Liz Witehira Submission 2013

IN THE MATTER of the Resource Management Act

1991

AND

IN THE MATTER OF the submissions of Elizabeth Patricia

Witehira on the proposed Hamilton

District Plan

STATEMENT OF

ELIZABETH PATRICIA WITEHIRA

19 November 2013

1. Introduction

1.1 My name is Elizabeth (Liz) Witehira. I am a long time resident of Hamilton City and lived in

Temple View for approximately 20 years. I am a business administrator and currently work

for Hamilton Girls’ High School as Director of Boarding.

1.2 By way of background, my parents joined the Church in Australia and sold all they had to

move to New Zealand to be part of the Labour Missionary programme and have their

children educated at Church College.

1.3 After the 2006 closure of Church College was announced my husband and I were

approached to be part of a group making suggestions for re-purposing of the facilities. I

met often with the Area President at the time, Elder Spencer Condie. He encouraged me

to continue proposing re-purposing options. As part of this group, which included some

high ranking Church leaders, I prepared comprehensive information and proposals for the

Area Presidency relating to establishing a special character school for years 1-13 at the

old CCNZ site so that Koromatua School, which is located approximately 4 kilometres

south west of Temple View with approximately 300 students at the time, could relocate

E Witehira Submissions to Hamilton City Council PDP November 2013 –

into Temple View as 95% of its students live in Temple View but either walk or bus to

school. The then Minister of Education expressed an interest in considering such a

proposal as part of an ‘Integrated Schools’ programme. However, when we arranged for

the Minister to visit the CCNZ site his visit was declined by the Board.

1.4 We were involved in the process around implementation of Variation 7. I along with other

members of the Temple View Heritage Society met with various representatives of

Hamilton City Council, including Mayor Bob Simcock, and local Members of Parliament to

ensure that a democratic process was followed.

1.5 When Elder Condie returned to America however, Elder David Baxter became the Area

President and took a completely different view to Elder Condie. He issued my husband

and I with a cease and desist letter, essentially threatening our Church membership.

1.6 It is important to acknowledge that Church members contribute to the ongoing growth and

development of the Church as a charitable organisation. The Trust Board members who

administer the real estate assets at Temple View are stewards of the contributions made

by those who donate to the Church. As such it is imperative that any decision relating to

the use of donated funds is made wisely and with sensitivity to the affected community.

1.7 The process followed to date however has seen inaccurate and insensitive information

being included in applications to Hamilton City Council, limited information released to the

affected community, religious coercion and scare tactics to intimidate people affected by

the decisions being made.

2. Proposed District Plan

2.1 If we think back 15 years when the current Operative District Plan was being considered,

there was no thought at all that we would today be considering rules and structure plans

about land use in Temple View. This was a settled community that appeared to have been

built for inter-generational purposes. However, what was then never thought possible is

now on the table. Decisions made today will have an impact for years to come. For this

reason I submit that a careful and considered approach be taken to repair the rift that has

ensued as a result of the process followed to date.


2.2 To sustainably manage any proposed changes to the assets administered by the Trust

Board (particularly where a proposal may include sale of large tracts of land to private

property developers) satisfactory rules must be implemented to ensure that the affected

community is given an opportunity to express their views without coercion. Currently many

people in the community are not fully aware of the Board’s long-term plans because only

partial information has been disclosed to people who have been asked to support the

Board’s proposals presented in religious meetings at chapels throughout the country.

2.3 Hamilton City Council has a legal requirement to sustainably manage any proposed

changes to the special character of Temple View and in accordance with urban design

protocols this includes sustainable management of cultural wellbeing.

2.4 Cultural wellbeing can only be achieved where a community is provided with full

disclosure and accurate information about any proposed development and then given an

opportunity to make submissions through a transparent and robust process. To date this

has not occurred and I submit that it is the duty of Hamilton City Council to ensure that a

sustainable, transparent and robust process is implemented forthwith.

2.5 In this regard I would like to state that there is no personal gain in doing what we are

doing. We do not have the financial backing of a multinational organization, we have not

been promised discounted land deals or paid positions within the Church. We have simply

seen an injustice and spoken up. This has resulted in a rift with people we have know for a

long time and quite surprisingly we have even been mocked by certain Council staff.

3. Chapter 5 – Special Character – Submission Points

3.1 The current proposal for mixed use CDP on a small tract of land which may result in the

removal of historic buildings, with land sold to a private property developer for high density

residential and commercial development and perhaps building of a stake centre to replace

use of the David O. McKay and other historic buildings does not, in my view, maintain or

enhance the special character of Temple View as required by Section 5 of the Proposed

District Plan.


3.2 I submit that Chapter 5 be strengthened to increase the scope of the Character Area /

Comprehensive Development Plan requirements currently identified in 5.1.4.2 Temple

View Special Character Area to include all property bordering the Heritage Area, not just

the small tract of land that is currently identified. This would provide for identification and

purposing of areas around the Heritage Area to create a long term plan to maintain and

enhance the special character and needs of the Temple View community moving forward.

3.3 Clauses 5.2.7h and 5.2.7j should be retained to provide for adequate protection and

maintenance of existing structures while a long term CDP relating to all land around the

Heritage Area can be completed;

3.4 We must bear in mind that as the Board has now indicated its intention to sell the land

identified in the Character Area to a private property developer, there may be such an

intention for all other land surrounding the Heritage Area;

3.5 Given the move to now start selling portions of Temple View to private developers, is there

a likelihood that the Temple may be closed and all the surrounding land sold to fund a

newer and lower operating-cost Temple in another area such as Auckland (where land

has been set aside for a Temple). One must ask whether or not this is actually the long

term plan for the Temple View community and whether the promises of new houses and

new church buildings are just an attempted rort.

3.6 Currently the Board has an investment in the Temple View community because of the

historic buildings. If however Hamilton City Council allows for the special character of

Temple View to be so dramatically altered by destruction of the historic structures, the

Church will have little reason to retain an active part in the Temple View community.

3.7 Is it possible that within the next 15-20 years the special character of Temple View could

cease to exist? If the historic buildings are allowed to be removed, property developers

attempt a property development with no community assets and the Temple closed what

special character would Temple View retain. It would in fact be no different than any other

suburb of Hamilton. Do we know if this is the intended plan? No. Did we know 15 years

ago that the current plan was intended by the Board? No.


3.8 Today we are at a crossroads. The right questions need to be asked, the right long term

strategic plans and rules need to be put in place and correct processes followed to ensure

that the special character of Temple View is respected.

3.9 Furthermore, in relation to section 5.1.4.2g when taking into consideration any proposed

development at Temple View I submit that it is essential to consider whether or not it is

efficient use of resources, as required by the RMA, to demolish buildings that have served

the community for over 50 years and replace them with new buildings that essentially will

serve the same purpose. For example, the David O McKay building has been used as a

stake centre for over 50 years and the Wendell B Mendenhall Library has been used for

regular Sunday Church services for many years.

3.10 To assist in answering the above question I would like to refer you to other developments

and refurbishments that the Board has undertaken. Attached are newspaper reports about

refurbishments or purchases that provide information about how the Board has protected

heritage sites and structures in other areas.

Article 1 - Beloved Mormon meetinghouse gets makeover in east Salt Lake City. (A

church that was originally built in 1847 has been completely refurbished);

Article 2 – Mormons buy property at site of Missouri massacre;

Article 3 – The levitating church – 130 year old exterior of the Provo tabernacle is

raised on stilts as work begins to restore it into a Mormon temple after devastating

fire almost destroyed it;

Article 4 – Mormon Church purchases 2% of the state of Florida for half a billion

dollars;

Article 5 – Historic Ogden Mormon church reopens after two-year restoration

2.8 These are just a few of many restoration projects the Board is involved in.

2.9 Following is an excerpt from Article 5 above that encapsulates the feelings many people

hold about Temple View:

“....The upgrade consisted of seisimic work, new carpets, improved plumbing and

restrooms, the rebuilding of classrooms and the refurbishment of just about everything


while keeping the look and feel of the historic building, including its pipe organ behind the

pulpit. ….We wanted to respect the work of our forefathers...The symbolic meaning of this

building means sacrifice and honouring God. Everything that can be represented in that

can be found in the structure here. The idea is that when we build something we build it to

last forever so future generations can see what we’ve done and build upon it......”

4. Figure 4.5: Submission Points

4.1 I attended meetings with Hamilton City Council Planning staff and it appears there has

been some misunderstanding as the Section 42a Report indicated that there was “an

agreed approach” to Figure 4.5. However, my submission is that Figure 4.5 be removed

as it relates only to a small portion of the land managed by the Trust Board and does not

adequately reflect the true perspective of the area.

4.2 I submit that Figure 4.5 be replaced with a figure that accurately identifies all land

managed by the Board surrounding the Heritage Area.

4.3 The Trust Board has promoted to Hamilton City Council staff the need to protect the

Heritage Area but has identified only a small portion of the land around the Heritage Area.

One may question whether there may be a hidden agenda that has not been fully

disclosed even to Hamilton City Council officials.

4.4 The following images from the Hamilton City Council website show additional landholdings

managed by the Board in Temple View that I submit should be included in a long term

strategic plan. If the true reason for the CDP is to protect the Heritage Area then one must

ask why only this small tract of land where the historic structures are standing is included

in Figure 4.5 but land beside and behind the Heritage Area has been ignored.

Image 1, 2 & 3 – printouts from the property search section of the Hamilton City

Council website show tracts of land managed by the Trust Board which may be

more suitable for the proposed development than the area currently identified;

Image 4 – an overview of the Temple View area with areas marked in red that are

managed by the Trust Board.


4.5 From my lay perspective and based on the limited information I have obtained, Image 4

identifies land parcels that appear to be part of the Trust Board’s landholdings. This may

not be all of the Board’s landholdings in and around Temple View as I am not privy to

detailed information about these assets.

4.6 In 1957 the New Zealand Government passed an Act of Parliament entitled “The Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Trust Board Empowering Act”. This was in essence a

covenant between the Trust Board and the people of New Zealand.

4.7 The Act empowered the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Trust Board to build

or purchase real estate to carry out the objectives defined in the Schedule.

4.8 Section 7(h) of the Act requires the Board:

“…to take all reasonable and proper care to keep in a state of good order and repair all

buildings and other permanent improvements forming part of the Board’s property…

3.8 Section 7(i) requires the Board:

“…to use any money or funds held by the Board for the general religious, charitable, and

educational purposes of the Church in New Zealand for such purposes as may appear to

the Board to be desirable for the better achieving of the purposes of the Board and the

carrying out of any of the aforesaid powers ….”

4.9 From 1958 onwards the Board carried out a building programme at Temple View and

throughout New Zealand. This was funded by donations of money, personnel time,

property, food for workers etc. Millions of dollars over many years have been and continue

to be donated by families from across New Zealand and the Pacific in support of the

objectives of the Board to build religious and educational facilities. Churches were built

from the same materials and by the same workmen who constructed the historic buildings

at Temple View. However, only the buildings in Temple View are targeted for destruction.

4.10 The historic buildings at Temple View have been used for housing, community facilities,

religious meetings; accommodation for people attending the NZ Temple, charitable

purposes, public concerts, public sports events and alumni reunions.


4.11 For some years now the Board has lobbied Hamilton City Council to seek support for

destruction of all buildings that constituted the former Church College campus. Thousands

of dollars, or perhaps millions, have been spent on consultants who have prepared reports

setting out what the Board wants people to hear. The amount of money spent on these

consultants could have brought the historic buildings up to a reasonable standard. But

instead, as part of this move, a number of the buildings have been internally stripped and

damaged by those given the stewardship to maintain them.

4.12 The Board has broken its covenant with the New Zealand people to “take all reasonable

and proper care to keep in a state of good order and repair all buildings and other

permanent improvements forming part of the Board’s property” and is instead seeking

Council support for demolition by deterioration whilst lobbying to sell to private property

developers.

4.13 But, we are not even asking the Church to pay for refurbishing of these beautiful historic

buildings, we will do that. If given the opportunity we will pull together as our forefathers

did, we will volunteer, donate and contribute to maintaining and enhancing the special

character that is inherent in the historic structures at Temple View. All we are asking for is

the opportunity, however even that is being denied so that some greedy property

speculators can pull down these majestic buildings and replace them with high density

housing and shops.

4.14 The Board has the resources to repurpose all buildings that make up the precinct, if it is

required to do so. Sir, you have the power in your hands to make a difference. Will you be

as brave as our forefathers who sacrificed and travelled from other lands to build the

Temple View precinct, who believed that they were literally ‘building now for eternity’ –

This is the motto the builders believed in….. Build now for eternity, NOT build now for 50

years!

Elizabeth Witehira

19 November 2013


Liz Witehira Submission 2013

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