Commonunity

24/07/2025

Central Hawke’s Bay District acknowledges trade-off with unaffordable rates rises, in halving investment. Other smaller councils are expected to follow suit.

A blown pipe caused water outages in parts of Waipukurau last night; the council warns these will become common as it halves spending. Jonathan Milne investigates.

19/07/2025

04/03/2025

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 '𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝' 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞

Last year, Tauranga City Council sold the precinct to Christchurch developer Sam Rofe.

07/01/2025

𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧-𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝-𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐡é 𝐃𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛.

Reflecting on 2024, Olympian-turned-mayor Mahé Drysdale says he had no regrets about taking on what is proving to be a huge job.

Drysdale was elected as mayor of Tauranga city in July, as part of the first council to take back democratic control of the city which had been run by commissioners for more than three years.

Drysdale was elected in July as part of the first council to take back democratic control of the city.

20/12/2024

𝐓𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 '𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐬' 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐌𝐏

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is taking the city's council to the Ombudsman after he said they failed to give satisfactory answers to an information request over the contentious sale of the city's marine precinct.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is taking the city's council to the Ombudsman after he said they failed to give satisfactory answers to an information request over the contentious sale of the city's marine precinct.

26/11/2024

LG governance model doesn’t work!

When a council needs adult supervision, something has gone seriously wrong, says Nick Clark, a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown’s appointment of a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council reflects mounting frustration with the capital’s governance. While intervention may provide temporary relief, it highlights deeper structural problems that require more fundamental reform.

When a council needs adult supervision, something has gone seriously wrong, says Nick Clark, a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown’s appointment of a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council reflects mounting frustration with the capital’s governa...

28/10/2024

If you agree that the Serious Fraud Office should open a thorough investigation into the Marine Precinct issues, including the recent sale and other hidden activities, go to the link below and sign the petition.

Request the Serious Fraud Office Investigate the Marine Precinct Sale

26/10/2024

The sale of Tauranga’s marine precinct for at least $4 million below its valuation is a “disaster waiting to happen”, a local business owner believes.

Tauranga City Council sold the precinct at Sulphur Point for $13.987m to Christchurch developer Sam Rofe.

The 2.98-hectare precinct, also known as Vessel Works, was valued between $18.63m and $19.24m and is zoned for port industry. Some sites within the precinct are already privately owned.

Rofe approached the council in late 2023 with a proposal to buy the precinct with a vision of it becoming a “premier superyacht refit destination”.

The sale of Tauranga's marine precinct for $13.9m has angered fishing businesses.

06/10/2024