A murmur of relief spread across the room as Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced Tauranga City Council's election will be delayed until July 2024 and a commission remain in place.

But, this relief is not mirrored by the entire community, with some expressing their disappointment and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges has labelled the decision 'plain wrong”.

Mahuta made the announcement, alongside the commissioners, to a room of 'key stakeholders” invited by council. They included iwi and hapū representatives, business leaders, Western Bay of Plenty District Council mayor Garry Webber and Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder.

The Minister says she had not made the decision 'lightly” and the current commissioners had accomplished some 'impressive achievements in their tenure”.

These included, strengthening relationships with the community, improving culture with the council and producing a long-term plan for 2021-2031.

'They have acted on many hard decisions that are essential to building a prosperous and sustainable future for Tauranga. But it is clear there is more to be done,” says Mahuta.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive.

'Having a commission beyond October will ensure that the council have the stability needed to maintain its current pace.

'They will be able to deliver on several complex programmes of work, including plans for the new civic centre precinct and investment plans for future growth.

'Significant investment in infrastructure and services will be vital for Tauranga City and the wider Bay of Plenty region,” she says.

Commission chair Anne Tolley says the decision recognised the complex processes required to get Tauranga moving and the risks associated with introducing a new set of elected members mid-way through some significant decision-making processes.

'That extended timeframe will allow a commission to continue implementing the work plan now underway to address the city's severe housing shortage and underinvestment in community facilities and infrastructure,” she says.

Four commissioners took over in February last year after Mahuta deposed the previous councillors in December 2020.

This was because of 'significant governance problems among elected representatives” and the findings of an independent review.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley says he is relieved rather than celebrating.

'It's a shame that we're in the situation when government needs to intervene,” he says.

'The relief comes from knowing that the city can focus on the issues… rather than discussing personality clashes.”

Cowley says because the commissioners have only been in a year, 'There is a good chance that the local political environment is still quite toxic”.

Mahuta was asked if her decision was also about avoiding the return to personal politics of the previous council. She responded: 'This decision is about Tauranga”.

She says the decision ensured 'Tauranga's interests first, were able to be stewarded through in a way that gave certainty”.

'The commissioners are a way of achieving that,” she says.

Tenby Powell: Photo: Daniel Hines/SunLive.

Previous mayor Tenby Powell, who resigned in November 2020 and called for the appointment of commissioners, is 'relived and thrilled” by Mahuta's decision.

'We need consistency, we need stability and we've got it with the commissioners,” Powell told Local Democracy reporting.

'They've had the courage to make the right decisions for Tauranga City, which is 20 years behind where it should be.”

Reflecting on his resignation Powell says: 'While no mayor wants to hand a city over to commissioners, in my heart I knew it was the right thing to recommend”.

'Looking back, it was definitely the right thing to have recommended, and it has overwhelming support.”

Others were disappointed by the delay of elections claiming a lack of democracy.

Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby says: 'We're disappointed the minister needed to make this decision.

'Local Democracy is at the heart of local government and this decision does not reflect that,” says Crosby, who was also the mayor of Tauranga from 2004 to 2016.

'We do acknowledge this has been a difficult decision for the Minister.”

Former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless. File photo/SunLive.

Greg Brownless, who took over the mayoralty in 2016, told Local Democracy Reporting: 'It's a sad day for democracy”.

'Government has broken the contract with the people for democracy it espouses,” he says.

'The issue isn't whether the commissioners have done a good or bad job. It's that it's up to the voters to choose their representatives.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges says: 'Today's decision by Nanaia Mahuta is plain wrong”.

'Everywhere else will have local body elections this year apart from us and for no good reason other than power and control and convenience,” he claims.

In response to Tauranga's perceived lack of democracy, Mahuta's says a commission is not the long term future for Tauranga.

'The real challenge for democracy is to ensure confidence that decisions can be made,” she says.

'The fact that we had to appoint commissioners, because that was not the situation here in Tauranga, is a salient lesson.

'What we have is a group of commissioners who have engaged, been able to deliver on significant planning documents and have positive partnerships and relationships with a range of stakeholders.

'I hope it's an indicator to political aspirants, at the local governance level, that the expectation should be no less than working for the benefit of their great city,” says Mahuta.

Her goal is for a 'smooth transition back to elected representation” with elections in July 2024.

Although the current commission's term is due to end in October, the minister indicated her intention for the current set of commissioners to remain.

'We're mindful that continuity is important.

'The way in which this community has responded to the flavour of this commission and they really highlighted that engagement is a significant part of their obligation.”

Further announcements about appointees and terms of reference of the commission will be made in the coming weeks.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.