Samantha Motion: How Tauranga's faring under commission rule

No sign of tea parties in the harbour yet. Photo / Mead Norton

OPINION:

Everywhere else in New Zealand this week, diligent voters are digesting lists of candidates who want to represent them on local councils.

But not in sunny Tauranga, where the roost is ruled by a government-appointed commission which will be in place until a delayed council election in July 2024.

It has been a year-and-a-half since the four commissioners were formally sworn in, taking over governance of New Zealand's fifth-largest city from those elected councillors that had not already quit.

The commission has been busy. It has made things happen, including projects that had been in council limbo - endlessly debated and investigated but never absolutely green-lit nor quite dead - for years: the CBD masterplan and museum, for example.

This has come at a cost with successive double-digit rates rises. This was about as popular as issuing motorists more than $1 million in fines for breaches of a roading trial no one but the council seems to wholeheartedly support.

There has been some grumbling about the rates but so far, however, no tea party thrown in Tauranga Harbour.

Maybe those residents unable to express their displeasure at the ballot box are letting their frustration steep for the central government elections.

Commercial ratepayers have borne the brunt of the rates rises. This was a continuation of a direction set by previous councils to make the apportioning of costs fairer.

Businesses, however, will be looking for results from their additional investment.

But on major issues - including congestion and preparing greenfield land for housing - the commission seems essentially stuck in the same central government slow lane elected councils complained about.

In a few areas, the Government is removing some of the burdens of unpopular decisions from councils. Intensification is one example, with it's three-homes-of-three-storeys edict, and it is also making noises about smoothing the process for road layout trials.

Council meetings are now fairly staid affairs, lacking the dramatic will-they won't-they anticipation of previous councils. I'd wager the speech countdown clock is also gathering dust.

What has been lost in the lack of issues being publicly thrashed out through plentiful and contrary debate has hopefully been gained in highly paid staff having more time to get stuff done.

It's too soon to tell if the commission will prove good or bad or neutral for Tauranga in the long term.

We have seen it can dial down the drama and deliver decisions. Now it has two years to show us it can deliver results.