Latest news with #BayofPlentyRegionalCouncil
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Western Bay Councillors Push Back Against New Subcommittee Rammed Through Without Approval
'This isn't team-building. It's a power grab.' Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors are speaking out against the creation of a new SmartGrowth Subcommittee in the Bay of Plenty, established without any formal vote or approval from elected members across all three affected councils. The subcommittee includes just six people: The Mayor of Tauranga The Mayor of Western Bay of Plenty The Chair of Bay of Plenty Regional Council The Chair of the Combined Tangata Whenua Committee A rotating Mana Whenua representative Any co-opted members chosen by the mayors and chairs So, what's missing? Any mandate. Any scrutiny. And nearly every other elected councillor. Councillors Raise Red Flags Western Bay councillors voiced strong opposition, raising the following issues on record: The subcommittee was formed without councillor approval Councils were not consulted on the Terms of Reference The Terms are vague and lack clear limits on decision-making There is no defined reporting structure back to councils The subcommittee consolidates power into a "small tight group" This approach is 'pulling power away from democracy,' in the words of several councillors Rodney Joyce, current councillor and candidate for Western Bay Mayor, put it bluntly: 'This is not how democracy works.' Don Thwaites, another mayoral contender, warned: 'If the Mayor of Tauranga is negotiating capital gains tax or congestion charging with central government, I don't want to see it happening in a secret little group.' Statement from Erika Harvey, Lobby for Good 'This isn't efficiency, it's exclusion. We're seeing the same pattern across the country with insiders shaping decisions behind closed doors, then presenting them as done deals. When elected councillors are cut out of the process entirely, it doesn't matter what the policy is, it's a democratic failure. This SmartGrowth subcommittee was formed without a single vote from elected members. That should alarm anyone who believes in local representation.' Lobby for Good is now calling for urgent clarity from SmartGrowth and the three councils involved. Specifically: Who authorised the creation of this subcommittee without councillor approval? What decisions is this unelected subcommittee empowered to make? Why were the Terms of Reference not put to elected members for debate or amendment? Will any minutes, agendas, or decisions be made public? How will this structure affect public accountability, transparency, and democratic representation? Does this reflect a broader pattern of decision-making being centralised into insider groups, as we've seen with the Water Done Well process? A Familiar Pattern: Public Excluded, Power Concentrated This move closely mirrors concerns raised in other areas of local governance that we are hearing from across the country, where decisions are increasingly being shaped behind closed doors, then handed down to councillors and the public with limited time or transparency.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
It's In The Ballot Comes To Eastern Bay Of Plenty
A NEW show to help local election candidates get their message out to voters is coming to Whakatāne and Kawerau districts in September. It's in the Ballot is a travelling webshow founded by Wellington-based political commentator Sam Somers, along with co-chair and producer Stacey Ryan. It's in the Ballot has scheduled five days of production to be held in Kawerau, Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, Tāneatua and Murupara in the month before the election. Mr Somers says he plans to create 30 hours of footage of these events. The founder, host and executive producer of the show, he initiated it after his experiences standing for office in the Greater Wellington Regional Council in both 2016 and 2019. Having attended Meet the Candidates meetings organised by various groups, he found it challenging to get his message across to his constituency. With his supporters, along with support from other candidates, he decided that a webshow was the solution, so hosted It's in the Ballot for eight electorates in the General Election in 2020. In 2022, It's in the Ballot Productions, a non-profit organisation, hosted 34 shows in the Wellington Region for the council elections, including having all candidates elected in Hutt City Council (Lower Hutt) and Upper Hutt City Council participate. This year, a new challenge has been set, to expand coverage by holding over 100 events covering 23 councils in Greater Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. The shows are held in local venues and aired live on the It's in the Ballot Website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and their Tiktok page. The format is loosely based on classic New Zealand television series It's in the Bag. Communities are given a chance ahead of the event to submit questions for candidates. Questions are placed in numbered boxes (or 'bags') and each candidate must select a box number and answer the question inside. Each candidate is given two 'butt in' cards which they can play to answer a question selected by another candidate and a 'defer' card, which they can play to defer their question to another candidate of their choice. Candidates also have a chance at the beginning of the show to introduce themselves, much like any other candidate's meeting. Candidates for Whakatāne and Kawerau district councils or Bay of Plenty Regional Council elections can visit to register for the events and the community is invited to submit questions for the candidates. They can also book free tickets to any of the events on the website whether they wish to attend in person or view online. Events for Eastern Bay of Plenty September 9: Edgecumbe War Memorial Hall – Rangitaiki Community Board 3pm, Rangitaiki Māori Ward 4pm, Rangitaiki General Ward 7pm September 10: Tāneatua School and Community Hall (Venue to be confirmed) – Tāneatua Community Board 4pm, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Kōhi Māori constituency 5pm, Eastern Bay constituency at 7pm September 13: Kawerau Town Hall – Kawerau District Council councillors at large 10am, Māori Ward 1pm, General Ward 4pm and Mayoral Debate 7pm September 16: Murupara Area School – Murupara Community Board 4pm, Te Urewera General Ward 5pm, Toi ki Uta Māori Ward 7pm September 18: Whakatāne War Memorial Centre – Kapu to Rangi Māori Ward 1pm, Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board 3pm, Whakatāne-Ōhope General Ward 4pm, Mayoral Debate 7pm
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Utilising and protecting Bay of Plenty's geothermal taonga
Bay of Plenty Regional Council's geothermal programme leader Penny Doorman said the resource was a taonga that was generally well managed, and there was even scale for greater use at some sites. But she said ongoing reform to the Resource Management Act – legislation that ordered 'outdated' management plans be reviewed – resulted in the regional council pausing the wider regional management plan for the systems. 'We've had to pivot a little bit because with the resource management reforms that are under way, council decided not to progress the region-wide plan change, they thought it would be better to wait until there's a bit more certainty about that. 'But they have agreed to still go ahead with the changes to the Rotorua part of that regional plan change.' Up to 29% of overall use of geothermal water in the Tauranga system was for horticulture, and made up 96% of geothermal water allocated to non-geothermal activities. In a submission, fruit and vegetable growers raised concerns that changes to geothermal systems management might result in further costs and compliance for users. However, Doorman said access to water for horticultural irrigators in Tauranga was not changing and the plan was progressing, however, it would consider changes to allocation limits in Rotorua. 'We have made some recommendations for changes to the allocation [in Rotorua]. There's always been a limit to how much geothermal water can be taken from the system and not reinjected, and that limit has just been reviewed through some careful monitoring,' she said. 'We're basically saying if you're taking geothermal water out of the system to take heat, then you've got to reinject it.' She said it identified a system-wide cap to the amount of heat that could be taken off the system. 'The reason for that is that because it's really important to keep your water levels and your geothermal aquifer high but also hot because that's what our geyser system relies on,' she said. 'If we can keep heat within this safe operating space, then we know that we can protect the mauri or the health of the geothermal system.' Meanwhile, in its submission, industry group Horticulture New Zealand said consent conditions should be reasonable and proportional to the environmental risks at the key Tauranga site. 'The council's science has shown that the water quantity will run out before heat in the Tauranga system, so volume is the limiting factor rather than the heat source,' it said. 'Given that this is the case, non-geothermal uses of war water such as irrigation should not be restricted on the basis of retaining the heat source.' It said consent conditions should also be 'mindful of cumulative compliance cost on users'. It added that there was significant potential for low-temperature geothermal water to be used with ground-source heat pumps for zero-carbon greenhouse vegetable growing in future. Growers were also exploring new heat sources for their greenhouses in areas like geothermal, because of the rising cost and limited availability of gas. GNS Science, now functioning as Earth Sciences New Zealand with Niwa, developed a geothermal and groundwater interactive map to help greenhouse growers switch to geothermal heating. Doorman said investigations were ongoing, including into the potential of Tauranga's low-temperature geothermal system. She said collaboration with mana whenua was key to managing the natural resources. - RNZ
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Utilising, protecting Bay of Plenty's geothermal taonga
Geothermal systems in Rotorua are used for a range of activities, including for tourism, health spas or powering large facilities like hospitals. Photo: The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is considering "tweaks" to allocation rules for commercial users of geothermal systems in Rotorua, but is holding fire on a region-wide plan to manage the natural resource. Late last year, the regulator went out for public consultation with updated draft management plans for the systems in Rotorua, Tauranga and the wider region, in efforts to greater streamline the consenting process. The geothermal resources are of cultural, social and economic significance to the region that has 12 geothermal systems. The systems are used for a range of activities, including for tourism, health spas or powering large facilities like hospitals . Furthermore, other uses for geothermal resources include drying timber at saw mills or using water for irrigation or frost protection in horticulture - in addition to generating electricity, heat or water. Bay of Plenty Regional Council's geothermal programme leader Penny Doorman said the resource was a taonga that was generally well managed, and there was even scale for greater use at some sites. But she said ongoing reform to the Resource Management Act - legislation which ordered "outdated" management plans be reviewed - resulted in the regional council pausing the wider regional management plan for the systems. "We've had to pivot a little bit because with the resource management reforms that are underway, council decided not to progress the regionwide plan change, they thought it would be better to wait until there's a bit more certainty about that. "But they have agreed to still go ahead with the changes to the Rotorua part of that regional plan change." Visitors at Te Puia explore Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. Photo: Supplied / Te Puia Up to 29 percent of overall use of geothermal water in Tauranga system was for horticulture, and made up 96 percent of geothermal water allocated to non-geothermal activities. In a submission, fruit and vegetable growers raised concerns that changes to geothermal systems management might result in further costs and compliance for users. However, Doorman said access to water for horticultural irrigators in Tauranga was not changing and the plan was progressing, however it would consider changes to allocation limits in Rotorua. "We have made some recommendations for changes to the allocation [in Rotorua]. There's always been a limit to how much geothermal water can be taken from the system and not reinjected, and that limit has just been reviewed through some careful monitoring," she said. "We're basically saying if you're taking geothermal water out of the system to take heat, then you've got to re-inject it." She said it identified a system-wide cap to the amount of heat that could be taken off the system. [audip] "The reason for that is that because it's really important to keep your water levels and your geothermal aquifer high but also hot because that's what our geyser system relies on," she said. "If we can keep heat within this safe operating space, then we know that we can protect the mauri or the health of the geothermal system." Meanwhile, in its submission, industry group Horticulture New Zealand said consent conditions should be reasonable and proportional to the environmental risks at the key Tauranga site. "The council's science has shown that the water quantity will run out before heat in the Tauranga system, so volume is the limiting factor rather than the heat source," it said. "Given that this is the case, non-geothermal uses of war water such as irrigation should not be restricted on the basis of retaining the heat source." It said consent conditions should also be "mindful of cumulative compliance cost on users." It added that there was significant potential for low-temperature geothermal water to be used with ground source heat pumps for zero-carbon greenhouse vegetable growing in future. Growers were also exploring new heat sources for their greenhouses in areas like geothermal, due to the rising cost and limited availability of gas. GNS Science, now the Earth Sciences New Zealand with NIWA, developed a geothermal and groundwater interactive map to help greenhouse growers switch to geothermal heating. Doorman said investigations were ongoing, including into the potential of Tauranga's low temperature geothermal system. She said collaboration with mana whenua was key to managing the natural resources. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
How Whanganui Achieved Lowest Rates In The Country
Whanganui's average rates increase of 2.2 percent for the year ahead is the lowest in the country. Mayor Andrew Tripe says the low figure is the envy of the country and the payoff in a sustained drive to adjust how the council operates. "[It] didn't happen by accident - it's the result of a deliberate strategy to keep costs under control," Tripe said. "Many of the savings are structural and will flow through to future years. We expect there will be opportunities to reduce the 2026/27 rates increase as well." In a survey by Local Democracy Reporting on average rates for 2025/26 throughout the country, Waitomo District Council had the next lowest rates at 2.9 percent, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council was third lowest in the country at 3.0 percent. Five councils - Upper Hutt City, Waipa District, Hamilton City, Hastings District and Clutha District - were looking at jumps of 15-17 percent. The average rates hike is about 8.7 percent, compared with last year's 14 percent. In his first tilt at local government in 2022, Tripe's successful campaign for the mayoralty included driving efficiencies to reduce the rates burden. A six-point plan was developed early in the electoral term to reduce costs and ease reliance on rates. As well as improving efficiency, the plan looked at reducing services, finding alternative funding for projects, identifying non-rates sources of revenue, and growing the population so there were more households to pitch in on rates. "The plan has taken a while to get some traction, however the benefits of that approach are now starting to show," Tripe said. The savings drive led to works and services being deferred, scaled back or cut but Tripe said investment in infrastructure had been prioritised. Variations to the long-term plan included Tripe's push to ditch a planned food scrap collection, reducing rates by $1 million or about 1.5 percent, he said. Council restructuring saved $1.2m a year. Deferrals Deferrals included pushing out by a year a $1m grant for Whanganui Surf Lifesaving Service's rescue centre. The project was not at the stage where funding was needed, Tripe said. An $8m of planned spending on an opera house upgrade was delayed to await a business case. The Waitahinga Quarry development project was deferred while the council focused on other projects, and all council vehicle replacements have been deferred for the year. A planned full review of the district plan has also been deferred, saving $700,000. Tripe said the council was no longer required to conduct a full review of the plan following central government's decision to make changes to the Resource Management Act. Non-rates income was expected to increase by almost 20 percent in the year ahead. "We are expecting higher fee revenue in some activities such as parking and aquatics. "We have moderated our property renewals budget down for affordability and to ensure we can deliver the planned programme. "Three waters capital programmes have been moderated to ensure that they are deliverable in the 2025/26 financial year." The council had also made minor reductions to venues improvement budgets and optimised corporate budgets for items like IT hardware replacements. It was committed to "investing solidly" in core infrastructure, with more than 80 percent of capital spending earmarked over the next 10 years for the likes of footpaths, roading, and stormwater. There was also an 11 percent increase in infrastructure spending from 2024/25. The council also tightened spending on insurance cover by taking a risk-based approach on property and removing some assets from its insurance schedule. Unbalanced budget The council has forecast an unbalanced budget of $5.5 million for 2025/26 due to increased depreciation costs from inflation and large new assets like the redeveloped Sarjeant Gallery and wastewater treatment plant. "While we are repaying debt on these long-life assets, we believe it's not fair for current ratepayers to also fund future replacements. Running an unbalanced budget is prudent in the short-term." Tripe said the council's balance sheet was strong, debt was under control and additional repayments were being made to loans. Asked how these decisions would affect long-term planning, Tripe said the council was looking beyond the short-term and planning for the future. "We're creating a strategy for Whanganui with five goals: to grow, build for, protect, celebrate and activate Whanganui." This included plans to establish a standalone entity to improve housing stock and allocating an extra $590,000 toward debt repayment, on top of existing repayments. Paying down debt more quickly would benefit future generations, Tripe said. "This equates to 0.7 percent of the 2.2 percent average rates increase." Asked if he was confident the council was investing adequately in the district's future, Tripe said Whanganui was faring well in a difficult national economy. "We should be excited about our future. Whanganui has a fantastic range of facilities for our community and the council is committed to maintaining these and ensuring that the infrastructure is in place for Whanganui to continue to be a great place to live, work and visit."
