Whatever the reason, we’re surrounded by the results of poor long-term planning. Obvious examples in Kerikeri are the CBD roading and sewerage reticulation.
Our release last month of Kerikeri Retirement Village’s long-term plan has been well received pretty much universally. Of course, unpredictable and variable factors such as changes to legislation, technology, funding and timing mean that it’s unlikely to roll out in precisely the way we currently envisage. But the exercise achieved what it was designed to achieve; it informed our community and kick-started discussions about the infrastructure needed to handle adequately the Silver Tsunami heading our way.
We also hope it will encourage other organisations to share their long-term plans so infrastructure providers such as FNDC, Top Energy, Chorus, Far North Holdings, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Northland DHB and others could factor these into their longer-term planning.
The point is: ‘mend and make do’ simply won’t cut it any longer. For the good of the entire region we all need to be planning now for a thriving provincial city of Kerikeri, home to 30,000 people by 2040.
