HOROWHENUA LAKE ACCORD CLEANUP 2013

THE ACCORD PROCESS

With the Council now seeking an Accord to clean up the Lake local Iwi have now banded together to form a community team to assist in the clean up with Pare Raukawa whose lands are affected on the Hokio Stream. Some members of the Lake Trustees tried to pass the Accord and have it signed as they were in for jobs of course. These Lake Trustees are attempting to do the same again yet will not seek direction from the owners in the Lake nor answer and seek a meeting of owners. The Mayor of course wants a signing to take place so he can get funding but theres no plan DATES OR WORK SET in this Accord.

First of all to start any cleanup the contamination must be stopped entering the Lake and those taken top task yet the Council are not doing this.

Below is the secret memo going around yet its not in the Levin Chronicle? We wonder why but then a Panui on Wed 26th June 2013 stated the below addres is now Sunday 7th July 2013 10-2pm at Kawiu Marae, Kawiu Rd, Levin.

Lake Horowhenua Trust: The elected representatives of lake's owners although many owners and we say at least 1200 owners are not even informed or know about this. But as at June2013 the Lake Trustees seem to be running around in circles with secret meetings for those they think they can sway. What is supposed to be on the Internet is actually nowhere to be found as there is no link available of the above?.

Remember 4 Trustees are not even owners including the new Chair person??? so us owners are now being told what is going to happen with our lake. Yes OK some of you may be asked but then some have asked for a meeting of owners and still they dodge this topic----sign first meet after. The Lake Lobby Group can give Sword and Trust copies of the updates why cannot Sword respond instead of having these meetings ---what about dialogue meeting each other??. The Lake Trust has offered zero solutions in the years they have been in office. In fact they would not have a clue. All the Accord partners are the polluters? Would you work with a bunch who can out vote you & stretch a plan to clean the Lake over 25 years when it can be done in 2-5 years? Would you work with a Trust who has done nothing all these years? Would you work with this trust if you knew their motives why they are Trustees? Maybe ask who is paying the lawyer for their current Court bebacle to remove our buildings? Ask where are the minutes ALL owners can get a copy of? Ask each Trustee what they consider the 10 priority solutions with this Lake & get maybe 1 out of 10 right? ALL OWNERS MUST Ask questions?

The lake, along with a 20 metre strip around its edge, is owned by the owners, the majority of which are of the Mauapoko iwi but to date in June 2013 they have come up with no methods in place apart from some who are on the Domain Board wanting jobs. The Lake Trust want to sign then talk about what to do but read the Accord and you will see how flawed it is. No mention of dredging the "Giant toilet" and as one Trustee mentioned they will sign then decide what to do????& now the Chairman wants to do the same--remembetr this Chairman is not even an owner.

Will we have a situation like this with either the Lake Lobby Group vs Lake Trustees

IN THE FINAL CLEANUP OUTCOME:

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PROPOSED PLAN CLEANUP

The problem is the toxic sediment on the bottom of the Lake that must be removed and the following is how this can be achieved according to the budget provided. Over the decades, heavy metals and toxic organic chemicals--both municipal and industrial wastes and herbicides and pesticides from farm runoff--have mixed with the particles of rock, soil, and decomposing items in the Lake. Little attention has been paid to the toxics hiding in the mud on the bottom. The obvious first priority was stopping the discharge of new contaminants.

It has been 62 years that Horowhenua Lake has had sediment, sewerage and contaminants from dairy & horticulture in this Lake ? The Lake is choked with weed, sediment and manures from horticulture and dairy farm run offs account for 50% of the water runoff and this Lake is No 107 of a total 114 most contaminated Lakes in NZ by the Ministry of the Environment. Once rich in food sources from mussels to kakahi it has now been reduced to a contaminated mess.

Horizons have studied the fish species in the Lake but this is not the problem. The problem is the Lake is a giant toilet that someone forgot to flush. The Council do not care as they can spend all sorts on removing the weed etc which will do nothing. The real problem is to remove the sludge which is easy but even Max Gibbs the NIWA analyst could not even mention as the number 1 & 2 priority after Monitoring of the inlets to prevent any more toxic sediment turbidity entering. To us its a rush job of who can get the work and blow it out to 25 years??? and then maybe never.

Larry.N.Mitchell. Finance & Policy Analyst. Larry produces this league table for the 67 local authorities in NZ. It measures economic sustainability and affordability but check it out and you will get a shock at what Horowhenua District Council is doing & now wants to spew more sewerage waste in Shannon but not on their $4m farm they just bought- June 2013??.

(Local Government). PO Box 404 103, Puhoi 0951, Auckland, NZ. Ph 09 422 0598 Mobile 0274 792 328.

Click here to download the 2nd to worst District

Council in NZ---yes Horowhenua District Council has won the prize [OPEN pdf: ]

Horowhenua District Council are second to last in the NZ League Council polls right above Kaipara?? Levin 7th July at 2pm over 216 people came to listen to Larry Mitchell speaking on the District Councils financials etc at the in Levin. The Council has featured so favourably in the Council polls; near last. Are they heading for last place or will they somehow creep up the polls without anyone knowing. The meeting on the 7th July was excellent with a good listening rate payers and community --- of course Council were nowhere in sight to voice their opinions to the questions put forward???? They showed no interest or are mummed in speaking so remember this when you vote just as the Levin Chronicle media are mummed by not accepting certain Letters to the Editor.

Larry Mitchells July 2013 council report

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