The Tauranga Croquet Club is opposing the draft LTP which would see them forced to pay more than $24,500 a year when they do all of their own maintenance anyway.
Tauranga sports clubs fear they will fold if council fee hikes go ahead
Some believe groups are being deliberately priced out
Critics call for a delay citing election result
Council says it’s aiming for a fairer system with a more user-pays model
A Tauranga sports club faces paying more than $136,000 a year to use its clubrooms and fields under a council plan labelled “stupid” and “rushed” by critics calling for a delay.
Other sports and community groups fear they will not survive the fee hikes proposed in Tauranga City Council’s latest draft Long-term Plan.
The document lays out the council’s activities and services for the next decade, and how it will fund them. It states the council wants a fairer balance between revenue from rates and user fees, aiming to reduce some general ratepayer costs.
Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said the council understood the concerns raised and encouraged people to make submissions on the proposal, which is out for consultation.
Tauranga City AFC chairman Brendon McHugh said under what’s proposed, the football club faced annual fees of $136,450, including a new yearly facility fee of $107,070 for use of its Links Ave clubrooms in Mount Maunganui.
“It’s the facility fees that really shocked us.
“It’s [more than] a 2000 per cent increase on what we are paying at the moment. That’s why it’s a massive shock for us. There’s no way [in his view] any sports club out there would be sustainable for that kind of fee. It doesn’t make sense.”
Tauranga City AFC has seen many games, and victories, at its Links Ave Reserve clubrooms.
The council wants to charge $66 per m2 (plus operational expenditure) per year to lease or have a licence to occupy its buildings, such as the clubrooms.
The football club would also be expected to pay $225+gst an hour to use each training field at Links Ave Reserve. In total, new field charges were expected to cost $33,300 each year, McHugh said.
Members were already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and 35 per cent would not be able to afford increased fees, he said. Membership fees, currently $70 – $275, could rise by $145 according to a club newsletter.
McHugh was also concerned club volunteers would find the stress of making ends meet not worth it.
McHugh said the club was making a submission to formally express its concerns.
Consultation opened on November 15 and closes on December 15.
In his view: “It’s mind-blowing we’ve only been given a month to deal with this.”
“Everyone’s busy and stressed and for winter sports, it’s out of season. It’s added unnecessary pressure for the whole sporting community.
“It’s not just football. It’s everyone.”
Tauranga sports and community groups worried for future
Tauranga Croquet Club president Gretchen Benvie said its proposed new yearly bill of over $24,500 “came completely out of leftfield”.
Other community groups, reluctant to be named before formally presenting their submission, told the Bay of Plenty Times they would have no option but to fold if the charges were approved.
Sustainable Bay of Plenty called for the council to delay the long-term plan, saying in its opinion it had been “rushed”.
Executive director Glen Crowther said there was significant uncertainty and implications for three waters reforms and transportation funding after the general election.
Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Philip Brown says in his view the draft Long-term Plan 2024-34 has been 'rushed'.
Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association also called for a delay.
Chairman Philip Brown said he believed Tauranga could ill-afford “expensive extravagant” projects in the plan.
Tauranga City Council defends consultation on ‘critical’ long-term plan
Asked whether the council would consider delaying the plan, Tolley said there was a statutory responsibility to prepare draft long-term plans before a final plan was implemented before June 30 next year.
The fees of concern were part of a separate process “but for the sake of efficiency, these are consulted on in conjunction with the long-term plan”, which was a “critical document”.
Tolley said commissioners brought forward the plan so there was ample time for submissions to be incorporated in the final plan before the commission’s governance term ended in July 2024.
Tolley said they understood the concerns about proposed facility-use charges and invited people worried about viability to make a submission.
Tauranga City Council commission chairwoman Anne Tolley says the draft Long-term Plan 2024-34 is a 'critical' document. Photo / Alex Cairns
Manager of spaces and places Alison Law said the council worked with clubs so they understood how the proposed fees could impact them. This included consideration of pricing methodology, timing and implementation staging.
The proposal sought a balance between the need for non-rates revenue, affordability for groups and equity across codes.
“It’s important to consider the nuances of all clubs and codes to ensure the balance is right,” Law said.
“We recognise that any increase in fees and costs could be challenging, particularly when to date, there has been zero or minimal costs associated with using our well-loved community spaces.”
The drive towards a user-pays model meant it was “critical” the council heard from all codes on affordability “to ensure the continued growth of sports and recreation activities on our reserves, and in our community”.
Sport Bay of Plenty was helping with consultation, Law said.
The long-term plan proposes to spend $616 million on community facilities and amenities such as sports halls and fields.
Hearings were expected in February and potential adoption of the document in April 2024.
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.
