Voting in this year's local election closes on October 8. Photo / Laura Smith
BIG READ - ELECTION EDITION:Only one of seven Rotorua mayoral candidates believes this year's rates rise was fair, according to a new survey.
The 2022 Local Democracy Reporting mayoral candidate survey also revealed mayoral candidates' positions across the country on other hot-button issues such as Three Waters reform, Māori wards and climate change initiatives.
Of the 291 mayoral candidates standing this year, 202 responses were returned, reflecting a 69 per cent response rate. All Rotorua mayoral candidates responded to the survey.
In Rotorua, one candidate, Ben Sandford, said this year's rates rise - a 5.7 per cent average rise - was fair, while most others said it was not.
Sandford said in light of what was happening with inflation, a rates rise below the inflation rate was fair.
"We need to ensure that out of any rates rise we are getting an effective council."
One candidate, Rania Sears, said she was not sure, asking if the cost of living was fair.
"Presently I cannot answer this question accurately as I, like most of us, am not privy to the exact state of the city's financials."
The council reports its financial position monthly, including its operational deficit or surplus and current debt levels.
All other candidates said the rates rise was not fair.
Fletcher Tabuteau said while Rotorua needed to continue to "invest wisely", wisely meant "optimising spend" so ratepayers were not "unfairly burdened" with rates increases.
"A future council must focus on core services and delivery, whilst making prudent financial decisions."
Raj Kumar said a rates rise was never fair in the eyes of the ratepayer, but there were unfinished projects that depended on "that forecast" for their completion.
"Staff wage costs and the ever-increasing cost pressures means it's inevitable."
Noting his vote against the rates rise, Kumar said he opposed some components of the Long Term Plan.
Reynold Macpherson said rates rises were, in his view, "as unfair as [the] council's spending, debt and waste".
He said the rise would "add to the misery of families and businesses struggling to survive".
Tania Tapsell said she had voted against the rates rise because she had listened to the community and understood cost of living challenges.
"Council projects need to be reprioritised to better reflect what the community wants and can afford."
Kalaadevi Ananda said in the current economic climate a rates rise was not fair.
"This needs looking into."
The survey asked mayoral candidates across the country their position on whether Māori wards were an effective way to increase Māori electoral participation.
One mayoral candidate, Tania Tapsell, said she was not sure, two - Rania Sears and Ben Sandford - said they were, and the rest said they were not.
Tapsell, who voted against the adoption of Māori wards for Rotorua, said she had voted against them because in her view it restricted who people could vote for.
"If you're on the Māori roll you can now only vote for three councillors.
"Rotorua is unique, we've had great Māori representation at [the] council so I'm concerned this is a backwards step for us."
Sears said Māori wards were a "nice way" of increasing Māori participation and "overcoming the sense of social dislocation and disadvantage of the past".
"But have we also considered the three Māori ward seats are given and most might therefore be better off remaining on the general roll to cast their vote more strategically."
Sandford said it may remain to be seen if Māori wards would increase Māori participation as candidates and voters in local elections until after this year's election.
He said that assessment was ultimately up to Māori, particularly Te Arawa, to speak to.
Kumar said he voted against Māori wards as he thought there may be "a backlash as people will see an over-representation".
"The idea is to get Māoris on the roll before they can vote. Which vines first chicken or the egg? [sic]"
Macpherson said Māori had been "disproportionately" elected in the past on merit.
"Why would more Māori candidates and voters participate when those on the Māori Roll will only have three seats to fill when they used to have all 10 seats on [the] council to compete for?"
Ananda said an "authentic and integrated" candidate who had "the ability to pick up responsibility with tremendous awareness and maturity, with a deep sensitivity to people, situations, and surroundings" was "the best way to renew trust, hope, and voting participation among Māori people".
Tabuteau said Māori wards meant Māori could not vote for other candidates and vice versa.
"It only serves to disenfranchise all voters and participants. I will call for our local body elections to return to 'at-large' voting if I am made mayor and work to increase engagement and voter participation across the board."
Candidates were also asked if Three Waters reform was the best way to achieve investment in water infrastructure.
Almost all candidates said it wasn't, except for Sandford, who said he was not sure.
He said there were "obviously issues with the reforms" but they were needed because investment was "sorely needed".
"Councils have done a poor job managing these assets, the Government seems intent on pushing the reforms though, so we will need to advocate for the best outcomes within those reforms for Rotorua."
All other candidates were opposed to the reforms, with Kumar calling for a referendum on proposal options.
He said that would have been a "democratic process the people embraced".
"A reform is definitely needed - not a bulldozer over independent peer reports pointing out its failures."
One peer review of Three Waters concluded there were "inherent limitations" with some of the proposal's analysis but overall it was likely to give "reasonable estimates" of the potential benefits from reform.
Another concluded predictions from the Government's commissioned modelling "may well underestimate the necessary investment costs".
Tapsell said "no way" to the reforms, saying it took away "local ownership, management and decision-making".
She said the Government should focus investment into infrastructure and empower local communities with funding to "make decisions for ourselves".
"Rotorua already has excellent drinking water, and we could end up paying the bill for neighbouring regions to improve."
Macpherson said water infrastructure and services could be improved by fair and targeted funding for solutions customised by district, borrowing less by having central government agencies in local settings pay local rates and using "the Waka Kotahi method" of sharing costs.
"Not four bureaucracies [the four water service entities proposed] housing co-governance drones."
Tabuteau said he worked "first hand" with the council applying for the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund.
The council confirmed in July it had received almost $85m from the fund for stormwater projects to enable housing.
Tabuteau said that model provided "accountability both to the people and the Government".
Sears said the reform's "true value" needed to be "examined closely in order to ascertain whether it's better to adopt an alternative local solution over a government initiative that morphs into another form of ongoing 'water tax' with its own annual scales of increase creating an additional form of rates for the ratepayer".
In response to the question, Ananda said the council needed a "cognitive shift".
"The council must better maintain and upgrade our three waters, and not wait for a problem to occur before addressing it.
"Postponing is not a non-action, it is a negative action. We will do better by keeping ownership and control."
All Rotorua candidates supported councils spending ratepayer money on climate change initiatives except for Ananda.
She said the initiatives needed to come from and be funded by central government.
"It is unfair for ratepayers to have added financial burden. Ratepayers can contribute to climate initiatives in ways that will not incur costs to them- re-using, recycling, veggie gardens and car pooling."
Sears said any initiative needed to be "balanced" and contribute to the "city's economic growth".
She said initiatives where behavioural change was needed required public "buy-in".
"The way forward is not simplistic but smart planning and steady innovative changes will help us adapt to climate change realities."
Tapsell said her priorities were better flood protection, introducing organic waste collection and upgrading the wastewater treatment plant to "keep up with growth in Rotorua and keep sewerage out of our lakes".
The council consulted on options for organic waste collection earlier this year, with an estimated introduction - if approved by the future council - of July 2024.
Sandford said councils needed to take climate change seriously and fund initiatives to mitigate its effects.
Tabuteau said he didn't necessarily agree with examples such as better or more affordable public transport, compost collection or making transport fleets electric, but said there were "smart strategies that will save council money in the long run".
"It does not have to be all about costs. We must also hold the Government and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council [which is responsible for buses] to account on what they do for Rotorua."
Kumar said: "The Rotorua Lakes Council gave the responsibility of championing this initiate and over time the lack of getting everyone signed up to it has shown".
"This rollout needed all to be working on it to fix the problem that will dog all councils in the years ahead if we don't become sustainable."
Macpherson said up-to-date IPCC reports confirmed the council "must continue to reduce its carbon emissions and use sustainable and environmentally-friendly urban planning".
He said better public transport, compost collection and transitions to electric vehicles "typically help reverse climate change, improve air quality and help us avoid reaching irreversible tipping points".
Looking across mayoral candidates nationally, 43.6 per cent said they believed this year's rates rises (in their respective territorial areas) were fair. Forty-four per cent said they were not, while 12.4 per cent said they didn't know.
On Māori wards, 48.5 per cent said they would increase Māori electoral participation, 25.2 per cent said they would not, and 26.2 per cent said they didn't know.
On Three Waters, 75.2 per cent of mayoral candidates did not believe the reforms were the best way to invest in water infrastructure. Just 8.4 per cent believed it would, and 16.3 per cent didn't know.
On whether councils should invest in climate change adaptation initiatives, 71.8 per cent said yes, 16.3 per cent said no and 11.9 per cent didn't know.
2022 Local Democracy Reporting mayoral candidate survey - methodology:
Four questions were posed to mayoral candidates, inviting a 'yes', 'no', or 'not sure' response. Candidates were provided the optional opportunity to provide a short explanation. Responses were then tallied. The questions were:
- Would you describe this year's rates rise as fair?
- Are Māori wards an effective way to increase Māori participation, both as candidates and as voters, in local government elections?
- Are the government's Three Waters reforms the best way to achieve the investment that is sorely needed in water infrastructure in many regions?
- Should councils be spending ratepayer money on climate change initiatives? eg. Better or more affordable public transport, collection of compost to prevent this going in to landfill, moving their transport fleets towards being fully electric.
Local Democracy Reporting is public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air.
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