Wednesday, 17 June 2026 14:25

Great Idea!

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing skilled and properly equipped locals to help councils clear debris and reopen roads after severe weather events.

His inspiration was a Scottish local council that made BBC headlines by calling on individuals and communities to take more responsibility for their roads during weather events.

Warren reckons New Zealand needs to have the same attitude, and doing so would save ratepayers significantly.

"Ratepayers should be demanding efficiency and using local machinery on or near the spot to do critical work rather than forking out thousands for a contractor to come and do what a farmer could do in 10 minutes," he said.

Great idea, although it'll likely come a gutser as soon as the H&S clipboard carriers at the council get involved!

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