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We featured the following comments on the front page of the TawaLink website on 14th August 2006 at the time of the Wellington City Council's (or should that be Councillors') attempts to disestablish (get rid of) the Tawa Community Board:
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NOT MUCH TIME TO SAVE THE BOARD
The Tawa Community Board was set up in 1989. The intention was for it to provide the representation Tawa lost when it was forcibly amalgamated with Wellington. As nothing has changed in that regard, most of us believe that Tawa is being treated unfairly over the proposed removal of the board.
The City Council's website acknowledges that Tawa's history is unique - thus the establishment of the community board - and local residents still see Tawa being somewhat 'independent' of Wellington, a feeling reinforced by its geographical separation. There's a strong suspicion that Tawa could well become 'the forgotten suburb' without a community board to keep its interests in front of Council.
Councillors argue that it's unfair for Tawa to have a community board when other parts of Wellington don't. Our response is to give other Wellington communities their own boards, as is the case with Auckland and Christchurch. If Councillors don't like that idea (and it's not necessarily in their own interests), it's hardly reasonable to then act like the dog in the manger and endeavour to take away Tawa's board.
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