Bridges urges minister not to intervene in Troubled Tauranga council impasse
were not beyond what the council would normally deal with. “Therefore they do not individually or collectively reach anything like the threshold for intervention.”
Bridges, who previously said commissioners would be “embarrassing” for the city, said his request for the minister not to intervene specifically related to the appointment of a Crownmanager or commissioner. He did not have an opinion on a Crown observer.
Responding to comments in Bridges’ letter, Powell said, in his view, previous mayors “managed internal conflict by not addressing the key issues facing Tauranga and not having the moral courage to do what’s right” and the city lagged behind in infrastructure as a result.
“Simon Bridges isn’t the Government, [local Labour list MPS] Jan Tinetti and Angie WarrenClark are and, because of their very active roles in the community, they are significantly better placed than Mr
Bridges to understand this dynamic.”
Powell also said the report did not find he was “the problem” but identified governance issues across the elected members.
“For Mr Bridges to suggest the remaining [elected members] are capable of governing is to reject the report.” Both Brownless and Crosby disputed Powell’s characterisation. Brownless said his council did face up to its issues, and without the “level of vitriol” of the current council.
Brownless, who lost his re-election bid to Powell last year, is still considering whether to run for mayor in the byelection, having previously said he would stand for councillor. He is a National Party supporter.
Crosby, currently a regional councillor and president of Local Government New Zealand, said during his time as mayor the Tauranga City Council made substantial investment in three-waters and community infrastructure, raising rates and debts to fund it. He said State highway investment failed to keep pace “despite having the Minister of Transport [Bridges] residing in Tauranga”.
Asked to comment on what the Government should do about the council, Tinetti and Warren Clark both said they would support Minister Mahuta’s decision.
Mahuta is expected to receive advice from officials tomorrow on whether the council’s situation met the threshold for intervention under part 10 of the Local Government Act.
She would report back to the Cabinet in December, she said in a statement last Friday.
Officials were considering intervention options “at the higher end of the scale” including appointing a Crownobserver (to assist the council), Crown manager (to direct the council), or commissioners (to replace the council).
A week ago the review and observation team recommended the council ask the minister to appoint a Crown manager.
The council supported this recommendation on Friday in a 5-5 split vote decided by Powell’s casting vote. Minutes later, he resigned and called for the council to be replaced with commissioners, saying the city’s future “cannot be left to a small group of petty politicians”.
A spokeswoman for the minister’s office said yesterday that Bridges’ letter had been passed on to the officials in the Department of Internal Affairs who would be advising her. Nominations for the byelection opened yesterday. No nominations were received as of the afternoon, according to electoral officer War
Police have released the name of the man who died in amotorcycle ¯ inocrash po¯tiki on Friday. He was
David Jonathan Kanuta, 49, of wick Lampp. po¯tiki. The fatal crash was on
Central Government ¯ inobridgest interventions potiki at 6.43pm on into local councils are reasonably November 20. Later that evening, rare but can be long-lasting. police confirmed the rider had
Three commissioners were died. Inquiries into the crash are appointed by the National governongoing. ment to replace the Kaipara District Council in 2012.
Among them was Peter Winder, who chaired Tauranga’s review and observation team.
The commissioners left at the 2016 election.
The trio of commissioners appointed in 2010 by the National government to take over Environment Canterbury retired in 2019, with the last three years of their tenure spent as appointed regional council