Stoush over Wainuiomata monastery

ANDREW GORRIE/ The Dominion Post

SEARCH FOR ENLIGHTENMENT: Graham Woodhead, left, and monks, from left, Phra Sathit, Phra Nuttawat, Phra Phanlop, Phra Kamsai, and Phra Phithak say they want to hear and understand the neighbours' concerns. "You cannot find everywhere you go that everyone agrees with you.''

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A stoush over a secluded monastery in Wainuiomata has pitted objecting neighbours against a group of meditating monks.

Four Buddhist monks are doing a three-year stint in the Lower Hutt suburb, sharing Buddhist teachings with local followers from a three-bedroom house named the Wat Dhamma Prateep monastery.

They are not permitted to work, and survive on gifts of food and money.

Neighbours have complained to Hutt City Council about cars using the shared private road to the semi-rural property, gatherings, trees planted along the property's boundary and a sign at the gate.

The monks say that, apart from a couple of gatherings of 20 to 30 people, only a few cars drive to the property each day.

The monastery is on a three-acre lifestyle block set well back from neighbouring properties.

The council was alerted to the monastery by a complaint from a neighbour and has since deemed it a "place of assembly" requiring resource consent. A hearing into the matter starts on Friday.

Supporter Graham Woodhead said the opposition had come from "aggressive neighbours" who were afraid of change. "I think there are overtones [of discrimination]. What would they do if there was a big Maori family that rented this? They wouldn't say anything."

One of the monks, Prha Phanlop, who is on a three-month stay, said he hoped they could reach agreement with the council and the neighbours. "I understand this feeling that many of the people may have when some new people come. We have to understand and to hear what their concern is. You cannot find everywhere you go that everyone agrees with you."

One neighbour said she was unhappy with the way concerns had been reported and neighbours were not out to have the monks expelled.

Another neighbour, Eileen Harwood, has been reported as strongly opposed to the resource consent application because of extra traffic. She said: "there is no story here", and that she and her husband, Paul, had not decided if they would attend Friday's hearing.

Hutt city councillor Ray Wallace said the situation was political correctness "gone bloody mad".

The monks kept to themselves and were quiet, considerate neighbours.

"I would welcome having those people living next door to me. I think they [the objectors] should think themselves lucky."

Buddhist Council chairwoman Amala Wrightson said people bringing the monks food and praying with them was a 2500-year-old tradition, and no different to Maori saying karakia before eating.

"Naturally people are afraid of what they don't know. They [the Buddhist community] need their religious leaders and surely they should be allowed to practise their religion freely.'

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