Consultation - what's that ?

Despite claims by Ruapuna management that Templeton residents "had every opportunity to make submissions " not one resident did.
Why ? Because not one resident knew about the proposed rule change.
Why ? Because other parties involved in the rule change did NOT have the common decency or civic mindedness to directly inform the local community that the rule change was in the pipeline.

Members of the various Ruapuna Car Clubs , who could have, in some cases, walked across the road to the homes of residents who have lived alongside their track for decades, didn't even give them the courtesy of a letter , or an item in the small community newsletter.
Christchurch City Council and our Community Board didn't alert locals to the fact that a MotorRacing track had applied to extend their hours of operation and increase their permitted noise levels.
City Council and Community Board didn't advocate on behalf of residents and ratepayers in this area . They listened to submissions that spoke of the need to make NOISE and completely forgot( ?) that residents would have to listen to this noise.

It seems that once this had happened once then it was OK to keep doing it. As if the rule change wasn't bad enough, in 2001 some bright spark had a really DUMB idea. lets spend $70,000 on a "burnout pad " and situate it at Ruapuna....(way to look after the environment guys ! ) Locals called a meeting to oppose it. Hundreds of them turned out to voice their opposition and at the end of the meeting they were promised that they would have a chance to make submissions about it. A month later they got a letter telling them the burnout pad was "non notifiable " - tough luck !
( The burnout Pad has been used about 3-4 times since 2001 - way to waste ratepayers money guys ! )

More recently a resident in this area was alerted to the fact that No Stopping signs were going to be placed outside homes in Hasketts Road - " to save Ruapuna money on traffic management ".... " consultation has taken place ...with Ruapuna and the Templeton Golf Club "
NOT with locals outside whose homes these signs were to be placed !
They consulted the people who were directly and financially benefitting from the signs - and a Golf Club . The only part of the Golf Course affected was the BACK of the course , not the frontage, or the entranceway but the BACK of the course. But those people who actually LIVE in the area and who would most affected by a No Stopping sign outside their properties were not consulted at all !
After hearing of the proposal affected locals had two days to write letters opposing it.
In the end, the signs were not put up outside their homes but if an alert resident from Awatea hadn't spotted this travesty and alerted locals then it would have been yet another example of Council appalling lack of consultation with this community.
We're not sure how much this exercise cost , but most weekends you can drive past these No Stopping signs - and have a chuckle at all the cars parked in and around them.
Way to waste ratepayers money guys !
The lack of consultation with local residents is an indictment on this Council and makes a mockery of it's 'visions' and 'commitments to consult". 
Where are our local Representatives in all of this ? Councillors and Community Board Members ? They're ALL paid to look out for the interests of those who, after all, pay their wages and yet they're very quiet. Remember them when you need get a glossy leaflet asking you to vote for them.