Thursday 25 July 2013

LDS Trust Board Resource Applications

Please find below an email regarding resource consents for the former CCNZ campus from JodesP.


From: Alice.M XXX @hcc.govt.nzSubject: RE: LDS Trust Board Resource ApplicationsDate: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 04:54:58 +0000


I have checked with the Planning Guidance Unit and can advise that to date, no resource consent application has been received nor has the existing application for demolition of the dorms and health centre been requested to be taken off hold.
With regard to the further submissions to the Proposed District Plan process, they will be on Council Web page shortly. In the meantime, please contact Cameron McLeod and he will be able to assist you.

Regards Alice

From: JodesPSent: Wednesday, 24 July 2013 1:47 PMTo: Alice MorrisSubject: LDS Trust Board Resource Applications

Hi Alice,

Could you please advise if the LDS Trust Board has made any resource consents or re-instated the application for demolition of the boys dorms and health centre?

Also, might you advise when the further submissions will be available for public viewing ie online?

Thursday 18 July 2013

Auckland perspective of the Envisioning Meetings being held around NZ to 'drum up support'




Below is the perspective of an Auckland LDS (mormon) member who attended the Envisioning Meeting a few weeks ago. These are their comments below:


Comments:


These meetings have be held throughout New Zealand from Dunedin in the South Island. It is obvious they are drumming up support for their plans and then presenting this to the Presiding Bishopric, Quorum of 12, and First Presidency to state that the people of NZ support their plan. I thought we lived under a Theocracy, whereby the Brethren speak and we obey. But thisagenda is going from the people to the brethren to state we accept the plan.Strange!!!


The meeting was to show their plans for the new roading, homes and Stake Centre. A question was asked what numbers signified approval for such a Stake Centre. Kent Money stated that Temple View Stake met the criteria, yet when the Tamaki Stake, who were getting between 2,550 and 3,000 members attend their conference were downgraded to a small stake centre. Then the Area office were not convinced the numbers were correct sent some people from the Area Office to do the count and the number came to 3,000. How disgraceful this was when the brethren would not accept the count from the Stake President who is one who holds the Keys of the Priesthood. Let alone they had to have half the wards meet in the morning conference, and the other half meet in the afternoon. The Stake President went to conference and met with Bishop Burton, who also indicated they were not entitled to a larger chapel, but when he had his secretary bring the report on the stake to him, and viewing his numbers finally agreed to a bigger chapel.


Kent Money stated the Temple View Stake Centre would also act as a community centre for those stakes that were to use Hamon’s Bush for their activities. Anyway I am not convinced this stake centre will in fact materialize as they have planned.


Housing will start at $365,000.00 and more if the people wish to add more rooms. The Temple is going to go through a major refit at some time, which will be at least a couple of years out of action. With the land already secured for a possible Temple in Auckland, why would anyone want to move south. So most of the time was talking about the roading, housing and Harmon’s Bush development.


I asked Kent Money what did they have for plan B in the event the David O McKay was rejected for demolition. He stated that they will address that later, but that he said the CCNZ campus looked tired. Well cause it does because a simple coat of paint would restore it to looking immaculate. Kent also stated that seismic report showed that the David O McKay has a swaying problem. Is that all!!! I thought they said it was on land that is high in liquefaction. Also I reject this claim.


However I perceive that the Brethren are waiting for the Envision Group to come back to them with a report, which we all know will be fabricated. If we had the funds we should have an independent surveyor go through the report and be allowed on campus to do their findings.


When Dr Manahi Nitama Paewai (Doc Paewai), was a member of the original board of trustees, and even before the college opened, he suggested to the brethren that CCNZ should be a university and not a high school, because he stated, our education system in NZ was well in advance of many other countries. I know CCNZ will never be a high school again, but give thethought, it would be a great university. Students would be able to apply for student loans. The church would not be burdened with huge financial strain on their resources, and our young men and women would not have to go to Hawaii, but remain here and receive a high level of education. Food for thought.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Former CCNZ Campus Project: Non-Mormon frustrated and sees no possibility of progress with current Envision NZ Project

A meeting held on the 12th of July 2013 and hosted by the Hamilton City Council. 18 submitters were personally invited to attend by the co-authors of the Hamilton City Council Proposed District Plan, Mark Roberts and Alice Morris (City Planners)

The following notes were written by Andrew Bydder (see http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-bydder/16/908/772) who was in attendance as a submitter.



NOTES

The meeting was about the process (Resource Management Act) that needs to be followed to establish the process (District Plan) for dealing with a resource consent application. It is a long way from even attempting to find a solution.
I find that frustrating. I want to get on solve things!

But it is obvious that there is no common ground. The proposed structure plan still shows demolition of the heritage buildings, and a dramatic, incompatible change to the special character of the community.

Don White showed no indication of shifting his position, and continues to say the church has consulted and considered the views of all parties. As Liz Witehira pointed out, a cease and desist letter is not consultation or consideration. I see no possibility of progress by working with Don.

The submitters are deeply passionate and not going to give up, but have at least shown more readiness for compromise in previous meetings. HCC is caught in the middle.

So what happens now? I summarise my expectations:

HCC will not consider Temple View for growth or investment in the next 30 years. Even after that, it is unlikely. Other growth cells are committed to, and no funds are available. The Church trustees will not sell any land to another developer. They do not want to lose any control over it.
Therefore, the only new growth and infrastructure that could happen is via the trustees. The trustees have no desire to do any development. Their original plan was to turn the campus back into pasture.

The trustees have deliberately not shown any new school or childcare facility in their scheme plan.. Obviously such facilities could use the existing campus buildings. Their exclusion is deliberate to remove the rationale to retain campus buildings.
Yet such facilities are essential if the trustees were serious about new housing development. Therefore I conclude the trustees are not committed to their scheme plan.
The scheme plan is a smokescreen. The trustees are pretending to be offering a vision. The vision provides an excuse for demolishing the campus buildings. After that, there is no intention for the re-development to happen. This achieves the trustees' original outcome.

As Ann McEwan pointed out, there is an absence of considered structure planning within the proposed precincts. The trustees have a vague design guide to suggest new work will mimic the campus style. But there will be no new work. The trustees are just going through the motions.
Where is the market research to support the scheme plan? Where are the demographic studies to show the need? Where are the customer surveys to find out what people want in each zone? Where is the financial analysis? Where are the engineering reports on essential services? All they have to show is a google map covered with coloured shapes like a school project.. For an experienced property service, this is simply unprofessional – unless there
is no intention to build anything new.
There is a reasonable fit within the community for a retirement village catering for elderly Mormons. But this can easily be accommodated on the available land without demolition.
There is not the support base for retail, office, other uses – unless the residential expansion occurs – which won't happen unless there are educational facilities.

The only purpose of the scheme plan is to justify demolition. Any demolition will require resource consent under HCC's proposed District Plan. This needs to be notified, and will be opposed by iwi, heritage, and community. HCC can decline the consent (heritage is of national importance) or make the demolition conditional on new infrastructure for the scheme plan being installed prior to demolition – in effect stopping the process as the trustees have no intention of doing that.  The District Plan simply needs to include an infrastructure provision for development in that zone.
So what then?
The current Temple View community is special with a safe village atmosphere. But is it viable in the long term? Yes – if it has community facilities. A stake centre will provide some, but not all of what is needed. The campus buildings provide excellent community facilities, but if these are demolished or left derelict, then the trustees must commit to building new
ones or the community will not be viable.

The trustees have a choice:
* Stubbornly do nothing and damage a uniquely Mormon community, leaving derelict buildings as eyesores around the temple while the community declines;
* Stubbornly demolish heritage buildings only to spend tithed money on replacement facilities (poor fiscal responsibility and no intention to do so);
* Do an embarrassing about-face and restore heritage buildings to support a vibrant and expanding Mormon centre as a mission base for the South Pacific.

Frankly, what's so embarrassing about doing the right thing?

This last option is the best outcome but I fully expect the first option to occur. The good news is that the buildings were so well built by the missionaries that even with no maintenance, they will outlast Don White. Perhaps a change of leadership will bring less pride and stubborness.

Saturday 13 July 2013

MORAL COURAGE

Taking a Stand - Have Moral Courage For Your
        Family
With the benefit of hindsight, history books can sometimes simplify issues that have divided people over the years. One side comes out looking forward-thinking and right, while the other seems like shortsighted "bad guys." Thinking about controversies that face us today, however, makes it easier to see how hard it can be in the present to tell who is "right" and who is "wrong." Taking a stand in an issue like this is difficult, especially if your stance is not a popular one.
Mormons are encouraged to stand up for what they believe, regardless of prevailing opinion. It may not be easy, popular, or fun. Sometimes taking a stand means subjecting yourself to ridicule, slander or even physical abuse. In this kind of situation, a person can rely on the Lord to help them maintain their beliefs. He expects us to do what we believe is right in any situation, and He will help us have the moral courage to do it. It isn't enough to look away or to keep quiet. Looking away can sometimes be a sin in itself. We are acting as Jesus acted when we stand up for what we believe and take action.
INTERNET REFERENCE
http://mormon.org/values/choice

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Monday 8 July 2013

Steven E. Snow – consequences of poor stewardship.




Steven E. Snow – consequences of poor stewardship. 

 "Our generation, more than any other, has the ability to irretrievably change the land.  Financial rewards provide tremendous pressure to unleash our technology to reinvent our surroundings. There will be growth; change will come.  But failure to care for the land on which we live means turning our backs on a heritage laid down carefully and at such great cost by our forefathers – and will leave us immeasurably poorer.




Saturday 6 July 2013

‘Follow the Prophet’

“The admonition ‘follow the prophet’ is given with increasing frequency in the Mormon Church. Which is then transformed into a ritualistic slogan or mantra intended to stifle questions and differences of opinion and does not accord with a reasonable reading of the LDS scriptural account of the war in heaven where clearly agency was established prior to obedience among the laws on which our Plan of Salvation operates. When employed for leverage by overzealous leaders, the Church operates like any other human institution and is entitled only to the same presumption of qualified loyalty that we give other human institutions.”
- Armand L. Mauss

Armand Lind Mauss (born June 5, 1928) is an American sociologist specializing in the sociology of religion. He is professor emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Washington State University, is the most often published sociologist in the twentieth century of works on the Mormons, and is broadly recognized as one of the leading Mormon intellectuals of his generation. 

INTERNET REFERENCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_Mauss)