Clear vision needed for Wellsford’s future

Wellsford, the fourth in a series of reports on five towns covered in the Rodney Times Diamond survey.

Residents were asked how they rated their town or area, and to detail its strengths and weaknesses.

Reports have beeen published on Warkworth, Rodney Times June 4,  Helensville, June 11 and Whangaparaoa, June 18. Coming up on July 2 is the final report of the series on Orewa.

Many people in Wellsford feel the town is well past its heyday, is struggling economically and desperately needs some vision.

Wellsford residents say they have a problem.

The town is in decline and needs an injection of vision to turn it around.

That’s the prevalent view expressed by respondents to the Rodney Times Diamond survey.

Of all the towns surveyed Wellsford was the only one to deliver more negative comments than positive.

Not everybody feels the same way and there are plenty of positive views of the town’s liveability.

So, what is – or is not – happening in Wellsford?

A rural service town, Wellsford has a great history and a friendly community spirit. The location on the northern part of State Highway 1, between the two coasts, defines the town’s strengths and weaknesses.

But there are many similar rural service towns on main highways in the North Island – Tirau and Matamata are leaping ahead through vision and innovation.

Others, Wellsford among them, are declining, slowly getting shabbier, more run down, with negative economic growth and little to offer families seeking a secure future besides cheaper housing, say a majority of survey respondents.

Some Wellsford residents feel that people in their town are negative and have tunnel vision saying “we lack a unified vision”. Some think that “we don’t pull together” and are “hopeless at lateral thinking”.

Many feel that the town does not get an adequate level of upkeep – things are allowed to deteriorate. “Untidy shop fronts, streets not looked after, verges not mown and untidy footpaths” is how one residents describes his town.

Comments are made about a lack of council attention and spending.

“We are the last town in Rodney and the council doesn’t look after us,” was a common refrain.

Many worry about the lack of employment opportunities and the problem of offering young people a future to encourage them to stay and grow the town by building their families there.

Being on SH1 is seen as a double edged sword.

On the one hand north and south traffic has to go through the town, offering opportunities to ‘clip the ticket’ of drivers wanting to break their journey. On the other hand it makes for noise, pollution and congestion, especially in the summer.

It is not all doom and gloom.

The response to the town’s liveability was high, even if the other points of the diamond – workability, investibilty and visitability scored low.

People over the age of 60 rated the town nearly seven out of 10 for liveability, saying Wellsford is a good place in which to retire. Those under 60 gave it barely a passing grade – 5.5 to 5.7 for liveability.

For those wanting to ease back in life, Wellsford offers a peaceful, slower pace of life. For those on a tight budget it also has the advantage of cheaper housing. 

So what do residents like about living in Wellsford?

First the access to the two coasts with the fantastic variety of countryside, beaches and lakes.

Another strong factor is the friendliness of the town. Remarks like “it’s a good town to live in, it has pollution-free air, friendly people, is reasonably safe and has good community support and interests” peppered responses.

Many called it a rural town where people care for each other.

The survey reflects a feeling that there is a good future for Wellsford but few are able to say what that may be.

Other rural towns have faced the same problems, got themselves united around a vision, and are now successfully growing.

“More should be done to bring locals together to get unified on how to take Wellsford forward,” says one resident.

For the detailed survey results for Wellsford, visit www.rodney.govt.nz/mycommunity or contact Nick Marsh at nick.marsh@nextcorporation.net, www.nextcorporation.net. Dr Nick Marsh, is a director of NEXT Corporation, strategic foresight researchers and facilitators.

- © Fairfax NZ News