to establish clear operational guidelines and distinguish tasks and responsibilities. ‘
- If any needs analysis was done, it was clearly flawed as evidenced by the lack of resources and also finance to perform functions effectively.
Matenga suspects the threat to dismantle the Vaka Councils is more to do with MPs and Minister’s perception their influence was eroding.
Matenga says that in communities, times have changed and government must realise this. People no longer turn out in numbers for community projects because many are too busy trying to make a living. These days people now expect to be paid for working and few are prepared to work for nothing.
Despite the difficulties and problems Matenga says the people in the Vaka want their Council retained.

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