Former Tauranga councillor Bill Faulkner dies, leaves lasting legacy for city

Tauranga 2010 mayoral candidate Bill Faulkner. Photo / NZME

Long-standing former Tauranga councillor Bill Faulkner has been remembered fondly as a loyal friend, tireless residents’ advocate and a “genuinely sincere guy”.

Faulkner, 76, died unexpectedly on Monday. He served as a city councillor for more than two decades. A memorial service will be held for him next Monday.

Having been elected to Tauranga City Council in 1986 and serving until 2013, Faulkner spearheaded the micro-filtration of the city’s water supply, started marine precinct plans, and also played roles in the controversial museum, Pilot Bay boardwalk, and Hairy McLary sculpture debates.

Former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless, who served as mayor from 2016 to 2019, considered Faulkner a friend and colleague.

As a councillor, Faulkner “really did his homework”, particularly on projects that piqued his interest, Brownless said.

Brownless also served as a councillor before his mayoralty.

“He was very well-read and did his research so that he had a strong but informed opinion.

“He had a strong sense of justice and would stick up for projects and people he believed were right.”

Brownless said the controversial decision to build a micro-filtration water plant for Tauranga was “a real game-changer”.

“He fought hard to get that through with the support of a majority of councillors. As a result, we have some of the best water in the country, or any country actually. The investment he fought for served us well for many years.”

Faulkner was also active in the ongoing improvement of our sewerage treatment plants and the planning for the Southern Pipeline.

Brownless said buying land and reserves with an eye to the future was high on Faulkner’s agenda.

“He supported purchases such as the K [Kopurererua] Valley for roading and recreation, and Smith’s Farm and Parau Farms which are essential in keeping our green space. He didn’t want growth for growth’s sake and years ago suggested putting a ‘Sorry, Full’ sign at the top of the Kaimais.

“He was quite serious and many today might think he was right.”

Faulkner was a loyal friend who could put aside differences and maintain a strong friendship, Brownless said.

“He did speak his mind though. Disagreements were perfectly acceptable. He wouldn’t sacrifice his principles for popularity ...’'

Brownless said Faulkner was a “self-proclaimed cultural desert”.

“However, his bark was worse than his bite and I did persuade him to see the occasional play or show in which I was acting,” Brownless said.

Former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless, pictured in 2019, remembers former councillor Bill Faulkner as a loyal friend. Photo / Andrew Warner

“I well remember acting in a play called Art. A few years later I did the same play again. A few minutes in, I heard Bill muttering from the back row, ‘Bloody Brownless, I’ve seen this before’.

“I will very much miss his friendship and observations on the state of Tauranga and the country.”

Former city councillor Larry Baldock first met Faulkner in the 1970s when they both worked for NZ Insurance in Spring St. In 2010, the two worked together again when they were elected to the council.

Baldock said Faulkner was instrumental in several key city projects but driving the micro-filtration of Tauranga’s water supply could be his greatest legacy as it still benefited people even after his death.

“It was an absolute success. We have the best water around and it was vastly because of Bill,” Baldock said.

“He set us up really well.”

In the 2010 to 2013 term, Faulkner championed the start of the Marine Precinct.

Faulkner also genuinely believed in his role as an elected member, he said.

Bill Faulkner pictured at a mayoral candidate debate in 2010. Photo / NZME

“He wasn’t in it for political gain.

“He was in it for the things that would better the city.”

Baldock described Faulkner as a “tireless advocate for ratepayers”.

Baldock said Faulkner supported projects only if he believed they were “money well-spent if there was a long-term investment for the city”.

“He was the champion of spending money to do it right,” he said.

The 2010 to 2013 term was one of the most contentious, Baldock said, as the council was faced with Pilot Bay boardwalk and the Hairy McLary sculpture plans which each drew strong support and opposition.

Baldock said there were times when he and Faulkner did not agree on things, such as whether the council donate land for the University of Waikato campus, but “you could argue and debate with him and still go out of chambers as mates”.

“Even if he was wrong, and we’re all wrong sometimes, he was wrong for the right reasons,” Baldock said.

“He was a genuinely sincere guy.”

Former mayor Stuart Crosby, who served from 2004 to 2016, echoed Baldock’s recollection of Faulkner, saying he was “constantly pushing back on what, in his mind, was wasteful spending”.

“He had a very strong eye on the affordability of the ratepayers, more so than others, and so he should.”

Crosby said Faulkner was not a fan of long-term navel-gazing and bureaucracy and he would target the most efficient course of action.

“For somebody thrifty with ratepayers’ dollars, he promoted strongly that we take a world-leading stance to provide safe drinking water. That’s when we built a new water treatment plant and retrofitted another one. At the time, it was the biggest micro-filtration plant in Australasia.”

Faulkner loved sailing, his family and the city, Crosby said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed his company and my condolences go to his family.”

In a profile highlighting mayoral candidates in 2010, Faulkner said marrying wife Barbara was his best life decision.

His worst was buying a Type R Integra.

Faulkner is survived by Barbara, sons Mark and Brendan and their partners Rochelle and Laura, grandchildren Amiee, Jessie and Lily, sister Andi and niece Morgane.

A memorial service for Faulkner will be held at the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club, Sulphur Point, on Monday at 1pm.

Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.