Tauranga ructions follow waka-load of grievances
When the Honourable Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Local Government, Foreign Affairs and associateminister ofma¯ori Developmentmakesher decision abouthowto restore order in Tauranga City Council she will need awaka-load of compassion.
For a start, there’s Tenby Powell wholastweek resigned after 15 “souldestroying” months as the city’s mayor.
Powell had a 4000-vote majority whenhe claimed themayoral chain and at the start he jubilantly said “the people have spoken, it’s time for the old guard to let go”. In spite of his military background, he didn’t see the trenchesuntil it wastoo late.
Theold guard entrenched in the council chambers for generations were going nowhere, but it maybe that they also needsomeof Nanaia’s compassion.
After all, they are protecting their community— a Tauranga community which aims to defend the city from liberal invaders, like Powell or from Ma¯ori “riding the Treaty gravy train” or anyone else they see asdifferent from themselves.
It’s a tough jobprotecting such long-held Tauranga values, but the council’s old guardseemcommitted.
Defending andprotecting the status quo must be especially hard whenyouare also being paid to efficiently govern the country’s fastest-growing city.
Nanaia’s compassion cannot fix the $2 billion shortfall in capital projects and over $33 million of ratepayers’moneywasted through bad councildecisions.
She cannot fix the past but she can have compassion for all those Tauranga families affected by what hasbecome a fiscal disaster.
Idonot speak for tangatawhenua of Taurangamoanabut as tangata whenua, and today I feel optimistic that shewill also have compassion for us.
As aminority population inourown rohe and coming from threedistinctive iwi, wehave— through raupatu/confiscations and Public Works takings— inadvertently provided the landsupon which this city ofmorethan 150,000 continues to grow.
Tosaywe have been economically disadvantaged by the actions of Tauranga City Council would be an understatement.
Oneexample from one ofmyhapu¯, Nga¯i Te Ahi, wasin 1965when40ha wastaken for “the public good” to build awater plant. Four hectareswas used for the plant; the remainderwas sold by the council for profit.
Fast-forward 55 years andwehave our latest example, involving a 100m bus lane.
In August, whilewewere in Covid alert level 2, Taurangacity Council passed a bylaw to formalise the lane through the suburb of Hairini, hometo our Nga¯i Te Ahimarae and papakainga, effectively blocking off one end of the street.
Thecouncil had already installed a traffic camera so after twomonths started fining all traffic, $150 a pop, apart from buses.
It said thiswasa safety issue, but it has alsobecomea tidy source of passive income generation.
Twoyears before— prior to Powell’s arrival— and after the road had already been blocked and the bus lane set up ready to trial, a single public meetingwasheld.
Localswere angry and shocked. At the meeting, Tcctransport manager, Martin Parkes admitted: “Normally we’d go through a lengthy consultation process. But therewas an opportunity and in the transport world, whenthese opportunities comeup, sometimes you’ve got to take them.”
Transport manager John
Mccarthy offered: “If youdon’t like it, moveout of Tauranga.”
While he acknowledged after the meeting itwas a “flippant comment“, thatwasthe consultation process in action.
Badly planned roading has plagued us for years. State Highway 29 separates us from our urupa¯ and half of ourwha¯nau.
Although the council says the Hairini Bus Lane is adone deal, we, the people, Ma¯ori and non-ma¯ori, disagree. We’ve had enough and started a petition“wedeserve Respect Fromtaurangacity Council”.
For the first time— with Nanaia Mahuta’s help andcompassion— there is a real chancewewill all get whatwedeserve.