The commissioners who will take over Tauranga City Council are set to be announced this week.
This follows the Minister for Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta, sacking the council in December last year, after the city's mayor Tenby Powell and two other councillors resigned and called for commissioners to be appointed.
The commissioners tasked with leading the city are expected to be announced on Thursday and begin work next Monday.
Tauranga's fast growth has seen it become the fifth largest city in the country, but this expansion has it bursting at the seams.
It is mired with roading and housing issues, topped off by a hefty fiscal hole of $2 billion.
The situation reached a climax last year when the call to replace the council was made following messy and public in-fighting between elected members.
Former deputy mayor Larry Baldock, who was first elected to council in the early 2000s, reluctantly accepted the take-over.
"It's necessary [and] regrettable, I wish it didn't happen this term. The mayor was settling into the job really well. [He] was leading the city with a lot of progressive development and had enough support, most of the time, before everything hit the fan."
Crown-appointed commissioners taking over a council is rare - one of the more recent cases was Northland's Kaipara District Council in 2012.
Baldock believes there is no other option for Tauranga and pointed to the city's long-term plan as the most immediate task the commissioners needed to deal with.
"[The take over] has to be done. There was no way that a by-election for a mayor and two councillors is going to bring us to a position where we could handle a long-term plan this quick."
Long-term plan aside, he said the city has complex issues to solve, so the commissioners would need to hit the ground running.
Buddy Mikaere, a local iwi representative, thinks commissioners are the right choice.
"The councillors had become so dysfunctional and divisive, the city just wasn't making any progress."
Matt Cowley, chief executive of the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, sees the take over as a necessary evil.
"No one likes to take democracy away from the people, but it reached a boiling point - quite literally - in terms of needing some intervention."
When the Minister of Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta, made her intention to install a commission known, the council was given the opportunity to convince her otherwise.
However, she's not satisfied the council would be able to sort out its issues alone.
Matt Cowley says the councillors failed to prove themselves and Mahuta had not other choice.
Mark Cairns, chief executive of the Port of Tauranga, hopes issues such as the city's roading network around the port are sorted under the commission, without the distraction of drama at the council.
"I've been in the job 15 years now, and we've probably had this conflict for the last three councils."
Nigel Tutt, chief executive of economic development agency Priority One, believes the commissioners would provide better leadership for the city.
"[They will] probably provide a better basis for decision making. There are some pretty tough decisions there. Hopefully the commission can get their head around them and get on with things."
5 comments
Hmmm
Posted on 02-02-2021 08:45 | By Let's get real
I wonder if there will be any racial proportionality or will we get the BEST person for the job.... We failed ridding ourselves of the failed politicians and realestate agents once or twice. Will we get a chance to redeem ourselves? Maybe the Axe can be swung in other areas where personal preference runs roughshod over public wants and needs (Un-elected fiefdoms)
Don't expect change!
Posted on 02-02-2021 09:56 | By jed
Council debt is out of control (council debt rating has been downgraded by S&P). Rates are out of control...mine increased 15% in the last rise, and, council say they are desperately short of money and have already budgeted 50% increase in the next 3 years. We are planning to move, my rates are more than my income tax. Can't afford it.
@jed
Posted on 02-02-2021 12:14 | By morepork
It is disgusting when mismanagement of our money forces people to leave their homes. I'm thinking about it too. They should be curtailing all new non-essential projects, cutting jobs in Council, and looking for other ways to raise the necessary revenue, just like any Business when faced with hard times.
Tom Ranger
Posted on 02-02-2021 13:13 | By Tom Ranger
I hope the axe goes to the right spot regarding commissioners decisions, not rate-payers pockets. But my natural skepticism/criticism towards politicians persists. I'll predict. Massive rates increases both hidden and obvious disguising the holes in the sieve that is, the council books.
Death of democracy
Posted on 02-02-2021 13:34 | By Kiwi 58
What ever happened to the team of 5 million ?? The current Government lead by a patronising PC correct self styled Mother Teresa, is proof positive that this country is indeed divided and racially segregated for all the wrong reasons. The recent public meeting at the TYPBC further reinforced this social and racial divide, by virtue of the lack of younger participants of all backgrounds, who should be very concerned at the demise of anything approaching democracy in this supposed land of milk and honey. Of equal concern was the comment made by Buddy Makaire regards whispers from Parliament which would render referendum results null and void. What does Buddy know the rest of us mere mortals do not. The team of 5 million needs to stand up and be counted
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