Wow – what a huge coincidence with the Global Covenant of Mayors story.

Wow – what a huge coincidence with the Global Covenant of Mayors story.

We wrote to the Mayor and the NPDC on Sunday 13^th April, so their inboxes on Monday morning would have our concerns about the Global Covenant of Mayors.

On Tuesday 15^th April the NPDC Your Say page has an update for the Climate Adaptation Plan ready for our feedback.

Perhaps that was happening anyway ? What an extremely uncanny situation.

It has been suggested to us that the “NPDC Your Say programme” keeps changing it’s name as people who send answers that the NPDC don’t want to hear get dropped off by setting up a new group. We would hate to think that is how the system would work.

We would question why every single ratepayer in New Plymouth doesn’t receive notice that submissions are open when these important decisions need to be made.

The NPDC knows how to get hold of every single ratepayer, as they certainly chase them up if they miss a rate payment.

So why isn’t every single ratepayer receiving notice there are submissions open for feedback, if they really do want to know what the Community thinks ?

We’ve seen what a major alteration in traffic design has done to one area of New Plymouth, which is negatively affecting hundreds of people’s travelling arrangements every day.

• We have a supporter who has shared with us the Kapiti Coast Ratepayers’ experience of removing people from homes by the sea, and insurance for homes that remain by the sea, or in high risk areas – also a climate change adaptation initiative.
• Moving away from risk is mentioned in the “Your Say” feedback document for New Plymouth – along with a number of other changes to the way you now live.

This is an opportunity to “Have Your Say” – but it’s also an opportunity to influence the normal feedback numbers – by a large number of our supporters raising the concerns they have about how these proposed changes by local politicians really play out in our daily lives.

Below is the link to the Have Your Say document – which closes on 15^th May:

This is a submission document - so - No swearing or nasty comments, or they will throw your feedback out.

Bearing in mind, from the stories we’ve covered so far, we know cycleways have:

• Had the majority of people who provided feedback to NPDC not support them
• They have dropped property values significantly on the roads they have been installed on through the loss of carparks near homes for visitors, tradies, etc
• They have removed significant carparks for businesses on those routes, so they have experienced a loss of income. (We are aware of several shop owners who have been in tears with the decrease in customers either while work has been carried out, or carparks removed, or time limits decreased).

That’s just cycleways, there are a lot more climate change initiatives discussed in the attached feedback document.

• We don’t know if the GCoM influence with “Urban Transition” is actually behind any of this Adaptation Planning. The GCoM is not mentioned on this feedback page either.
• Adaptation and Mitigation are mentioned as “badges” on the New Plymouth GCoM page. Is this feedback document full of future surprises for New Plymouth Ratepayers and Renters ?

PS. This form goes straight to the NPDC so we don’t see what people really had to say.

If you are able to keep a screenshot copy, if we need to find out numbers of how our supporters voted, that may be a handy thing to do, before you send your response.

P.P.S We also just wanted to let you know we've had over 20,000 views of the GCoM story on our Facebook Page in 2 days. We've also had people from our e-mail list get in touch, and write to the NPDC. Everyone is doing a great job of sharing this story.

Thanks so much for the support.