Pukekohe track under threat !!!!

**westerlybreeze** · 13th November 2006, 10:17

Who hasn't rode/drove down to Puke on a sunny afternoon to watch the racing, parked on the hill and thought "this is the life" ? .. Puke is a piece of NZ history, be sad to see it go.
I agree a new track is in order and this Hamptondowns track looks the business. Loooks awesome actually! let me at it!!

**Hillbilly** · 15th November 2006, 11:53

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

Let them have their horsey track, we'll have Hampton Downs. Unless the people buying apartments there start complaining about the noise.

That's exactly what's going to happen! The idiots buying those apartments are doing it for "investment" and not for the love of motorsport. I used to live down the road from Western Springs, and grew up with the roar of engines and the smell of methanol every saturday night. However, there was no PC back then, and now all the pussies will whine and bitch about the noise. "It's damaging to the envioronment" or "The noise pollution is bad for my baby's ears".

**SN4PD** · 15th November 2006, 16:18

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

That's exactly what's going to happen! The idiots buying those apartments are doing it for "investment" and not for the love of motorsport. I used to live down the road from Western Springs, and grew up with the roar of engines and the smell of methanol every saturday night. However, there was no PC back then, and now all the pussies will whine and bitch about the noise. "It's damaging to the envioronment" or "The noise pollution is bad for my baby's ears".

I work for a company thats big in the real estate industry, trust me on this, you don't buy apartments for investments, (unless your really fckin stupid), I did all the numbers on Auckland apartments this year before I brought my place, and the bottom line is you don't make money owning an apartment.

**Hillbilly** · 16th November 2006, 08:45

There are a lotta broke people in Sydney who are only just waking up to this.
The whole "investor's market" thing has crashed here. People bought apartments to rent them out, but they'd pay AUD $300k for a 30 sq metre studio apartment.

**Fatjim** · 16th November 2006, 08:47

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

That's exactly what's going to happen! The idiots buying those apartments are doing it for "investment" and not for the love of motorsport. I used to live down the road from Western Springs, and grew up with the roar of engines and the smell of methanol every saturday night. However, there was no PC back then, and now all the pussies will whine and bitch about the noise. "It's damaging to the envioronment" or "The noise pollution is bad for my baby's ears".

Yeah, but how much are track days going to cost! You'd have to be a Jafa to afford it!

**SN4PD** · 16th November 2006, 19:57

Originally Posted by Fatjim

Yeah, but how much are track days going to cost! You'd have to be a Jafa to afford it!

I quite like being a Jafa thanks, it pays for toys

**Brett** · 20th November 2006, 20:48

I have to agree, appartments as a rule are not very good in a property portfolio. There are exceptions however.

Where is the hampton park project at nowadays?

**SN4PD** · 20th November 2006, 21:02

Originally Posted by Brett

Where is the hampton park project at nowadays?

No news on the RMA decision yet, but that hasn't stopped them having a good rant.........................

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rugby Stadium Vs Hampton Downs!!

While we might applaud the Government for having the foresight to fund a stadium as a focal point on Auckland’s waterfront, we feel we should raise the following issues;

1. Why is over $500 million dollars of tax payer money being spent on a Rugby Stadium for largely a one-off event? Remember that while Rugby enjoys a high profile in New Zealand, it doesn’t really rate on the world sporting front. In comparison Motorsport has an extremely high profile world wide. Motorsport has the highest spectator viewing figures in the world, yet no tax payer funding is provided to enable a world class Motorsport venue to be built. Petrol heads pay taxes too!!

2. The Hampton Downs complex south of Auckland is privately funded and has not received any Government assistance. To the contrary, during the long drawn out process of resource consent (3 Years), it has been continually opposed by the Government departments of Corrections and Transit at a bill to the taxpayer of well over $500,000. Ministers of the Crown have offered positive words for the project, but have at no time offered any financial support or regional assistance.

3. It is interesting to note that the Waikato District Council is very helpful as they can see the positive benefits of the project for the region. Why can’t the Government? Hampton Downs is a rare public facility that is being built by the private sector for the benefit of ratepayers and the country as a whole. Remember that Hampton Downs is dedicated to improving driving standards by being used by the driving schools during the week. What will the Rugby stadium do during the week and what will it improve?

4. How can the Government bypass its own Resource Management Act in the name of expediency when a project such as Hampton Downs has taken three years to grind through the process? Either the RMA applies to everyone, or it should be streamlined to get the job done efficiently. From our experience, trying to get Resource Consent for the Rugby Stadium would be an impossible task. The traffic issues alone would be insurmountable. Where are the spectators going to park? By making this decision the Government is admitting the resource management act is unworkable for large projects.

All we want is fair deal, what's good enough for Rugby should be good enough for the Motorsport community. There are too many under utilised stadiums now without adding another white elephant on a prime site.

Chris Watson & Tony Roberts,

Directors

Hampton Downs Motorsport Park Ltd

**Shaun** · 21st November 2006, 07:05

So they just managed to piss off the people even more that they need on there side by telling it as it is? Not really sure if that is a good thing

**SN4PD** · 21st November 2006, 08:43

Originally Posted by Shaun

So they just managed to piss off the people even more that they need on there side by telling it as it is? Not really sure if that is a good thing

Probably not, but you can understand the amount of time, effort and personal sacrifice they've had to put into getting the project this far, especially all the RMA issues, and then because somethings labeled "RUGBY", suddenly the RMA no longer applies! They have fair grounds to be royally pissed off.

But yea, probably not the best thing to post in bold text on your website.

**Cleve** · 21st November 2006, 11:51

Never be afraid to tell the Government EXACTLY how you feel. The people should not be afraid of the Government. The Government should be afraid of the people.

**Shaun** · 21st November 2006, 12:09

Originally Posted by Cleve Brown

Never be afraid to tell the Government EXACTLY how you feel. The people should not be afraid of the Government. The Government should be afraid of the people.

Yea Yea, but what happens when you piss off some one that can -uck you around big time, get the job done first then slam dunk them

**Cleve** · 21st November 2006, 12:22

Originally Posted by Shaun

Yea Yea, but what happens when you piss off some one that can -uck you around big time, get the job done first then slam dunk them

Mostly they are mindless feeble bureaucrats and are more afraid of having you come after them with a legal or otherwise issue. We are not YET a dictatorship where government lackies can do what they want without consequences. Most are still answerable and wanting to keep their cushy little Govt job. Look at the farmers and the fart tax. They drove tractors up parliament stairs, said all kinds of nasty things to Government officials and the Government backed down.
Shaun I am in an industry completely screwed by this Govt. Our mistake was as a group being nice and afraid to offend 4 years ago. The results were we just got run over.