Editorial: Simeon Brown right to hold line with Tauranga commission

Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley. Photo / Alex Cairns

EDITORIAL

Minister of Local Government Simeon Brown was right to hold the line when a group of Tauranga commissioners wanted to stay in the job instead of handing full control of the city back to ratepayers’ elected representatives.

The Bay of Plenty Times revealed last Thursday that the commission, now in the final months of its term ahead of July’s election, asked for the council to be governed by four commissioners and five elected councillors until at least October next year.

The commission - made up of chairwoman Anne Tolley, Bill Wasley, Shadrach Rolleston and Stephen Selwood - was sorely needed when it was appointed in 2021.

Simeon Brown was right to hold the line. Photo / Michael Craig

“Poor behaviour”, “infighting”, “leaks of confidential information” and a struggle to “set rates at a realistic level” were among the issues Nanaia Mahuta (Brown’s predecessor as Local Government Minister) highlighted when putting the commission in place.

Despite the circumstances, the decision to install the commission still ruffled feathers.

It was just the fourth time in three decades a commission replaced a council: the others were the Rodney District Council in 2000, Environment Canterbury in 2010 and the Kaipara District Council in 2012.

But Tauranga ratepayers deserved better governance than what their former council was able to provide, and the commission - to its credit - seems to have delivered that.

In making its bid to share power with councillors after the July elections, the commission said the stakes were “incredibly high”.

The commission said “considerable progress” had been achieved but there were 13 key risk areas requiring “proactive leadership” for success and “the benefit of the city”.

“The very future of our city as the region’s economic powerhouse, and as a great place to live, work, learn and play, will depend upon the council being led by a high-functioning governance team.”

The commissioners quoted a report by consultancy firm Martin Jenkins stating a sudden transition to a fully elected council posed “significant risks”.

“Such a move could jeopardise the hard-earned momentum in advancing critical infrastructural projects initiated to address historical under-investment... [and] undermine the confidence of strategic partners, investors and stakeholders.”

Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley, at a Tauranga City Council meeting. Photo / Alex Cairns

Brown, however, was unmoved.

“Local elections are the primary mechanism for communities to exercise their democratic rights and elect their representatives,” he said.

It is hoped that those privileged enough to win the trust of voters come July repay them with greater governance than their elected predecessors.

Councillors should not be afraid to stick up for their principles or challenge the consensus view. But they need to be able to work through any differences in the interests of the people they serve.

That may mean progress is slower than under Tauranga’s unelected commission, particularly as the new council finds its feet. Such is the price of democracy.

And, like Brown, we look forward to seeing it return to Tauranga.