MASTERTON DISTRICT COUNCIL TO DEBATE WHETHER HOT CROSS BUNS REQUIRE RESOURCE CONSENT
One councillor reckons the cross on top might be unpermitted signage.
Masterton District Council will next Wednesday debate a motion to determine whether hot cross buns sold in the district require a resource consent, following a complaint from a Greytown ratepayer who spotted a bakery selling them in late January.
The motion, tabled by a councillor this Constable is legally advised not to name, has been logged as MDC-2024-CC-0417 and forwarded to three subcommittees. A consultant has been engaged. The fee has not been disclosed.
Greytown baker Priya Ellingham, who has run the same shop since 2011, told The Daily Yarn she'd received a letter asking her to "clarify the intended use" of her ovens. "I bake buns in them. I wrote back and said so. They've asked for a diagram."
A council spokesperson said the matter was "being worked through". Asked whether the consultant was a baker, a planner or a theologian, the spokesperson said all three remained "on the table".
Having reviewed the RMA with my mate Sergeant Willis at the station, it is this Constable's view that hot cross buns fall well outside the remit of any council in the country. The councillor in question has previously raised concerns about wind chimes, a sausage sizzle at the rugby club, and a labrador named Trevor.
The bakery remains open. The consultant, per council records, is invoicing hourly.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
The whole council is a joke!
wayne1987
Mate, who has time to debate buns when we've got potholes large enough to eat them in?
couchgremlin
Lol.
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, councils sorted out roads and rubbish, not hot cross bun audits. What's the world coming to? We used to have a simple permit system in the 70s, and it was all on paper! Didn't need consultants and subcommittees for every little thing. Surely there are more pressing issues at hand. Get a grip!
MumOf3_Wairarapa
Frankly, hot cross buns are a symbol of Easter, and if they want to regulate that, what’s next? A permit for Easter eggs? This is just absurd. Councils should focus on lowering our bloody rates instead of meddling in bakery goods.
Sandra McKenzie
You do realise they're not actually saying the buns themselves are illegal. It's about signage regulations, which do exist for a reason.
ropeable_dave
@Sandra, does the council even bake? Mate, they're rooted!
AnnoyedRater
I reckon it’s just a piss-take to distract us from the real issues. What about the sewage system they were supposed to improve? That’s all gone quiet now.
doglover1980
And when will they finally address the issue of Trevor barking at odd hours? The REAL menace here.
BakerSupporter
Thank goodness for Priya still baking! Her hot cross buns are legendary. Council's decisions just smell stale compared to her fresh bakes.