Apologies issued after residents caught off guard by bollards decision

Some Mid Canterbury residents have been blindsided by a decision hailed by Ashburton councilors as a compromise.

Hakatere Huts residents who are part of a task force focused on issues at Upper Hakatere Reserve in Mid Canterbury were shocked to see a decision had been made.

The task force was formed after residents protested the closure of the Upper Hakatere reserve to camping and the installation of charging stations in February 2023.

Residents were shocked to discover the council recently made a decision on a recommendation they never agreed to.

Following questions from Local Democracy Reporting, Ashburton District Council chief executive Hamish Riach has apologised, accepting a report to the council “contained an inaccuracy”.

“He said the task force had arrived at a recommended position on the markers and campground at the Upper Hakatere Reserve and I now know that is not true,” Riach said.

“The working group has not yet managed to reach a consensus point of view.

“Given the council’s decision was based on an inaccurate report, we have decided to ask the working group to meet again and the outcome of this meeting will be relayed to councilors at a meeting in August.

“This will allow the council to reconsider the current decision with full and precise knowledge of the position of the working group.”

The council erected bollards blocking vehicle access from the grassed area in February 2023.

Residents filed a petition earlier this year calling for the bollards to be removed and the area restored as a campsite.

A working group, comprising councillors Russell Ellis, Tony Todd and Richard Wilson, and Hakatere represented by Gary Clancy TJ Jonker and Sheryl Hendriksen, met to find a solution and then arranged a site visit.

As a result of these meetings, a recommendation to reposition the markers to improve access to the picnic area while continuing to prohibit camping was approved by council last Wednesday.

The Hakatere trio who sat on the task force were stunned to learn the next day that a recommendation had even been tabled by the council.

Clancy said he was surprised to hear a decision had been made, as residents were under the impression the task force would meet again to finalize a proposal.

“We are waiting for an invitation to another meeting, so learning of a decision is a surprise.”

They had made a verbal commitment that they believed was “absolutely clear” that there would be a follow-up meeting, but instead the process was carried through to completion without their knowledge.

“Disappointing and shameful”

“It is very disappointing and shameful to see the council go back on that commitment and make a decision without even having the courtesy of letting us know that a decision was being made.”

As for the decision itself, the resolution is not what the majority of residents were hoping for, he said.

The petition, signed by 94 residents, called for the removal of the markers and the restoration of camping in the reserve.

“A repositioning is not a withdrawal, so we did not get what we asked for.

“The main thing was vehicle access to the grass.”

Resident representatives on the working group were “never mandated to negotiate a compromise,” he said.

Following Wednesday’s decision, Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said the task force had fulfilled its role of finding a solution, “which is always better than the alternative of no solution”.

Councilor Phill Hooper agreed it was a “fair compromise”.

Wilson said it was a difficult process, but they knew they had to make a decision and he hoped the community could accept the resolution as “a good outcome.”

LDR is local journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.