David Hick

Well said, Keith Melville, in Wednesday’s Beacon regarding not abandoning Tāneatua.

At least Keith called it for what it is. His comments also reinforced a point I made in an earlier opinion piece about Awakeri, June 10, “Rethinking Growth”.

These aren’t isolated issues. They raise a bigger question about experience versus expertise.

Councils quite rightly employ experts. But expertise isn’t the same thing as experience.

Councils also regularly “engage” with ratepayers. But by the time a proposal reaches the public consultation stage, the experts have often spent months developing it and, in my view, pretty well locked in the solution.

Perhaps we need to hear from the people who have lived with these issues for decades before the experts have finished drawing the plans.

The council has a youth council, which is a great idea. But perhaps there is also room for a few “village elders”, people with long Eastern Bay roots, local knowledge and plenty of life experience.

Council staff come and go. For some, Whakatāne may simply be another career step.

But some of us oldies have been here long enough to remember what worked, what didn’t and, sometimes, importantly, why.

Not all oldies are moaners.

Perhaps experience deserves a seat at the table alongside expertise.