Tauranga mayoral race: Aurel Braguta’s plan to reduce costs

Mayoral candidate Aurel Braguta, who is also standing in Welcome Bay. Photo / Supplied

In July, Tauranga will choose who will be running their city for the first time in five years. A mayor and nine councillors will replace the four-person commission that has been in place since February 2021. To keep people informed ahead of the election on July 20, Local Democracy Reporting asked the 15 mayoral candidates their thoughts on four topics. Before voting opens on June 29 readers will hear from each of the mayoral candidates.

Aurel Braguta lives in Welcome Bay and is a fulltime dad with two children. The 45-year-old started his honey business in Tauranga at age 27. Since then he has grown this business and now has several properties including farms and commercial buildings. He said he wants to bring some “real-life experience and common sense” to the council. Braguta is running for mayor and in the Welcome Bay ward. His Welcome Bay property lies outside of the Tauranga City Council area.

Tauranga is the least affordable city in New Zealand because of an infrastructure and housing deficit. How would you address this?

To address the housing shortages, the first thing I would do is to talk with people and companies who build the houses to identify the problems that are getting in the way of building. I have heard many times that the biggest problem is the cost and time wasted at getting a building consent. I’m sure there are many other impediments when it comes to building but the first step would be the cost and time that it takes to get a consent.

What would you do to keep young adults in Tauranga and attract others to the city?

We need to crack down on wasteful costs on every level, starting from the council offices and to be careful where we are spending the money. By having some cost savings on every project that the city council is undertaking, we may find ourselves being able to use the savings to improve existing infrastructure. And invest in new projects that would benefit and create new opportunities for all. When we have a well-managed city with plenty of attractive opportunities, young people, would want to stay, live and build their future here.

Tauranga will have its first Māori ward this election. The Government plans to require councils to hold a binding referendum on Māori wards established after March 2021. This means the Te Awanui Māori ward could only be in place for one term. Given the change in Government policy, is it important for Tauranga to keep this ward?

I am not in support of a separate Māori ward. I believe that we are all to live, work and govern together regardless of our race, gender and so on.

Hypothetically, if Tauranga won the lotto and there was no budget, what big ticket item would you want for the city? Excluding infrastructure, like roads and water services and housing.

This city is facing a lot of challenges such as rate increases, housing shortages, rising rent costs, traffic congestion, homelessness, debt, infrastructure and many more problems. I cannot think of anything else more important at this stage than fixing the things mentioned above. It is not in my nature to think of unrealistic dreams and wishes.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.