Looking forward to 2017

At the start of a new year it is time to set some targets to achieve as an elected Regional Councillor. I will just highlight four.

My first priority is to improve our public transport system in Tauranga. We really do have a big problem here, and improving our bus patronage will also help our increasing road congestion. Short term it isn’t about encouraging different modes of transport, but more about developing a bus system that is affordable, time reliable, and time effective. One of our current KPI’s (key performance indicators) for our bus service is that taking the bus shouldn’t be more than twice as long as taking a car. This is plain nonsense, and we need to be much more ambitious than that if we want increased patronage. Watch this space.

My second New Year’s resolution is to crack down on farmers that continue to breach environmental standards. 95% of farmers uphold excellent environmental standards, and the few that don’t need the book thrown at them. Enough is enough, and we have to get tough on polluters. Breach your consent and expect to pay the consequences. I am sure I can get strong Councillor agreement to a “one strike and you are out” policy. I was a farmer for 17 years, and am a strong farmer advocate - but breaching consents and pollution has to stop.

My third resolution is to strongly back the building of a purpose built “Coastal Marine Research Centre.” This would be a huge boost for this region, and Professor Chris Battishill needs our support to increase the efficacy of his research. The potential of our Bay of Plenty coastal waters for pharmaceutical discovery alone is huge, and Tauranga needs to become a world leader in marine science.

My fourth resolution is to continue to advocate for a revitalised CBD for Tauranga City. The building of a university campus will be a game changer, but we have to go much further. I truly believe that a stadium on the Tauranga Domain would be another. Cardiff (in Wales) has proven that a downtown stadium doesn’t need carparking; and in fact it would be a detractor. We need attendees to visit our cafes and bars, both before and after matches – to boost our local economy.

Let’s all get behind these great examples of regional development. These ideas are affordable for New Zealand’s fifth largest city. Please support my vision. Be brave. Just do it.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me at, visit www.vond.co.nz, or just give me a call.

Please note that views expressed in this column are my personal views and do not necessarily reflect Regional Council policy.

Plenty of challenges face our Regional Council

We have now been sworn in as Regional Councillors, so please be clear that my editorials reflect my personal thoughts, and in no way are intended to represent those as a Councillor of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. That said I am excited to being back on the Regional Council, and really want to ensure that our Council is a great organisation that we can all be very proud of. My aim is to move us as an organisation, from “Good” to “Great”, and I have confidence that with the calibre of councillors on board, we can do just that. I will be looking for measurable outcomes, with staff being asked to focus on this, and not just more report writing. I recognise that Central Government continues to burden local government with ever more responsibilities (without the appropriate funding mechanisms to go with it), but my aim it to get accountability for our ratepayers. We need to ensure that we conduct our business in a transparent and understandable way.

I recognise that our territorial councils (both city and district) seem to see BOP Regional Council as a “pot of gold”, with our Port shares (and the income that derives from that). However your Regional Council isn't Father Christmas, and any distributions will need to be carefully managed to ensure that they are in the best interest of our region. Regional Development is a cornerstone activity for us, and I undertake to champion for wise decision making in that respect.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council currently owns 54.14% of the Port of Tauranga (through its 100% owned and NZX listed Quayside Holdings), and many within the region see this $1.5 billion asset as “fair game”. While the controlling Port interest is a magnificent regional asset, your Regional Council needs to be careful not to just “empire build”. There is a huge opportunity, in my opinion, to leverage it, for the benefit of our entire region. This huge asset base is both a huge opportunity, and a risk. Wise heads are needed to ensu

re that this is managed to grow our region’s economic wealth; as it is with a strong balance sheet that your Regional Council can make a real difference to ensure sustainable environmental outcomes.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me or just give me a call.

Back on the Regional Council, and our bus service will be targeted

Many thanks to those who showed confidence in me by electing me back onto the Regional Council. It never ceases to amaze me that many sitting Councillors (Tauranga City and Mayoral candidates in particular) didn’t seem to know what the role of a local government councillor entails.

We are all bound by the Local Government Act 2002 (and its amendments), and Section 11A state:

Core services to be considered in performing role -

In performing its role, a local authority must have particular regard to the contribution that the following core services make to its communities:

(a) network infrastructure:

(b) public transport services:

(c) solid waste collection and disposal:

(d) the avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards:

(e) libraries, museums, reserves, and other recreational facilities and community amenities.

Ratepayers should not be paying for the likes of “Social Housing” (this is the responsibility of Central Government), but they should be paying for (e) libraries, museums, reserves, and other recreational facilities and community amenities.

And what is more they should be paying for public transport services. Our Bus Service in Tauranga is disgraceful, and I can assure you that I will be holding both our staff (Regional Council), and Tauranga City staff, to account over this. For the past three years our patronage figures have been dropping (20%), and this is ridiculous, considering the growth that our city enjoys.

Commuters won’t take public transport (our buses) because they can rely on neither, when the bus will turn up, nor when they will get to their destination. The bus service is the responsibility of the Regional Council, and we need to change both the routes, and the fare structure. Neither is working. Tauranga City is responsible for the bus stops (shelters and timetable displays), and this includes the downtown depot on Willow Street. This depot (if you could call it that) is a disgrace, and just a “hangout” for all sorts of undesirables. This has to change – and we need “real-time” information at bus stops. With modern technology this isn’t rocket science (and commuters shouldn’t have to pay 20 cents to text for the information). There is currently no route information, nor timetables, at the bus stops. How do you expect to grow the service when the “service” is non-existent!

There is lots to do, but I am here to serve you (the ratepayers), so look for ACTION not words.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email me.