There were school principals, passionate community hall users, museum supporters and even primary school students at the Central Otago District Council Long Term Plan (LTP) hearings yesterday.

Council considered submissions on the LTP (2025-2034), and spent the day listening to 72 speakers both in person and online, to determine the direction of the district for the next 10 years.

The proposed divestment of up to 26 community halls and buildings - including a significant majority in the Maniototo, brought many passionate pleas for council to rethink their proposal.

Naseby Vision member Dave Brady said most communities were not set up to run their assets, and losing council support for their general store would have a detrimental effect on the town.

Saying it was “disingenuous" to add the divestment of halls to the LTP, he encouraged the council to reject the proposal outright.

The Patearoa community felt the same way about theirs - Michelle Bissett telling council that with no school and the pub on the market, where else could people in the community meet?

“You are gutting the heart of rural communities.”

Garry Price and David Hurd spoke on behalf of the Ophir Welfare Committee and said asking 50 to 60 residents to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining their memorial hall was unfair. 

Year 7 and 8 students from Poolburn School made a special trip to Alexandra to present their submission in person.

The school relied on the Poolburn-Moa Creek hall as an extension of their two classrooms, for prizegivings, a talent show and disco, and the wider community used it for birthdays, weddings and 21st’s.

One student brought Cr Lynley Claridge to tears with her comments “you can feel the walls combusting with thousands of memories.”

Council was already talking to many community groups about acquiring their halls and buildings to maintain the on-going operational maintenance - to take the burden off ratepayers.

Next week (May 20), council will meet again to consider all of the submissions and consultation items - including other important issues such as the future of community pools in Alexandra and Roxburgh.

Draft budgets would be amended prior to the material being presented to Audit New Zealand. 

The final audit would commence on Monday May 26, and the LTP presented at the June 25 meeting for adoption - where the rates would also be set for the year.

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