“I gave permission, but only for the retirement village, not for everything else … the council has let that happen.
“I want them to put pipes in and cover it up and give me my land back, but they won’t do anything, they all fob me off.”
Cullen, a retired engineer who uses a mobility scooter and walking cane, said he used to be able to mow over the drain.
But it scoured away so deeply he had to build a 5m-wide bridge to get to the other side of his section.
The bridge is now rotting and he wants the council to fix it.
Cullen said his wife Maureen phoned the council once a week to try and get the problem fixed before she died 16 years ago.
Since then, Cullen has also made regular phone calls to no avail.
Cullen claims the council is ignoring him.
“While my wife was alive, she was always going crook at them because of the contamination in the stream and they never did anything.
“I think it’s disgraceful; they should have done something years ago.”
Cullen’s neighbour, Sarah, who didn’t want her surname published, said the drain, which also runs alongside her property, smells “on and off”.
“In the last 10 years there’s been concrete dust, chlorine, paint and smells that make your eyes water,” she said.
Sarah said she’s lost count of how many times she has contacted the council about the issue.
“I’ve sent RFS [requests for service], emails and made phone calls. I’ve given up.”
FNDC head of infrastructure Tanya Proctor acknowledged “there have been issues” related to the drain as the area around Cullen’s property has developed.
She also acknowledged “that surrounding development has increased flows entering the drain”.
John Cullen gave the council permission to use his drain to take stormwater from the retirement village – not houses, businesses and a school in the surrounding area. Photo / Jenny Ling
The council had worked with Cullen to find solutions, Proctor said, including addressing health and safety concerns by installing a stormwater grate between his property and the school, and reinstated boundary fencing to prevent unauthorised access to his property.
“Council staff from different teams have contacted Mr Cullen multiple times in person or via the phone this year to discuss issues associated with the stormwater drain running through his property.”
Proctor said piping the drain had been referred to the council’s assets group for consideration.
“Piping the drain cannot be undertaken without first being assessed, prioritised and funded through the council’s capital works programme.
“This assessment process has been initiated but will take time and may not be funded.”
Cullen said he wants a timeframe.
“Everything’s been on the never never, they don’t do anything, and they’ve been doing that for 30 years.”
As for the rotting bridge, Proctor said volunteer groups would “readily assist” with repairing or constructing a new one.
Cullen said the bridge would need to be completely rebuilt and reinforced with steel.
Installing pipes would ultimately solve the problem, he said.
Cullen accused the council of “weaseling out of it”.
“All they’ve done over 30 years is give me RSF [request for service] numbers and they don’t do anything.
“The whole thing is lip service.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.