The view from Mount Maunganui, Tauranga. Photo: 123rf
Tauranga businesses and iwi are fighting back amidst calls for the city's commissioners to delay a 10-year-plan.
A former mayor wants the commissioners to hold off on the Long Term Plan until it can be implemented by elected officials after the July election.
He said there were serious, irreversible changes that needed to be left up to the people.
But one business owner said a delay would be catastrophic, while others said there was no time to waste in taking action on the city's issues.
While Bay of Plenty city has been known for living up to the region's name, with plenty of beaches, restaurants, and friendly people, former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless said there was one thing it was seriously lacking.
"It's democracy, and the people's right to choose, it's been long enough. The National Party, when in opposition, said that we should have had an election in 2022 when everybody else voted."
He said the independent commissioners, appointed to overlook Tauranga City Council in 2021, needed to rein in their power.
At its current trajectory, the officials were on track to implement a 10-year plan three months before a newly elected council and mayor are expected to enter the chamber.
Brownless said the controversial plan would set in motion irreversible changes, including a continuation of developments on Cameron Road, which he said they had "failed badly on".
"There's also plans to rampantly hike the fees for sports field users, clubs, and even to close a major swimming pool in the city."
Act Party MP and Tauranga resident Cameron Luxton backed Brownless and said it should be left alone, in wait for when elected councillors could make the final decisions.
"National and ACT both campaigned on restoring democracy to Tauranga. I'm asking the new Minister for Local Government to take steps to delay the Long-Term Plan and its associated contracts until after democratic leadership is established in July," Luxton said.
But Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said the previous council delaying decisions was the exact reason the commission was instated in the first place.
"Western Bay is some of the worst rental affordability in New Zealand. That's impacting businesses as employees ask for more money to keep up, or our workforce is leaving to more affordable regions," Cowley said.
"We just desperately need infrastructure to enable the housing and keep Tauranga moving."
Any decisions could be overturned by the incoming council, he said.
But Brownless refuted this claim and said any decisions were bound to contracts that would be very expensive to reverse.
Urban Taskforce for Tauranga chairperson Scott Adams said a delay would be a catastrophe to the city's future growth.
"We've been delaying growth in this city for decades, Tauranga has been constrained by a lack of decision-making and we need some strong leadership, we need these infrastructure projects locked into a long-term plan as soon as possible."
Ngāi Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley said the commissioners were moving things along, and involving iwi more in the decision-making than the previous council.
He was more concerned a new council would go up in flames just like the last one.
"Well it's going to be a bloody sh**show, because we'll make it a shitshow if they revert back to the days of stupidity," Stanley said.
"If you get the same people in as you got in last time, that's exactly what will happen."
Greg Brownless said the people of Tauranga were mature enough to choose their officials.
"That could be said about any council or in fact any government," said Brownless, "they are all plagued by various problems and difficulties between them, but the fact is we do live in a democracy."
After public hearings are heard and final changes are made, the plan for 2024 to 2034 is due to be adopted in April, three months before the July election.