Easter - a time to reflect on our glory

What a wonderful city we have in Tauranga – and yet it could still be so much more. I have lived here for 29 years, and watched what was a village turn into a modern city. In the Eighties computers had arrived, but the Commodore 64 was top of the range. Today this city boasts Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB), but most are yet to connect to it. Being an “early adopter” I took the first opportunity to go UFB, which is actually only 3 times faster than before, and definitely wouldn’t/couldn’t go back! Tauranga now has a completed UFB network, and 26% of capable households and businesses have now connected to it. This is the third highest connection rate across New Zealand. The Government has set an aspirational connectivity target that would see 99% of New Zealanders able to access peak broadband speeds of at least 50 Mbps (Megabytes per second) by 2025. Today my UFB is around 30 Mbps, and I look forward to even faster (affordable) speed.

Ultra Fast Broadband is a game-changer for our city. This city has long been known for its sunshine hours and its wonderful beaches, but it is UFB that will allow our young, upwardly mobile families to realise that they can live in blissful relaxation, and still be connected to a global economy. They are finally coming here in droves, and the challenge now it to ensure that our city doesn’t lose its competitive advantages. Past Mayors like Bob Owens and then Noel Pope ensured that our infrastructure preceded predicted growth, by pre-investing in the likes of our Harbour Bridge and Route K. This is a wonderful city – now let’s all ensure that we have the vision to retain and build on that magic.

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

Next Steps for Fresh Water – we need to be vigilant

Central Government has a consultation document out, proposing legislative change to improve the management of New Zealand’s rivers, lakes, aquifers and wetlands. Currently New Zealanders only use 2% of our rainfall (water), and yet in specific places there is a real shortage of available water for allocation; and we need to manage both water quality better, as well as improve efficiency of use.

I was heartened to hear the proposal for regional and unitary councils to be required to heed to “national standards”, but I am a bit sceptical of these same councils complying with this national framework. History tells us that our councils have been notoriously poor in the past, using their risk-averse and cost-plus mentality to overly complicate what should be straight forward legislation. It is my view that Central Government is taking a “soft option” on this, and that they would have been better to strengthen the powers of the Environmental Protection Authority to administer this. I know that the EPA has also struggled to effectively manage their mandate, but the track record of local authorities managing the RMA tells me that we are going to have to be vigilant to protect the rights of all New Zealanders with this current proposition. This is one of the primary reasons that I have decided to once again stand for election as one of your Regional Councillors – I am concerned that our current bunch will likely “roll over” on issues such as water allocation.

The proposal is for Regional & Unitary Councils to manage both water quality and water quantity issues, but with strengthened national requirements. Historically each regional council has set its own rules and limits, and these have not been consistent across the country. The Minister for the Environment (Hon Dr Nick Smith) and the Minister for Primary Industries (Hon Nathan Guy) announced at the Bluegreens Forum on 20th February 23 initiatives to legislate for better environmental rules for fresh water. These include:

• National regulations to get stock out of waterways – with a determined timetable for compliance, and appropriate enforcement requirements

• Strengthening the national requirements on councils to set limits

• Standardised water permit conditions on the efficient use of water and minimising nutrient loss

• Improved iwi involvement in council development of water plans and water conservation orders

• An additional $100m clean-up fund for lakes, rivers and wetlands

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

2016 needs to be a step-change for both our City & Regional Councils

2016 needs to be a step-change for both our City & Regional Councils

As Regional Councillors head back for 2016 it is time to reflect on 2015. First let us look at Bay of Plenty Regional Council – I raised issues around managing their costs, and in particular the outrageous staff increases (full of bureaucrats who write reports but do little in active environmental betterment). Has anyone listened – well NO, and to be fair I didn’t expect them to. Staff numbers continue to skyrocket, and if the report in the Bay of Plenty Times is correct, then by January this year staff numbers at the Regional Council now total 328 (up 44% since 2012 !!!).

There are a couple of hard working Regional Councillors, but most just seem happy to receive their salaries, and one (locally based) in particular only attends 50% of his required meetings. This is plain wrong, and the Chairman should have addressed this. BOPRC hide their cost blowouts behind an ever increasing Port of Tauranga dividend (now over $38m), and they are just plain “out of control.”

Tauranga City and Western Bay District Council are no better. Western Bay has gained a reputation as a bully who rides roughshod over landowner rights. Tauranga City do need some sort of accolade, because they certainly have improved their functionality in the last year or so. The fact is that they seem to be listening with regards to the redevelopment of our CBD. The proof however will be in their actions, and whether they have the gumption to action any of the proposals suggested by the CAG (Community Action Group). Somehow I doubt it, because they are so worried about “vested interests” that they can’t see the wood from the trees (take their balmy decision regarding the offer of Gareth Morgan’s wonderful piece of art/sculpture at the Mount). Vision remains in short supply, and our current Mayor appears one of the worst. It is time for a new breed of visionary Councillors to step up at the local government elections in October 2016.

So what lies ahead for 2016 – let’s hope that there is a renewed impetus towards amalgamating Western Bay and Tauranga City. I personally believe that the Western Bay should be a Unitary Council, but I recognise that getting a Unitary across the line would seem too hard. We have around 1,000 bureaucrats employed by local government in the Western Bay, and that is plain crazy. Let’s rationalise the process by amalgamating Western Bay District Council with Tauranga City, as a first step - and let’s do it now. At worst it will make for an interesting local body elections in October 2016. At this stage it is my intention to once again stand to represent Tauranga as a member of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Having stood down from the Crown Agency, Environmental Protection Authority, I am no longer conflicted, and would relish the opportunity to once again represent our local ratepayers. In the earlier 2000’s my by-line was “Action – Not Words” and this just isn’t happening at our ever increasingly bureaucratic Regional Council. We need strong advocates for effective environmental outcomes, and not just PC rhetoric.