Latest news with #Mauger
The Spinoff
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Serious, serial and everyone in between: Who's running for mayor in Christchurch?
Current mayor Phil Mauger's biggest threat is city councillor Sara Templeton, but there are six others vying for the chains in Ōtautahi – including several serial candidates and a notorious white supremacist. Serious candidates Phil Mauger Phil Mauger is Christchurch's current mayor, running on a platform of 'let's get more stuff done'. He told The Spinoff in 2022 that he was concerned about housing intensification in Christchurch's suburbs. As mayor, he has repeatedly suggested that Christchurch should make a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, until a feasibility study in September 2024 said no more money should be spent pursuing the idea. Mauger was also a major supporter of Christchurch's Te Kaha stadium, which is on track to be completed next year, and has been known to make Spinoff senior writer Alex Casey's heart swell with pride. He's promising to 'keep rates affordable', complete infrastructure on time and invest in Christchurch's water systems. Before becoming mayor, Mauger ran a construction company. His son Jordan was on the second season of The Bachelor NZ, when he exclusively revealed to The Spinoff that he had flipped a coin to decide who should win. Hopefully this isn't an election strategy that the people of Christchurch will copy. Sara Templeton Templeton is a city councillor – she's been representing the Heathcote ward since 2016, so has almost a decade of experience at council. She's been particularly supportive of alternative transport modes, like cycling, buses and public transport, and one of her campaign promises is to make progress on light rail. Templeton is also promising to improve Christchurch's water network, including stormwater, retain council-owned assets and – minor but noticeable – look into the problem with right-turn arrows in Christchurch. Templeton is a former teacher who was involved in post-earthquake community recovery in Ōtautahi. This term, she held the council climate change portfolio. She is not seeking re-election as a councillor, signalling that she is very focused on her mayoralty bid. Serial candidates Tubby Hansen Hansen has run in every single election (general and local) since 1969, so his name will not be unfamiliar to voters. In an interview with Stuff he blamed an injury on an electro-magnetic laser from the government. Hansen uses the candidate booklet and ads in local newspaper The Press as free-association writing exercises to convey his ideas about the world. Seats in bus shelters, uneven footpaths and 'tingle rays' have been mentioned in his candidate blurbs. He used to work at the freezing works and a nail factory, but is now retired. Blair Anderson Anderson has stood for council five times before, the last time in 2019. He is a campaigner for drug law reform, and has a cannabis conviction. He has worked as a dog trainer, and continued living in the Christchurch red zone after the area had been decommissioned for residential housing. 'Look, there's people who would probably say a few ning nongs are running and they might well be right,' he told RNZ in 2019, explaining why he thought that minor candidates should still be included in mayoral debates. Peter Wakeman Wakeman has run in Wellington and Christchurch council elections and general elections. His candidate statement for the 2024 Lambton byelection in Wellington described him as 'Wakeman, vegan gf, former passenger jet pilot has a slogan wake up or pay up' [sic]. In an interview with Stuff in 2013, he didn't answer questions about why he's run for office so many times, repeatedly diverting the conversation to Reserve Bank policies. When running in 2022, he said he wants to see more food grown in the Ōtākaro-Avon River Corridor in the city's red zone. When running in Banks Peninsula in the 2023 national election, he said he wanted to become an MP to get faster answers to his questions than by using the OIA process. In 2024, he made a Media Council complaint about an article published on RNZ which he said did not make it clear enough that Israel was blocking aid from Gaza. Seriously into gardening Thomas Healey There isn't heaps of information available about Thomas Healey, but he describes himself as a gardener and forager. He's also an advocate of growing more food in the Ōtākaro-Avon Corridor, saying in a submission to council in 2024 that he didn't have much space to grow food in the community housing where he lives in Heathcote Valley. He has a campaign Facebook page but no clear policies. Seriously…? Philip Arps Philip Arps is a white supremacist who has a conviction for sharing footage of the March 15 attacks. His sentence was 21 months in prison and his release conditions included not being allowed to contact Muslims without prior approval from his probation officer. He has 30 other criminal convictions. He previously owned an insulation company with Nazi-themed branding. He has previously attempted to run for the Te Aratai College school board. His affiliation on the nominations form is 'Independant Nationalist New Zealand'. Notably, 'independent' is spelled incorrectly. Nikora Nitro Nitro, a former Mana Party member, is another mayoral candidate with a criminal conviction, for soliciting sex from a teenager in exchange for money, cigarettes and a cellphone top-up. He's known for a series of dubious failed businesses, including running a cafe without a licence or food safety protocols, setting up massage tables inside, advertising it as a 'male cruise club ' and failing to pay rent. A video on his Instagram page says he is running for 'low rates 3.5%, Adequate housing, City Aspirations, Nationwide Goals, Economic Prosperity, Environmental Gains.' He also stood for mayor in 2022 and for council in the 2021 Coastal Ward byelection.
Otago Daily Times
03-08-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
What is the city council spending on?
Construction of One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha accounts for $92m of this year's Annual Plan budget. PHOTO:CCC About $1.6 billion will be spent on Christchurch City Council's Annual Plan this financial where it is going. Significant amendments to the draft Annual Plan were made by city councillors, with funding going to unexpected projects. The Air Force Museum of New Zealand will now receive $5 million towards its $16m extension project. The new wing will house the museum's C-130H Hercules and P-3K2 Orion. Another amendment is a pause in the Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement levy after the project was put on hold. The cathedral levy cost ratepayers $6.52 annually and was planned to last at least another three years. Other notable spending greenlighted through amendments include more chlorine-free water taps like those at Burnside Park and Rawhiti Domain. The taps will be installed with $900,000 allocated to the programme over three years from July next year. This will be enough to install at least two stations a year and potentially more if Government water regulations are relaxed as has been speculated. University students are winners of the budget with discounted prices for city council pools. A student ID will reduce prices to $4.90 from $6.70, in line with gold and community services cards. The reduced prices will start in July next year. Altogether, amendments added 0.04% to the rates increase. Rates have gone up by 6.6% on average to help pay for the $1.6 billion budgeted to cover the cost of running Christchurch. There will be $871 million in operational spending on day-to-day services and $648m in capital spending, including $95.5m for One New Zealand Stadium. Debt repayment will cost $81m. The city council will borrow about $366m to meet a budget shortfall with the goal of returning to surplus in 2028. Total debt will reach $2.8b after this year's Annual Plan. Mayor Phil Mauger says the Annual Plan strikes a 'difficult but necessary' balance between maintaining spending on services and keeping rates manageable. 'Across New Zealand, both organisations and households are grappling with challenging economic conditions and rising living costs, and our council is not immune to these pressures.' The rates increase will be 6.6% overall, including commercial properties, and 6.49% for the average household. This compares to a 9.52% average increase in the 2024/25 Annual Plan approved last year. Mauger points to 1.75% of this budget's rates increase going towards the One New Zealand Stadium build. 'If you take that out of the equation, the overall increase is below 5%,' he said. 'We will build on the foundation set this year – ensuring that Christchurch is well-positioned to face whatever lies ahead.' Several notable projects already had funding allocated in the draft Annual Plan ahead of the final budget. They include $20.3m for the continued Ōmōkihi South Library and Service Centre rebuild, expected to open end of next year. Flood protection and control infrastructure get $20m, which will help improve service and meet increasing demand. There is $19.6m for the activated sludge reactor at the Bromley waste plant, which aims to reduce greenhouse emissions and odour. Ongoing construction of the Ōtākaro-Avon River Corridor City to Sea shared pathway will cost $9.7m. It is due to open end of next year. The Akaroa Wharf will get $6.8m for its continuing upgrade, expected to finish in 2027. City council-funded community housing will receive $5.2m for any needed improvements. The Eastman Sutherland and Hoon Hay Wetlands will get $4.5m to improve stormwater capacity and reduce flooding. There is $3.5m for the Botanic Garden's Cunningham House, or main greenhouse, for an ongoing upgrade expected to finish next year. City council-owned companies and private organisations continue to receive significant grants from the city council. The funding includes Canterbury Museum getting $9m to continue its redevelopment and $4m going to city council-owned Venues Ōtautahi for any upgrades to major venues such as the Town Hall or Wolfbrook Arena. The city council-owned economic development agency ChristchurchNZ will receive $966,000. There is a $618,000 fund which major events hosts can request grants from. Some other well-known organisations receiving grants are Orana Wildlife Park ($260,000), The Arts Centre ($250,000) and the Watch This Space Street Art Programme ($250,000). City council income Rates cover about half of city council income with borrowing about a quarter. The rest mostly comes from fees to access city council services, and facilities and dividends from investments, particularly the city council's owned strategic assets such as Lyttelton Port Company and Christchurch International Airport. Rates: 52% $837m Borrowing: 25% $366m Fees, charges and operational subsidies: 12% $197m Dividends and interest from investments (including council-owned companies): 6% 102m Capital contributions, grants and subsidies: 3% $51m Development contributions: 2% $24m City council spending
Otago Daily Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Christchurch mayor backs govt-capped rates rise
By Tim Brown of RNZ Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger is backing calls for the government to cap rates rises. Cabinet will consider options to control rate rises, including capping, later this year. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has complained of councils' wasteful spending, comparing local politicians to kids in a candy store. "Councils don't always do a great job of spending your money like you would spend it. There are wasteful projects - there is evidence of that," Willis told RNZ's Morning Report programme yesterday. "We want councils focusing on the things people expect them to do, which is the rubbish, the roads, the pipes, the basics - and not all the fanciful projects." Mauger told RNZ he could not agree more. "Everyone campaigns 'ohh, we gotta stick to basics', right? And then the first thing some of us do is go away and not stick to basics," he said. "We need to be stronger around the council table to say what's basics. Now ... someone's basic might be someone else's must have ... but it's good to have rates caps. I feel it's good. I really do." Earlier this year, the Taxpayers' Union launched a campaign calling for rates to be capped at inflation levels. Mauger imagined a cap closer to 5%, saying his council was "very close to what I'd call the rates cap". He conceded it would not be possible to cap rates at inflation. "If it's low as that we would struggle with that. I think to get down to 2 percent, if the government put a rates cap at 2 percent on it, I think there's a lot of problems." Christchurch City Council had approved average rates increases of 6.4%, 9.9% and 6.6% this term, as a result average rates bills had climbed almost 25% in the city this triennium, while inflation had only risen about 8% during that time. Willis told Morning Report she expected push back from councils "because when you take candy away from kids in a candy store, they don't really like it. But at the same time, we are on the side of ratepayers". Asked if he was acting like a kid in a candy store, Mauger told RNZ: "No - when it's my own money, it is. But when you're spending other people's money, [rates caps] are good". "If we had money running out of our ears, you'd spend it on other stuff. We haven't got that at the moment." He agreed with Willis that councils had engaged in wasteful spending, and when asked for an example he pointed to cycleway spending. "We've wasted money on how we have designed and built cycleways. Now I'm not against cycleways but we can build them one hell of a lot cheaper - a lot, lot cheaper," Mauger said. The council had budgeted $210.4 million for new cycleways, improvements, and cycleway and footpath renewals over the next decade in its long-term plan. However, that only accounted for 3.2% of its budgeted $6.5 billion in capital spending. With major projects, such as Christchurch's new stadium and new sports complex almost complete, rates pressure would ease in the future. But Mauger said the council still needed to find other ways to cut its cloth. "What we've got to look at is our levels of service now. "Everyone expects when they walk out the door, they expect the footpath to be half-good, they expect the gutter to be falling the right way, they expect the water to be not leaking out of the ground, the grass mowed and rubbish picked up - that's what they expect. "If we backed off and didn't mow the grass as often or didn't pick up the rubbish as often, that's how we could save some money. I can't say that's how you would, but that's how we can do it quicker and easier." Rates caps had been panned by Labour leader Chris Hipkins - who said it would make the problem worse not better - and Local Government New Zealand president and Selwyn District mayor Sam Broughton - who said capping rates could be "disastrous for communities".
Otago Daily Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Mauger supports govt-capped rates rise
By Tim Brown of RNZ Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger is backing calls for the government to cap rates rises. Cabinet will consider options to control rate rises, including capping, later this year. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has complained of councils' wasteful spending, comparing local politicians to kids in a candy store. "Councils don't always do a great job of spending your money like you would spend it. There are wasteful projects - there is evidence of that," Willis told RNZ's Morning Report programme yesterday. "We want councils focusing on the things people expect them to do, which is the rubbish, the roads, the pipes, the basics - and not all the fanciful projects." Mauger told RNZ he could not agree more. "Everyone campaigns 'ohh, we gotta stick to basics', right? And then the first thing some of us do is go away and not stick to basics," he said. "We need to be stronger around the council table to say what's basics. Now ... someone's basic might be someone else's must have ... but it's good to have rates caps. I feel it's good. I really do." Earlier this year, the Taxpayers' Union launched a campaign calling for rates to be capped at inflation levels. Mauger imagined a cap closer to 5%, saying his council was "very close to what I'd call the rates cap". He conceded it would not be possible to cap rates at inflation. "If it's low as that we would struggle with that. I think to get down to 2 percent, if the government put a rates cap at 2 percent on it, I think there's a lot of problems." Christchurch City Council had approved average rates increases of 6.4%, 9.9% and 6.6% this term, as a result average rates bills had climbed almost 25% in the city this triennium, while inflation had only risen about 8% during that time. Willis told Morning Report she expected push back from councils "because when you take candy away from kids in a candy store, they don't really like it. But at the same time, we are on the side of ratepayers". Asked if he was acting like a kid in a candy store, Mauger told RNZ: "No - when it's my own money, it is. But when you're spending other people's money, [rates caps] are good". "If we had money running out of our ears, you'd spend it on other stuff. We haven't got that at the moment." He agreed with Willis that councils had engaged in wasteful spending, and when asked for an example he pointed to cycleway spending. "We've wasted money on how we have designed and built cycleways. Now I'm not against cycleways but we can build them one hell of a lot cheaper - a lot, lot cheaper," Mauger said. The council had budgeted $210.4 million for new cycleways, improvements, and cycleway and footpath renewals over the next decade in its long-term plan. However, that only accounted for 3.2% of its budgeted $6.5 billion in capital spending. With major projects, such as Christchurch's new stadium and new sports complex almost complete, rates pressure would ease in the future. But Mauger said the council still needed to find other ways to cut its cloth. "What we've got to look at is our levels of service now. "Everyone expects when they walk out the door, they expect the footpath to be half-good, they expect the gutter to be falling the right way, they expect the water to be not leaking out of the ground, the grass mowed and rubbish picked up - that's what they expect. "If we backed off and didn't mow the grass as often or didn't pick up the rubbish as often, that's how we could save some money. I can't say that's how you would, but that's how we can do it quicker and easier." Rates caps had been panned by Labour leader Chris Hipkins - who said it would make the problem worse not better - and Local Government New Zealand president and Selwyn District mayor Sam Broughton - who said capping rates could be "disastrous for communities".
Otago Daily Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Stopping ratepayer-owned asset sales main focus for union members
Union members are ramping up a campaign ahead of October's local body elections, urging voters to back candidates opposed to the sale of ratepayer-owned assets. They are concerned if the Lyttelton Port Company was sold or partly sold to private interests, jobs could be lost or wages and conditions affected. Debate over asset sales like the port company, the airport, Orion, Enable and Citycare is a long-running political football in Christchurch elections between left and right-leaning mayors and city councillors. A key figure in the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) says members will ask people to vote for candidates who are against selling the city's assets. They will not endorse particular candidates. Said RMTU Lyttelton Port branch secretary Mark Wilson: 'Your vote is your vote. But we ask that voters consider what a candidate's stance is on selling public assets and infrastructure.' The campaign does not have the formal support of the two port unions, RMTU and Maritime Union. But Wilson said it has 'very significant' support among members of both organisations. 'The unions and us as workers do have to be careful about what is said as employees of LPC, but this campaign is more about what the council might do rather than our employer.' Under the banner of new political pressure group, New Zealanders for a Democratic Economy (NZDE), union members and supporters are organising public events, demonstrations and are canvasing public places to drum up opposition to key asset sales. Although the new group is not directly endorsing candidates, Wilson said the campaign is likely to favour left-leaning candidates and the Labour-aligned The People's Choice candidates who oppose key asset sales. Wilson believes Mayor Phil Mauger and right-leaning city councillors support selling the port and other key assets either through full or partial sale of shares. But Mauger says he remains firmly committed to 'protecting Christchurch's ownership and value in strategic assets.' Mauger did not respond to further questioning from The Star asking whether he would support partial sales of key assets and in what form. "During my campaign and since being mayor, I have made it clear these key assets should be controlled by the council,' he said. Mauger has no issue with the union members' campaign, saying they have every right to 'engage in public debate on matters like asset ownership.' Wilson said NZDE want a more clear position from Mauger on asset sales. "It will make things a lot easier for us. We hope he and councillors will clearly lay out what they have done in the past term on asset sales and what they plan to do next term.' Wilson believes a sale of the port company or other key assets could lead to worker unions being sidelined. "Private-owned companies, particularly some big, foreign multicorp is just interested in making as much profit as possible, so they don't have much of an interest in good pay or safety for workers.' The People's Choice chair Paul McMahon welcomed the campaign and said some of the group's candidates will be present at anti-asset sale events. "We're happy to work with anyone to oppose asset sales.' McMahon said there is a one-seat majority of city councillors currently opposed to asset sales. He believes if one more city councillor who favours asset sales is elected, there will be a new push for sales next term. An LPC spokesperson declined to comment and referred questions about a possible sale to Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) which owns city assets on behalf of the city council. A CCHL spokesperson said there are no current investigations into selling shares in key assets and any sale decisions rest with the city council.
