KAPAI: Councillors to blame for Tauranga's lack of soul

If ever we needed to be reminded that summer was finally going to show up then we got it by the blossom full over the weekend.
The sight of Mauao wearing its cloak of crimson coloured Pohutukawa petals was superb, as was the day's departure when it looked like God had poured a thick layer of golden syrup right across the Kaimai Range.
Just when the boondocks of bad weather had started to take its toll and cabin fever was starting to kick in, along comes a sunny Saturday to take the blues away. And Sunday was a book end bottler for the weekend, especially out on the harbour aboard the lovingly restored Miss Ida.
But for some of us, a crimson coloured frock worn by our magic mountain isn't enough to sooth a restless soul and after a while they give up and head back home to the wild West Coast.
Once was a local and now a departed director of our Art Gallery, Richard Arlidge has left us with a long lasting legacy that sometimes only artists understand. When I asked him why he was heading home I got the same answer that many give me when they leave Tauranga, - "There is no soul here".
And for my two bobs worth of $10, Tauranga, the soul of a city is determined by its artistic and cultural content not by its export earnings or high rise building permits.
So it's well worth looking into what is and where is the soul of Tauranga Moana?
Artists in whatever genre they express themselves are always worth tuppence to talk to when looking for the soul of a city as they give much and expect bugger all in return. So maybe we need to have more artists in charge at the top level of management and decision making if we are to find our soul?
At the moment we seem to have a council that represents the rich and the retired, kiwifruit and the cows, with a bob each way from the racing fraternity (both horses and cars). But where are the story tellers, the visionaries, the artists and the dream weavers who give a city soul?
Any ounce of initiative that could well determine where the soul of this city is soon gets doused with doubt and the Sand Bar saga is a good example of picking apart the knitting of a good community cardigan that makes our town a lot more soulful and safer.
Surely The Strand should be where council points the bone of blame at the beer barons, given there are more arrests in one night than eight summers at the Sand Bar.
So why fix it when it's not broke?
There is no question alcohol, aka ugly juice, causes more mayhem than all the other drugs combined, you only have to look back to the peace loving  '70s when life was licked by joining two Zig Zags together. But when it (cannabis and canofpis) is served in a safe environment, the risks are minimised.
I guess when it comes to councils and their lack of soul for their city it's kind of like smoking a joint- the harder you suck the higher you get on the rich list ladder.
Taking away licenses from beach-side soul traders and restricting it to a "chosen" few is crazy. Where and why did that change come from?
Why, when it adds flavour and colour to our Bay beaches? Do we want to be known as the Bay of Plenty or the Bay of Bugger all?
Maybe we should send all of our councillors to Destiny and get the bishop to baptise them with soul? Or perhaps a weekend away at a Coromandel commune with their kit off and a feed of magic mushrooms? This could bring them back to earth with a new found sense of soul. But then again Pick Rick in the nick with a skin full of magic mushies or Murray Guy with nothing on but an attitude could be seriously soul destroying?
The least likely to be out of their comfort zone would be the two Mounties Moultrie and Stewart. Back in the day Wayne was fully supportive of a good gig at the sound shell so who stole the soul Wayne?
This town needs to find its soul and soon but it will only happen when our council stop saying no to artistic and creative story tellers.
 The need to actively encourage and embrace festivals, carnivals, craft markets and artistic endeavours and not turn off and turn away the Richards, the Sand Bars and colourful soul traders should be at the top of the 10-year plan.
Because  they will have to listen to the fast approaching new age of digital democracy where voting will be done at the click of a mouse and councils can no longer ignore the true soul of our city.
So all is not lost for us lost souls and hope is on the horizon, like a toffee coloured Kaimai sunset.
tommykapai@gmail.com