HLM – Chapter 1078 The Fence May Be Small, but the Trouble Isn’t

After resting for two days, Wang Bo finally returned to work.

Indeed, Sunset Town had plenty on its plate—one residential district was under construction, a school was under construction, a plaza was under construction, an amusement park was under construction, and even an airport was under construction…

But since nothing unexpected had occurred, he could still relax a little and enjoy life.

Still, since he was back at work, he needed to be in top condition to check the town’s progress.

The fastest-moving project was the central plaza. He had obtained a Level 1 Heart of the Plaza and used it here. For now he still couldn’t feel its effects, but at least the construction was progressing smoothly.

The foundation had already been laid, and loads of stone bricks were being delivered. The shipping cost alone exceeded two hundred thousand NZD. The stones were piled up along the edge of the plaza like small mountains.

In the southern area of the plaza, a skinny, bald white man was directing over a dozen workers.

“This is Mr. Oradi–Birnius. He’s planning to build something interesting in the plaza. We’re not exactly sure what it is yet,” Bowen explained.

At the moment, a huge web of thick iron rods had appeared across the plaza. Countless twisted rods curled and intertwined, forming something like the supporting frame of a tubular structure.

Oradi–Birnius was a famous Australian designer and artist known for repurposing useless objects and recycled trash to create intriguing art installations.

It was Alexander who helped invite him. The Green Party had a good relationship with this artist, and Birnius even intended to immigrate to New Zealand just to join the Green Party.

When Alexander learned that Wang Bo was building a central plaza, he said the plaza needed some artistic structures and introduced Birnius to do the design.

Wang Bo appreciated this favor. It was almost time for the election vote count, and Alexander’s team was unbelievably busy—the final round of televised debates between the prime ministerial candidates had just ended.

Yet Alexander still helped Sunset Town. That was a debt of gratitude.

Wang Bo walked up and asked, “Mr. Birnius, may I ask what you’re planning to build here?”

The skinny white man turned around with a smile. “Mayor Wang? A pleasure to meet you. Unfortunately, I can’t give you an answer.”

“It’s not that I’m trying to be mysterious or challenge your authority. The truth is, according to my working habits, until the design is complete, I myself don’t know what the final result will be.”

“I understand. You’re overthinking it. Please continue with your design. I’m guessing it might be a giant python. But if that’s the direction, I’d like to show you something—our Chinese Feilong (Flying Dragon). Take a look; maybe it’ll inspire you,” Wang Bo said with a smile.

Birnius nodded politely. “Thank you. I’ll look into it. I believe you’ve given me great inspiration.”

After the two men left, Bowen whispered, “Honestly, I think he really is planning a giant python.”

Charlie shook his head. “Seeing the shape formed by all those steel rods, anyone would think it looks like a python’s body. But knowing these guys, even if he originally planned a python, now he won’t make it one.”

“Why?”

“That’s how artists are. They live off creativity. They won’t tolerate their design being guessed correctly by an idiot like you.”

Bowen glared. “Say that again—what did you just call a Texas cowboy?”

“Sorry. I was simply stating the truth.”

Seeing the two about to start a fight, Wang Bo said, “For God’s sake, keep quiet here. When we get back, I’ll get each of you a gun. Whoever manages to kill the other can consider it their skill.”

After inspecting the town’s basic infrastructure, he still had other work. As mayor, before the town established a court, many disputes had to be settled by him personally.

Law is the best weapon to protect individual rights, and in a highly legal society like New Zealand, even the smallest matters often had specific regulations governing them.

So in such matters, Wang Bo had clear laws to follow and must follow them. If he passed judgment solely according to personal preferences or subjective feelings, he could be sued.

A few days ago, a civil dispute occurred in the residential district. One building had been rebuilt, and problems arose during the fence construction.

The five-year lifespan of the modular houses was approaching, and the residential area’s houses were entering the danger period, so residents had begun rebuilding.

To do this, they only needed to submit a simple application and inform their neighbors. Then construction could begin.

Since everyone would eventually go through this phase, there was no such thing as “disturbing the neighbors”—everyone would disturb others eventually during construction.

This time, the issue was a fence.

In New Zealand’s small towns, houses are usually small apartments with gardens, lawns, and fences. The fence is actually more important than the garden or lawn.

A fence may look small and inexpensive, but it is one of the most common sources of friction between neighbors. New Zealand even has a Fencing Act to provide legal guidelines for such disputes.

Fences aren’t large or expensive, but since they stand between two private properties, that thin wooden barrier often makes neighbors turn against each other.

New Zealanders value privacy, and a fence around a house is like a miniature city wall. It protects privacy well.

Yet New Zealanders also value communication and neighborly relationships. If someone builds a solid wall, everyone feels awkward, and maintaining good neighbor relations becomes difficult.

Simply put, New Zealanders want both privacy and openness—they want to be rebellious and virtuous at the same time.

This dispute stemmed from the fence construction. According to the Fencing Act, in public residential zones, individuals do not have the right to build a fence unilaterally.

After all, the fence lies on the boundary between two households. Both parties share rights over this “boundary line.” If someone builds a fence unilaterally, the other party may feel disrespected.

“Li the masseur and Nurse Zheng are rebuilding their house. They also built a new fence without notifying their neighbors—the Tisters. When the Tister couple returned from work and saw it, they went over and had a big argument,” Honey summarized.

Wang Bo frowned. “You need me for something this minor? You couldn’t handle it? Isn’t there another mayor? He didn’t take care of it?”