Bay of Plenty Times Year in Review: November 2020

Tauranga City Council mayor Tenby Powell has resigned. Photo / File

The Bay of Plenty Times is looking back at the stories of 2020. This is what made headlines in November.

November 2

Then Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell was diagnosed with prostate cancer and announced he would be taking medical leave to receive treatment and recover away from what, in his view, was the "toxicity" of the council.

Powell said he would go on leave on November 20 and have surgery soon after.

November 5

A jury found Maketū father Aaron George Izett guilty of murdering his 2-year-old daughter Nevaeh Ager and two other assault charges.

Izett, 38, had been on trial in the High Court at Rotorua for murder after Nevaeh Jahkaya Whatukura Ager's body was found by police on the tidal flats at Little Waihi on March 21 last year.

November 5

Pāpāmoa's population was predicted to increase by more than 11,000 by 2028 - and Bay business leaders said the booming seaside suburb was in the midst of an "evolution".

However, there were concerns about whether the suburb's infrastructure will keep up with the rapid growth and whether a planned interchange to connect Pāpāmoa East to the Tauranga Eastern Link would be built in time to address increasing traffic congestion.

Concerns have been raised about infrastructure in Pāpāmoa. Photo / File

November 11

New plans that could reshape Mount Maunganui's most popular streets were revealed.

But it will be up to residents to say what they want to see go ahead.

Tauranga City Council is today unveiling proposed redesign options for the streets in and around the heart of Mount Maunganui.

November 12

A frustrated Pāpāmoa principal slammed the Ministry of Education over slow progress in fixing the school's administration block, where toxic black mould had been found.

However, the ministry said it was important work was carried out to assess the suitability of various options to address the building's issues.

Tahatai Coast School principal Matt Skilton pictured in February 2019 when staff were evacuated from their admin block. Photo / George Novak

November 14

Tauranga City Council needs to spend $4.3 billion on infrastructure over the next 10 years according to new estimates - and it doesn't know how it will pay for half of that.

Senior council staff have warned elected members the decisions looming in the coming months are "significantly more challenging than anything faced before".

November 16

Meth is "peddling misery" in the Bay of Plenty as wastewater testing reveals nearly 1kg - or up to 24,000 hits - of the Class A drug is used in the region each week.

Support services say they are seeing more meth users with mental health struggles, and families are also seeking medical attention due to drug-fuelled violence in their homes.

November 17

Tauranga's warring city council was told it must act now to avoid a "trainwreck" of its own making.

But the recommendation was met with strong resistance from some councillors at a council meeting where they were expected to determine their own fate following a scathing report.

Tauranga City Council meeting. Photo / File

November 20

Tauranga City Council mayor Tenby Powell resigned after the council voted to bring in a Crown manager after ongoing conflict and dysfunction among elected members.

Powell resigned in a speech to a public meeting and called for commissioners to replace the council - an option Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has since said she is looking at.

Tauranga City Council mayor Tenby Powell has resigned. Photo / File

November 21

Tauranga's once-thriving CBD was dealing with a transition period which left the city centre in what has been described as the worst state it has ever been in.

A lack of parking, constant construction and success of malls and shopping centres in other parts of the city have all been highlighted as contributing factors to its current lacklustre state, leaving minimal foot traffic and dozens of for lease signs scattered throughout.

November 25

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges urged Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta not to take the "dramatic and draconian" step of intervening in the Tauranga City Council.

Long-time Tauranga MP and former National Party leader Bridges wrote to Mahuta asking her not to intervene and calling for caution.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Photo / File

November 28

Developers hope a $65 million apartment and townhouse development being built on a prime site in Pāpāmoa will become an "iconic landmark".

Once complete, the Astoria Development on the corner of Domain and Papamoa Beach Rds could house about 150 people on a site some say has been vacant for years.

An artist's impression of what the new $65m Astoria Development in Pāpāmoa could look like. Photo / Supplied