Secret meeting about intensifying Tauranga suburbs

Tauranga's suburb of Judea, from above. Photo/file

The public has been barred from a meeting dealing with the future of urban development in Tauranga, despite protests from councillors.

City transformation committee chairman Larry Baldock defended taking yesterday's workshop in confidential.

Two of the three reasons were to prevent the disclosure of information for improper gain or advantage, and to allow the council to carry out commercial activities without prejudice or disadvantage.

The workshop on Tauranga's urban strategy followed a workshop last week where discussion on another issue of public interest was taken behind closed doors. That workshop dealt with rates funding and affordability.

Last week's workshop saw finance committee chairwoman Gail McIntosh also cite an official reason. She then explained to the Bay of Plenty Times that public debate on the first cut of rating options risked confusing people and scaring them about something that might not happen. The council had to get rid of the extremes.

Councillor Baldock similarly expanded on reasons for taking the urban strategy workshop in confidential. He said the council was embarking on a very exciting project of transformation through intensification of the city's living arrangements.

Afterwards, he said important lessons were learned when it was tried in 2004-05. It was taken over by property speculators and people were scared by the changes without understanding that it would have delivered much better amenities.

The neighbourhoods were better and the housing types suited a lot more people, but there was a period of uncertainty to get through.

He told yesterday's meeting that there was a risk that 2004-05 could happen again.

However, councillor Steve Morris said there was "nothing in this that should be in confidential".

He was joined by councillor Catherine Stewart who also said there was nothing confidential in the report. "You are having a workshop that should be in the open."

But because she was not a member of the committee, she was unable to move to have the issue taken in the open. Councillor Morris did not move a motion.

The Bay of Plenty Times reported in July 2016 about a far-reaching project with the potential to transform areas of Tauranga into medium-rise living. Called Compact City, the council unanimously agreed to begin the project to "advance intensification in the existing Tauranga urban area".

In that meeting, the council's strategy group general manager Christine Jones said the community needed to be actively engaged in the conversation about intensification.

The story went into considerable detail about Compact City.