Many thanks for all the support and positive communications from tourists and anglers amused and/or disgusted with Taupo Council’s negative response on TRM signage.  Most encouraging…

Briefly, for those who may have missed it, the Council have now issued an infringement notice and fined TRM $300 for not applying for a resource consent for refreshing our sign, even though the wording is the same as the old sign?   TRM signs have been here for over 55 years, longer then Turangi, and have constantly been updated and refreshed, yet never before has Council required a resource consent.  If their argument, as argued by the Go Tongariro Chairman, is that the sign is too close to the road then they should move their road over.

But as soon as another competing local business complained they swooped on TRM for refreshing an existing sign without their consent.  So are the Council just “Control Freaks” (?) as suggested by one reader, or are there some other more jealous petty personal twisted individual prejudices involved?.  We hope you will judge whether Council are being fair or not so please let us know.

As you can see, the sign reads “Welcome to TURANGI – Trout Fishing Capital of the World” – with exactly the same wording as the Council’s previous sign.  So how can that be construed as blatant advertising signage?    SWMBO maintains that is not ‘commercial’ advertising but simply a ‘public service’ sign, welcoming tourists to Turangi – to compensate for Council’s lack of suitable signage.

SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed is Manager of everything at TRM) has refused to pay, so this might end up in Court – a real ‘David v’s Goliath’ legal stoush, aka SWMBO v’s Taupo District Council & New Zealand Transport Authority.

Full story on TRM Daily Report on Tuesday January 5.  For those who do not follow Facebook, a few of TRM’s learned readers’ comments are repeated below for your entertainment:Readers comments:

Maybe a local business man doesn’t like the sign on the right – if you can’t handle the competition time to retire.

Great article Ross – why the Go Tongariro Chairman – responsible for economic development in Turangi along with the council – want to try to get this sign removed makes no sense at all – as an existing sign it is a non issue and is creating so much positive exposure for the town – it’s about time the council backed up positive enterprise that benefits the community as a whole – rather than the negative few!

Doesn’t look like a sign to me looks like a vertical welcoming mat

It’s difficult to believe at times that such lunatic bureaucrats are allowed to make such decisions………..and yet here is the evidence!

I’m gobsmacked. Must be driven by competitors or a council who recognizes that every tourist captured by Turangi is one less for Taupo businesses. What’s your councilor doing…. I guess FA… 🏻. FB/ tweet for a lawyer. There’d be heeps of lawyers who are fly fishers and wiling to donate their time to take on the council. Really waste their short $$ …. Let me know if you need legal representation mate.

The TDC “Compliance Officer” in his $70k vehicle recently came the extra 13kms to our rural home to inform us our spa pool did not comply with the current regulations ( it matters little Parliament new regs that come into effect 01/01/17 that our locked lidded spa complies with) it must be shut down immediately etc etc.   He’s a busy little fella seemingly concentrating on trivia – we had to laugh when he told us our locks probably would not comply and he couldn’t open the lid trying to prove his opinion.  Ross we also wonder why us?

Unbelievable! I would be happy to donate $$$$ to enlarge the signs for the pensioners are short sighted! !

Turangi is the Trout Capital of the world and always has been and will be for ever.

…… We have great affection for Turangi and may well buy a property by the river. Also, we both do enjoy TRM posts and retain some affection for it. Simply we both find it quite idiotic that TRM’s signs are somehow contravening some local sensibility that local Govt. has never found the will to match. Contempt for local bureaucrats is too easily earned.

Where do I sign!

Control freaks

Don’t pay. Go to prison. I’ll bring u a file in a sponge cake…oh on second thoughts can’t go there
Prisons are already full.

And last – from TRM’s Melbourne office:

Hi Ross and Pip….
 Firstly I thought you may have run out of ideas to amuse to readers to post what you have, and then I realised it’s narrow minded idiots like your complainant that have driven so many people out of NZ
 I googled the Go Tongariro  web site hoping to see something inspirational that promotes this slice of paradise …. what a disappointment that was.
 Typed in Turangi in the search engine and basically all that comes up is hotel accommodation , but nothing inspirational that would want me to plan a family holiday , a work conference or even  as a stop whilst on a car journey
 I may be biased but who promotes the region as well as TRM do ?? .
 Keep the sign up and get the council to coat it with an anti-graffiti membrane
 It would be very interesting to compare the hits your web site has compared to any council promotional web sites !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Maybe your complainants just want Turangi to be a service town for the prison farms
 Arrrrgggggggggh