TAURANGA, 14 March 2022: Advocates for collaboration between Tauranga’s property and business community and the city council are labelling the decision to extend the Commissioner’s term out to 2024 a crucial win for the future of the city.

UTF Board Chairman Scott Adams says that fostering strong working relationships between council staff and the property development community would impact the daily lives of every resident.

“This is the best decision for the city - everyone will get some kind of benefit out of it in the long term. From whānau struggling to find affordable housing to inner city workers needing improved transport solutions and the rebuilding of civic amenities such as the library, these are the kinds of results that every ratepayer and rent payer wants to see,” he says.

Adams says the decision to extend the Commissioners’ term was a democratic decision based on feedback from the majority of Tauranga residents & ratepayers.

“For years now, there has been a dearth of City Council leadership stalling the development and prosperity of the city. A number of elected councillors have allowed their personal fear of losing the next local body election to take control of decision-making and have sat on their hands rather than supporting key infrastructure work during a period of immense growth,” says Adams.

"I believe this is a good result for democracy, despite what some of those ex-councillors say. It's a democratic decision by the minister based on the feedback that she has been given by the citizens of this city,” says Adams.

The announcement by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta that Anne Tolley, Stephen Selwood, Shadrach Rolleston and Bill Wasley would be given another two years to bed down the work they have embarked on provides certainty for organisations such as UTF.

“The kind of active collaboration between iwi representatives, the business community and council staff that UTF have established over the past year simply could not have occurred without leadership committed to transformative change.

“UTF believe in the democratic process and at some stage we need to return leadership by capable elected representatives. However, the council is a billion-dollar business and needs to have someone with business nouse at the helm.

“In the short-term, we need the Commissioners to complete the work they began with the Long-term Plan 2021/31 and see through the rollout of the first phases of infrastructure,” says Adams.

“With stable leadership, sensible and strategic thinking, and effective partnerships in place, we can rebuild Tauranga into a city that everyone can be proud of.”

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