KENSINGTON NOTICEBOARD LEAF BLOWER FEUD HITS WEEK SIX, NEIGHBOURS NOW ONLY TALKING VIA A3
What started as a note about morning noise is now, in this reporter's view, a matter for the Ombudsman.
A noticeboard outside the Kensington dairy has, since early last month, hosted a running dispute between two neighbours about the operating hours of a leaf blower. As of Tuesday it is into week six and its fourteenth laminated notice.
The first notice asked a nearby resident not to run a Stihl BG 56 before 8am on weekends. The reply, posted Tuesday, called the request "a bit much" and included, for reasons unclear to this reporter, a photograph of a lawn.
Denise Corcoran, 71, who walks past the board daily, said she had been reading the exchange like a serial. "Started off civil. Then someone brought up the compost bin. Now they're doing footnotes. Bloody footnotes, on a noticeboard."
A third party, tied to neither side, has begun posting weekly summaries in green ink for the benefit of newcomers. My mate at the station, Sergeant Willis, notes this is neither an offence nor, technically, journalism, though it is close to both.
The leaf blower has not been run in eleven days. Neither party has acknowledged this. The dairy owner has asked, in writing, that they "take it to Facebook like normal people".
At time of filing, a fresh A3 had gone up citing the Resource Management Act. It is, in this reporter's assessment, cited wrong.
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Reader Letters
tired_in_riccarton
Feels like peak small town NZ drama.
ropeable_dave
Bet my flat this feud makes it to the newspapers before either of them budge. Maybe they'll collaborate on a book next. If Sergeant Willis doesn't nab them first!
Sandra McKenzie
Dealing with neighbours and noise is a nightmare! We had a bloke on our street who'd mow his lawn at the crack of dawn every Sunday. Nearly came to blows! At least these two are just warring over paper.
Garry (Halswell)
@Sandra McKenzie, that's why I hope I never move again. My old fella always said, "It's not who's in the right, it's who's the quietest." We've fully embraced soundproofing. Worth every cent!
BarryBishopdale
What the hell is the Resource Management Act doing on a noticeboard?!? Smells like someone's trying to sound smarter than they are. The Act isn't even relevant to personal disputes. Classic case of taking things too far!
wayne1987
@BarryBishopdale not everything needs a bloody Act citation. People just like throwing around big words sometimes!
couchgremlin
Only in Whangarei, mate!
Margaret_F
This is just pure gold! Reminds me when the local footy club had a spat over whether the clubrooms should be painted blue or green. They didn't resort to bloody laminated notices, though!
MumOf3_NZ
Of course, there's always that one person who takes things way too seriously. Footnotes on a public noticeboard? That's dedication! Or maybe that's obsession?
KiwiBloke
Leaf blowers are overrated.