Tauranga City Council dysfunction: Review team could cost ratepayers $350k

Tauranga City Council meeting this morning. Photo / George Novak

Bringing in an external review and observation team to monitor Tauranga City Council could cost ratepayers up to $350,000.

The under-fire council voted in a public meeting this morning to approve the budget and terms of reference for the review. It also appointed Peter Winder to chair the team. He can appoint up to two more people. Winder has previously been the Crown manager for Kaipara District Council, and is a former chief executive of Local Government New Zealand.

The budget estimate prepared by staff was based on the team being with the council until June 30: 10 months, about as long as this council group has been around.

Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said the council could vote to end the process at any time as it was entering it voluntarily.

The council voted to give itself an "off ramp" - an option to end the process - after four to six weeks.

At that point, the team was expected to have produced its first report on the council's issues and set of recommendations.

Some elected members were confident the council could have its act together by then, but others doubted it and expected independent monitoring would still be needed.

According to terms of reference, the team's job will be to provide governance advice to council members and investigate and report back on the "extent of the problem of dysfunctional governance within council".

Members of the team can attend council and committee meetings as well as informal meetings, workshops and briefings.

According to the terms, they could also "monitor and review engagement with news media and social media by elected members on council-related issues" and would be able to receive "correspondence between elected members and provid[e] advice on the appropriateness thereof".

The council voted unanimously last Friday to bring in the review team after the Department of Internal Affairs expressed concerns following months of reports about clashes and tensions between the elected members.