The decision to retain a commission in charge of Tauranga City Council for another two years has been applauded by some and labelled "devastating" and "plain wrong" by others.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed yesterday she intended to extend the existing commission's term to July 2024, delaying local body elections until then.
She spoke to a room of about 30 invited political, business, iwi, and ratepayer representatives gathered at the city council's Cameron Rd offices, and more via online yesterday.
Former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless, who has been vocal in his criticism of the original appointment of commissioners, was left sitting outside, uninvited.
The crowd included Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder, Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber, former Tauranga deputy mayor and environmental advocate Mary Dillion, ratepayer representative Phil Green and iwi representatives Matire Duncan and Buddy Mikaere.
Mahuta told them her decision had not been easy but she intended on keeping the existing commission consisting of chairwoman Anne Tolley, Stephen Selwood, Bill Wasley and Shadrach Rolleston.
"I was mindful I did not want to be as Minister of Local Government, the Minister of Local Government Commissioners. But there was a need."
The move comes after the commission wrote to Mahuta, requesting October local body elections be delayed by at least a year and for the Government to oversee the council for another three years, prompting calls of a rates revolt among some.
The commission was appointed in 2021 following the 2020 implosion of the elected council after months of bitter infighting and dysfunction.
Mahuta said she hoped her decision would allow people "to exhale a bit".
"The challenge for me was to weigh up what has been a very difficult and desperate end around the governance table for Tauranga City Council. What I want to do is try to settle that down and ensure the commission is working with the community around its [future]," Mahuta said.
"That will show good governance is needed around the council table. It is sorely needed. I hope that these people who may feel disappointed will have the assurance that by July 2024 we will be returning to a fully democratic city."
Te Rangapu Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Partnership chairwoman Matire Duncan applauded the decision and said local iwi had not had such a positive partnership with the council previously.
From outside afterwards, Brownless told the Bay of Plenty Times the issue presented by Mahuta was bigger than his personal gripes of whether the commission did or didn't do a good job so far.
"It's about democracy. I'm very disappointed."
Brownless, who was mayor from 2016 to 2019, said most people were expecting to choose their council this October "for better or worse".
He rejected the suggestion that having elections this year could have prompted the undoing of the commission's work so far.
"If you accepted that as valid, then you would accept that democracy could never return. There's always a risk of something being undone."
Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said the decision from Mahuta was "plain wrong".
Bridges said everywhere else would have local body elections, but not Tauranga. In his view, this was "for no good reason other than power and control and convenience".
"For Tauranga, it's now two more years at least without any council accountability for rates and staff growth. I repeat, that's plain wrong."
However, Bridges would not commit to ditching the commission if National won the general election next year, given the short timeframe between elections.
Victoria University public law expert Dr Dean Knight said, in his view, local democracy had taken a hit "in favour of sanitised bureaucracy and completion of corporate work programmes".
Knight said he believed the minister was right to step in originally "but with the boil of dysfunction having been lanced and the wound healing, local democracy should have been restored forthwith".
"Tauranga has important civic work ahead of it and some significant challenges too. But none of that is beyond the capacity of fresh minted stewards and kaitiaki - drawn from local community and backed with a democratic mandate from the people at the ballot box."
Andrew Hollis, one of the replaced councillors who had indicated he would stand again, said he was now considering a run at the Western Bay election this year, or possibly central government as 2024 was too far off.
He believed his council was not "dysfunctional" and said he had spoken to many people who could not afford their rates and struggled to see the worth in spending money on projects for the struggling CBD.
Tauranga Ratepayers' Alliance spokesman Michael O'Neill said the decision was "devastating", in his view, and the nation was supposed to be "a damn democratic society".
In his opinion: "We have the personnel and the competencies [to govern], to say we can't do it ourselves is a smack in the face."
But not all agreed.
Urban Task Force chairman Scott Adams said, in his view, common sense had prevailed.
"This is the best decision for the city, as a whole. Everyone will get some kind of benefit out of it in the long term."
Adams said the commission successfully piloted through the Long-term Plan 2021/31, "we now need them to carry out the rollout of the first phases of infrastructure".
"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."
Adams said the council was a billion-dollar business and needed to have someone with business nouse at the helm.
Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber said he supported the decision because "it gives a bit more time to put in place the strategic decisions that the subregion needs".
Tauranga Moana iwi representative Buddy Mikaere echoed Duncan's support for the extension saying "we're very, very pleased".
Priority One chief executive Nigel Tutt said a survey of local businesses found overwhelming support for the commission staying on.
Mahuta will now prepare a paper on the extension, terms of reference and appointment of the commission to be considered by Cabinet before confirmations are be made.
- Additional reporting Maryana Garcia
We asked people in the street whether they agreed with the extension of commissioners in Tauranga and why.
"That's a good idea. If they are doing a good job, why change it?"
Karen Butcher, Hairini
"I personally would keep them for another three years. People vote [in elections] for nice people who don't necessarily do anything. You need someone in charge who knows how to run a business, someone with guts."
Liz Williams, CBD
"I think it should be people who decide. There should be an election and it should be put to the people. I think we should get a say rather than people in power saying 'this is what's happening'."
Tyler-Brooke Fitzgerald, Welcome Bay
Bill Hale is showing everyone it's never too late to start something new.