T-Shirt Day at the NPDC. Copies of our speeches for Rates Increases and their Implications - Presented to the NPDC today.

Sheridan's Speech Below. Kevins Speech to the right as photos.

Good Afternoon.

I need to say to MOST of you today that you are so out of touch with the people you represent. Some of you are doing what you think is best - but I want to talk about how what you are doing is disrupting and disturbing people’s lives and causing chaos across town.

Even the people you think you are doing the right thing by - are suffering under your watch.

How do I know this ?  I am a member of the New Plymouth District Ratepayers Alliance and we regularly receive around 100,000 views a month on our Facebook Page, and as we have grown with supporters, we have also grown with people contacting us about struggles due to Council decisions.

After people have tried talking with the Council and your system – and had a somewhat disinterested response – they come to us and tell their story.

My presentation today is about what they are telling us.

You talk about how important it is to spend all this money today to take care of future generations – to make sure they have a FAIR future.

But what about the generation of kids you are destroying the lives of TODAY - because you are destroying the livelihoods of their parents. You are so proud lower earning families pay a lower factor for rates than families from wealthy suburbs - but the rate increase for low income families is still well above inflation.

Do you people around this table not know what inflation does in a low income family home ?

IF they are working -

• They are likely earning minimum wage - with less hours work a week than they would like.
• Pay rises are likely to be the few cents an hour the government legislates.
• Employers offering these roles are highly unlikely to offer pay increases - because their margins are so small
• Increasing wages directly relates to letting other staff go, or the Employer will have no income left for themselves.

Your rates increases to these low income families is triple the rate of inflation. After a government minimum wage increase they will get about $12 a week more in their hand. That $12 has to cover ALL their increases to live, as well as their rates. It is not enough.

Are any of you aware how many people in New Plymouth are working less hours than they were before Covid. Have you seen the stats that many Kiwi’s no longer have jobs with full time hours - they now only work part time.

Do you not realise these people, and in particular the ones with mortgages and kids, are struggling to even put food on the table for their families ? Yet you charge on with spending.

How many of you have been for a walk down the main street lately to see how many shops have closed. Do you not realise how many households that has affected as businesses have quietly gone under - and the quiet agony a family goes through - as they lose their income.

And - the number of employees and their families - who also lose their income when a business closes. They have been let go as not enough customers are out spending money.

Have any of you thought about how many things the kids caught up in this decline are missing out on with life RIGHT NOW – due to the decisions being made around this council table.

How many of you have had a look at the situations vacant here - and how little is on offer for all these people now looking for work.

Have you stopped to think how many small retail and hospo outlets - that are still open - are barely scrapping in a wage for themselves and their kids ?

When you increased parking fees and removed car parks - to get people out of their cars - and put in hard to use new parking meters - did you not care this would stop people who still had money from going to town to shop ?

Lawyers across town are meeting with ratepayers weekly, in tears, because of the large rates increases you have created for them. They are hoping their lawyer can find a miracle to restructure their affairs so they can afford to keep their home.

How many of you who are constantly voting yes to spending – have thought about the pensioners on a fixed income.

They are paying for increases for:

• Rates
• Insurance
• Food
• Power
• Every line item on their budget has gone up.
• They have no room to move.

This generation made all their retirement income plans long before you people brought in proposals to increase their rates by 48% over 2 years. There is not a wage earner on the planet who could prepare for that situation for after they retire.

And despite comments from some elected officials - most of these pensioners do not have unlimited money to fall back on. Most have a small sum to last them 20+ years. Money they saved by going without many things during their working lives.

We have heard from multiple pensioners they can’t sleep nights as their pension isn’t enough to pay their rates and live week to week - and they are going to have to sell their home. The home they planned all their working life to enjoy in their retirement years. You have taken away their security - and the last of the best years of their life. Shame on you.

You are NOT taking care of future generations – you are destroying the lives of families you were put in place to take care of - NOW – in the present day.

Coming back to the elected officials, and the management team, making the decisions that are so badly affecting this community – Did any of you discuss how to protect your community from the obvious financial aftermath expected from Covid ?

It is your job to understand how financial events will affect your community. Why were so many projects - and debt - included in the 2024 Long Term Plan when all predictions fully expected increased inflation and job losses.

Why do you charge on with these plans when your community is telling you they can’t afford them ?

So, to finish:

I am asking you - after listening to this today:

• To have an extra ordinary Council meeting to discuss the negative situations you have created for you community
• Put ON HOLD everything that does not already have a contract assigned to it
• and
• Take no more actions to increase debt until the people of New Plymouth have voted in October.

The people have been telling you for over 2 years – they do NOT want this debt – they do NOT want an increase in their rates – and they do NOT want all this unnecessary spending.

You haven’t been listening – TODAY – you need to listen – as you are misrepresenting what so many from your community want from you – including the people you have a misguided belief you are helping.

This is what the people are telling us.