MC Matt Cowley explains the events of the evening as BOPRC Tauranga candidates look on. Councillor Paula Thompson has been obscured. Photo / Kiri Gillespie
Air pollution, climate change and buses that "whizz past with no one on them" surfaced as the biggest concerns facing Bay of Plenty Regional Council candidates standing for the Tauranga constituency.
The topics were brought up at a candidates' evening at Holy Trinity Church on Thursday where 11 of the 17 candidates running in this year's local body elections spoke about why they should be elected to one of the five seats available.
But it was better management of Tauranga's incessant growth that gained the biggest applause from the 100-strong crowd.
Candidates Stephen Wheeler, Andrew von Dadelszen, Larry Baldock, Murray White, Paula Thompson, Bryan Deuchar, David Love, Jos Nagels, Ron Scott, Kat MacMillan, Stuart Crosby and Mark Fogerty provided a mix of seasoned political personalities and fresh ones.
Former Tauranga mayor and current regional councillor Stuart Crosby said: "I think you do need that mix of people that have the experience alongside some kind of fresh ideas."
Establishing collegial relationships with others on the council was critical because "without, you have nothing", Crosby said.
Baldock, who was among the Tauranga City councillors discharged from their duties in 2020, said he believed there needed to be greater action at managing the Port of Tauranga assets and Mount Maunganui Airshed.
Love, an existing regional councillor who served three terms, said ratepayers weren't getting "bang for buck" in how the council spent its money, and von Dadelszen, who has served four terms years as a regional councillor, said there needed to be more action on the ground "rather than just talking about it".
Scott said when he served on the now-defunct Bay of Plenty District Health Board, he saw the result of air pollution from Mount Maunganui's industrial area coming through to the health board via respiratory ailments, which concerned him.
"I believe in public service."
Among the political newbies was Deuchar who described himself as a "Mr Fix-it" with a broad tradesman background. As a working bus driver he was concerned about public transport and said: "I'm a new face and a new brain to add to the mix".
White said he was running because "I was so incensed by the Labour Government trying to take our assets".
"I'm normally a shy person, this [public speaking] is killing me."
However, he believed there were issues that needed addressing.
"I walk a lot and I see the buses whizz past with no one on them. We must be able to do better than that."
Nagels said there was rapid environmental change happening worldwide and "we need to use new solutions, not something from the past and expect different results". He believed rail would solve many challenges the city was facing.
Fogerty said he recently returned from overseas and was "furious" to see crime and homelessness in the city and said there was a "disconnect between councillors and the community". However, he offered no solution.
The loudest applause of the night, complete with cheers and whoops from the audience, came in response to Thompson's answer about what could be done about climate change.
"We need, instead of a mantra that 'growth is good', we need a mantra that 'sustainable growth is good', so we can have a totally different lens on growth," she said.
"We need to put a line in the sand and say 'no more' until we can bring sustainable options to our whole debate. All of us need to understand our [natural] resources ... are limited. They cannot keep giving and we cannot keep pillaging them."
Thompson, also a regional councillor, spoke of deep concern at a "rolling ball" of reform that was being pushed through by the Government.
"I have a huge fear that local voice and choice will be diminished by some of these reforms. We must stand firm with our communities and empower them."
Crosby and MacMillan echoed Thompson's concerns about the incoming reforms which MacMillan said, "needs looking at".
MacMillan received the second largest applause of the night after telling the crowd there was a call to action regarding the city's "massive" and "inevitable" growth.
"We need to protect our environment so our future generations have an environment. Without a future environment, we don't have [an economy]. I'm here to listen to our community, support our community groups and allow them to do the great work they do."
Wheeler was another candidate who offered a solution to climate change challenges, rather than just complaining about them. He proposed low-interest loans to locals to install solar panels.
"In 2011, the Rotorua Airshed was pretty toxic. Regional council gave loans to people to swap out their fireplaces ... we need to get more into helping get people to get involved. The regional council can't do it on its own."
Wheeler said he believed in strengthening local democracy and "we need to have a stronger focus on the wellbeing of our community and authentic relationship with iwi".
Love and Baldock also referred to solar panels. Love said loans were a way to help mitigate the impact of climate change.
Regarding what could or should be done about climate change, Scott said there was a need to "accept that it's happening and not pretend we can make a big difference on a worldwide sale".
MacMillan said Tauranga needed to get more people out of cars to reduce carbon emissions and get land owners to explore more sustainable options.
Crosby spoke of mitigation to "slow it down" and adaptation which was "critical".
"It's not always about building things, it's about using your natural environment as well to adapt to climate change."
However, White said that, compared to India and China, "what we can save is diddly squat".
"We are such a small player here, it's just not worth it. Let's look at the problems climate change may or may not give us, let's mitigate those".
Deuchar suggested more work on floodways, Fogerty suggested better water resource management, von Dadelszen referred to storm effect mitigation, and Nagels said passenger rail was the answer.
Candidates Jason Nicholls-Faitele, Mark Wassung, Matt Cooney, Phil Ross, and Murray Guy did not attend.
People have until October 8 to vote for who they would like to see represent them on the next Bay of Plenty Regional Council.