In the end, the community board voted to go back to Tesla asking whether four chargers, rather than six, were feasible, whether they could be made more aesthetically pleasing and if the western car park could be used but utilising parking bays further along towards the police station.
However, in a report presented to the community board at its February 2 meeting, and following further consultation with Tesla, Taupō District Council infrastructure manager Denis Lewis encouraged the board to reconsider.
His recommendation was that the Tūrangi/Tongariro Community Board revoke the resolution made on November 3 and instead "approve Tesla to establish a six-bay
electric vehicle charging station in the eastern car park between Tūrangi Town Centre and Turtle Pools, with above-ground infrastructure occupying two additional parking spaces for an initial period of five years with two rights of renewal of five years each".
During the February 2 meeting, board member Te Takinga New asked Lewis what plans were in place should other companies ask to install charging stations in Tūrangi.
Lewis replied: "Council doesn't have a strategy or a policy about encouraging EV parking stations within car parks. What we do tend to be doing is reacting to service providers like Tesla as they approach us. That's not to say we haven't looked at what potential there is and we are in discussions with another service provider and there is no reason why they won't be able to provide those charging facilities in Tūrangi as well. There is plenty of capacity in terms of parking space."
Taupō District councillor John Mack, who sits on the community board, suggested statistics from other towns and cities showed three or four of the charging bays would sit empty "most of the time".
"I think six would be too many and three would be more than enough to start with," he said.
"I have no issue having them, I just don't want to see people parking in them anyway and you end up with them not being used for the right purpose."
Board chairman Clint Green said Tesla had said the number of charge points was based on algorithms taking into account the number of Tesla vehicles in the country and feedback from those cars.
"They seem to think six was a number that would be utilised."
Lewis said there had been an increase in the number Tesla vehicles imported and sold in New Zealand during the last year.
Councillor Tangonui Kingi said he was seeing more and more Tesla vehicles on the road in the area.
Board member New questioned whether spaces would be taken up which might be better used for the elderly or those with mobility issues to be able to park closer to the shops.
Lewis said those discussions had taken place but if it was a board wish for those parks to be made available to others, that was a decision it could make to decline the proposal or advise a different location.
In the end, the community board voted unanimously to revoke its resolution from the November meeting and approve the proposal recommended in Lewis' report, allowing Tesla to set up a six-bay charging station.
