The population of Rekohu is shrinking dramatically and at the current rate, will reach a crisis point, sooner, rather than later, unless something can be done to arrest the trend.
People have always come and gone from these islands. Some to return at a later date. Some never.
But all are always welcome and they are always whanau. If you have been there once, or if your family was once there, still there, thinking of going there, then you are whanau too.
But now, today, something more insidious is afoot. The crippling cost of living on Rekohu is driving people away. Fewer people are returning and more are going.
For my 28 years of involvement with Rekohu, the population havs always been a steady 750 folks and a good 40-50 on Rangiauria (Pitt Island). At the last census, the population was recorded as a total (Pitt and Rekohu) of 606 hardy souls, with a mixture of ethnicities, backgrounds and incomes.
This goes against the national and global trends for population increase.
They are actually leaving and no-one is filling the gaps.
For the first time in a long long time (probably for ever) there are more houses for sale than there are buyers.
There isnt a single issue that is causing this problem. There are many and it seems like in the past 2-3 years, that they have all come to a head. This will be a conversation piece for a fair while I suspect. I look forward to getting a few comments and views on this.
One of the biggest issues though has to be the cost of living.
Electricity prices are about 5 times that of living in the mainland.
Every single item of foodstuffs that you import has a freight component. Everything that you buy here has that freight cost built in, with mark-ups from 0% to 200% on some in-store items.
Fuel prices seem to rise disproportionately to that of our mainland suppliers, perhaps reflecting the inadvisability of permitting monopolistic situations, in both the shipping, the agents and the retail sectors.
NO monopoly is good for anything.
The inextricable, complex and undoubtedly financially rewarding relationship between the shipping agent, the ships owners and the retail outlets is definitely a recipe for community disaster.
Little doubt that the locals sense a rat in the mix. Especially when one considers that the price of fuel at the pumps is a lot higher than the commercaial “bulk rates” that suppliers can provide.
No wonder that the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust seems hell-bent on becoming involved in providing fuel, or at least an alternative outlet for us peasants. Lets hope that their commercial imperative remains firmly tainted by the social obligations and conscience that they are mandated to have, because they dont appear to have done diddly squat for the islanders over the past few years…? Correct me if I am wrong. I would relish the opportunity for the discussion….?
Conversely, though, and just before some of you stab frantically at the keyboard in response, risking cuticle damage and apoplexy, I don’t think that the anonymous mailout late last year was an answer either. It read like a Winston Peters election pledge: Long winded, conveniently omitting all of the pertinent information, unprovoked personal attacks, absolutely off the mark and pointless, and all delivered from the anonymous safety of an old womans knickers. What a rabid crock of ……….
Anyway,….. I digress……
Getting back to the conversation at hand: Population demise.
Another contributing factor is the perception that it isnt a nice place to live in, and certainly not that best place to raise your children. Bollocks. Its great. But if it doesnt suit you… then… you’re right. Leave.
If, however it does suit you, stay. Simple. Next issue please.
No seriously, it isnt for everyone. Which is great, becasue we dont want everyone living here, because than it wouldnt be our Chatham Islands would it.
A lot of modern parents are choosing to move out to the mainland while their children attend secondary school and you have to admit, thats a positive thing to do, both for the parents and the kids involved. There is nothing more important than family.
Is there another option. Could the kids recieve secondary schooling on Rekohu? No. A big fat N.O. Well, actually, they can. The correspondence school provide services here and even pay for a registered teacher to take a class several hours per week, based at Te One School.
For some Parents, this is ok, whilst other would prefer that their children recieved socialisation as well as education by attending a mainland high school. Fair enough we say.
Could we start a high school on the Chathams then?
Well actually you could, and it could be quite a well resourced little school. You would have to mnake iut an area school, with new entrants through to Form 7, much the same as Cheviot area school, in North Canterbury, Hurunui, Karamea, Taipa area school, Murchison, in fact, there are heaps of them and they all cope. Some have as few as 70 students. We could have over 100 if everybody was into it.
The difficulty would be is that the kids are still only mixing with the same kids, but that is the same difficulty as other area schools face.
Financially, a local school would be a winner as well, and should be a very well resopurced unit, providing education for all ages as well as community education.
Anyway that the end of todays wee speech. I’ll be back. Dont forget to throw in your comments though?
Me rongo (in peace)
