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Signing for deaf at meeting - Regional News - Feilding Herald
In recognition of it being Deaf Awareness Week, the Rotary Club of Makino ensured the specially invited profoundly deaf in the audience at last week's Meet the Candidates meeting in Feilding were well-catered for.
Interpreter Tania Davidson and communicator Nichelle Hughes took turns to sign for each speaker. Ms Davidson said she tries to match the interpreter to the speaker but had no male interpreters available.
This effort was appreciated by the hearing impaired and gave the rest of the 150-strong audience an opportunity to see sign language interpreters in action.
Barbara Cameron was the only speaker who greeted the deaf in sign language while apologising for her own poor- signing skills. A previous councillor, with consultation experience, Mrs Cameron is one of 10 candidates vying for the five Feilding ward seats.
The two mayoralty candidates and three men looking to be elected to the two Manawatu- Rangitikei seats on Horizons Regional Council also addressed the audience at the Feilding Civic Centre.
One subject all the Manawatu District Council candidates agreed on was that they were not in favour of complete amalgamation with Palmerston North city.
Sitting councillors John Gregory, Del Gibb, Matt Bell, and David Stroud tempered their stand with an explanation that some services are better done co-operatively with other councils. Mayor Ian McKelvie suggested the council needs to investigate its options before central Government makes amalgamation mandatory.
"We should make our own decision before we are told what to do," he said.
Asked how he planned to manage growth strategies to ensure more ratepayers share the rates load, mayoral candidate Steve Gibson, who is also standing for the council, said he did not believe rates would go down with growth in the district. He raised a laugh with his suggestion the council cars should be "Jap imports".
Alison Short and Phillip Spring both said they are committed to the growth of the district and Janine Wilsher expressed hopes for Manfeild as a national centre for agricultural research and business. Cr Stroud said the key is in continuing to grow at a speed the district can afford.
The cost of roading arose during question time, with Denbigh Street coming under scrutiny.
Mrs Gibb and Mr Bell, who both live in Denbigh Street (as does CEO Rod Titcombe), both agreed the road was in a poor state of repair, but the last quote of $4m meant other roads would not be rehabilitated.
"Sooner or later the council will have to bite the bullet. It will never be cheaper," Mr Bell said.
Mrs Gibb said she believed some rural roads, such as Ruahine Road at Rangiwhahia did not need to be sealed.
Cr John Gregory, responding to a question about the MacArthur Street upgrade, said that as a CBD building owner, he paid $1000 a year towards the cost of upgrading the CBD, compared to about $3 paid by urban residential ratepayers.
"It's a matter of balancing the community's aspirations with their ability to pay," Mr McKelvie said.
Ross Barnett was not at the meeting but his daughter Jan Barnett, who is seeking a seat on the Palmerston North City Council, read his statement.
In recognition of it being Deaf Awareness Week, the Rotary Club of Makino ensured the specially invited profoundly deaf in the audience at last week's Meet the Candidates meeting in Feilding were well-catered for.
Interpreter Tania Davidson and communicator Nichelle Hughes took turns to sign for each speaker. Ms Davidson said she tries to match the interpreter to the speaker but had no male interpreters available.
This effort was appreciated by the hearing impaired and gave the rest of the 150-strong audience an opportunity to see sign language interpreters in action.
Barbara Cameron was the only speaker who greeted the deaf in sign language while apologising for her own poor- signing skills. A previous councillor, with consultation experience, Mrs Cameron is one of 10 candidates vying for the five Feilding ward seats.
The two mayoralty candidates and three men looking to be elected to the two Manawatu- Rangitikei seats on Horizons Regional Council also addressed the audience at the Feilding Civic Centre.
One subject all the Manawatu District Council candidates agreed on was that they were not in favour of complete amalgamation with Palmerston North city.
Sitting councillors John Gregory, Del Gibb, Matt Bell, and David Stroud tempered their stand with an explanation that some services are better done co-operatively with other councils. Mayor Ian McKelvie suggested the council needs to investigate its options before central Government makes amalgamation mandatory.
"We should make our own decision before we are told what to do," he said.
Asked how he planned to manage growth strategies to ensure more ratepayers share the rates load, mayoral candidate Steve Gibson, who is also standing for the council, said he did not believe rates would go down with growth in the district. He raised a laugh with his suggestion the council cars should be "Jap imports".
Alison Short and Phillip Spring both said they are committed to the growth of the district and Janine Wilsher expressed hopes for Manfeild as a national centre for agricultural research and business. Cr Stroud said the key is in continuing to grow at a speed the district can afford.
The cost of roading arose during question time, with Denbigh Street coming under scrutiny.
Mrs Gibb and Mr Bell, who both live in Denbigh Street (as does CEO Rod Titcombe), both agreed the road was in a poor state of repair, but the last quote of $4m meant other roads would not be rehabilitated.
"Sooner or later the council will have to bite the bullet. It will never be cheaper," Mr Bell said.
Mrs Gibb said she believed some rural roads, such as Ruahine Road at Rangiwhahia did not need to be sealed.
Cr John Gregory, responding to a question about the MacArthur Street upgrade, said that as a CBD building owner, he paid $1000 a year towards the cost of upgrading the CBD, compared to about $3 paid by urban residential ratepayers.
"It's a matter of balancing the community's aspirations with their ability to pay," Mr McKelvie said.
Ross Barnett was not at the meeting but his daughter Jan Barnett, who is seeking a seat on the Palmerston North City Council, read his statement.