It's Not Over Yet!

Barry from Papamoa Beach

The council has published its final proposal for the system of wards and councillors for the next 6 years. The system will comprise 8 general wards and 1 Maori ward. The Maori ward has already been established. Residents will only be allowed to vote for and have reasonable access to 1 out of the 9 councillors; their ward councillor. That definitely doesn't win the best and fairest award! One example of the council's weird thinking is its decision to split Greerton into two wards with the centre of Chadwick Road being the dividing line.
BUT, it's not over yet. Residents still have the right to challenge the council's decision!
It's now up to the Local Government Commission to make the final decision about which system Tauranga will have. The LGC has a good record of listening to the public and overturning bad council decisions. And, this is a bad one! If it's to to consider the matter properly the LGC needs to know what the public thinks The way to pass on your opinion is to:-
(a) send an email to - repreview@tauranga.govt.nz, or
(b) send a letter to the council at Private Bag 12022, Tauranga 3143, or
(c) drop off a letter at any library or at the customer service office in Willow Street.
To read the council's webpage on the subject Google - Tauranga city council elections review.
A better system of wards and councillors would be 1 city-wide general ward with 4 ward councillors, 7 at large councillors and 1 Maori ward. General roll electors would have the right to choose 11 out of the 12 councillors and Maori roll electors could choose 8. Tell the LGC that the council's chosen system is wrong for the city and that you want this one instead.
The council also refused to establish community boards. Boards are not another layer of bureaucracy. They are not run from a council desk. They are statutory community organisations designed to encourage and assist local participation in city governance. Residents would be able to have their say in familiar surroundings in their own community instead of in the council chambers. Tell the LGC that you want community boards.
The closing date is the 13th of December. Don't miss the deadline, don't let the council win by default.