Tauranga leaders have high hopes the newly announced commissioners taking over at the city's council will focus on tackling the area's infrastructure issues.
The Tauranga City Council offices. Photo: Google Maps
The government made the call to step in and seize the reins at the fifth largest city in the country that is facing substantial infrastructure and funding challenges in the midst of massive growth.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta decided to appoint a commission in December last year after an independent review found significant governance problems within the council.
The former National MP for the East Coast, Anne Tolley, will chair the four commissioners and former Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Stephen Selwood is on the team.
The other two commissioners are Tauranga locals - Shadrach Rolleston, an expert in the Resource Management Act and Māori engagement and Bill Wasley, a town planner and former chair of the regional planning forum, Smart Growth.
Wasley said the commissioners would have to deliver a robust 2021-2031 long term plan for the city as well as engaging with the community and council staff.
"I think the key task is looking at the long term plan and giving effect to a range of strategy action Tauranga City [Council] has signed off over a period of time," he said.
Despite opposing the take-over, former deputy mayor Kelvin Clout said the government had selected quality commissioners with relevant experience.
However, he was concerned the four commissioners would not be able to service the community's needs since they were working only part-time.
"I've got no idea how those four part-time commissioners are going to be able to cover the whole of the Tauranga community, [and] all the multitude of concerns and issues that are raised by residents and ratepayers," Clout said. "I'm not sure how [they] ... are even going to scratch the surface."
The city is estimated to require capital investment to the tune of $4.3 billion over the next 10 years to cater for growth and double digit rates increases of up to 20 percent year-on-year have been flagged to fund this.
Clout said it was not fair on Tauranga ratepayers to pay for all the infrastructure development and he believed the government should help foot the bill.
However, Wasley said the commissioners would talk to the community before any decisions around rates increases were made.
Mayor of the neighbouring Western Bay of Plenty District, Garry Webber, gave the commissioner line-up his tick of approval.
"The minister has done an incredible job of getting a very good group of commissioners who have both the experience and the understanding of our district."
Webber hoped the commissioners would get stuck in and put into practice the already-prepared plans for the region's infrastructure.
"It is really an implementation issue. It's a matter of some hard decisions being taken to make sure we fix the public transport issues, the roading network and prepare the district for the urban development that is urgently necessary."
Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns also had infrastructure upgrades on his wishlist.
He said the city had not catered for growth, with the roads around the port routinely jammed during morning and afternoon peak times.
"We are the largest port in New Zealand and we handle nearly 40 percent of the country's exports. We just haven't kept up with the infrastructure development around the port. The roading to the port really needs a look at."
The commissioners were due to start work on 9 February.