Category: Tauranga City Council

Tauranga’s CBD Bus Hub – ‘Dead-end Street’ or a Positive Way Forward?

by Glen Crowther This is the latest instalment in our coverage of this issue, which has been ongoing for the past five years or more. I have been a public transport ‘stakeholder’ for the past decade, I am an advisor to the BOP Regional Transport Committee, and I use buses most days. In my role… Continue reading Tauranga’s CBD Bus Hub – ‘Dead-end Street’ or a Positive Way Forward?

Ongoing Saga of Tauranga’s CBD Bus Interchange

Photo from Sunlive: Durham St ‘interchange’ Today’s media report describes how more ‘chickens’ have come home to roost for Tauranga City Council (TCC) – this time regarding Tauranga’s planned central city bus ‘interchange’, which the city’s Commissioners had committed to complete by December 2023. The Council yet again seems to be putting property developers and… Continue reading Ongoing Saga of Tauranga’s CBD Bus Interchange

Tauranga Community Survey

Sustainable Bay of Plenty Trust has partnered with Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association (PRRA), Mount Maunganui Ratepayers, Residents & Retailers (MRRR), and a number of other community groups to undertake a survey on some key Tauranga sustainability issues. This came about after Tauranga City Council’s 2024 Long Term Plan (LTP) consultation in November-December 2023 left… Continue reading Tauranga Community Survey

Tauranga City Council’s 2024 Long Term Plan

PART ONE As the public’s attention switches from the coalition negotiations to Christmas shopping, let’s not forget that Tauranga City Council is consulting its vitally important 2024-34 Draft Long Term Plan (LTP) until 15 December. Sustainable BOP Trust has called on the council to delay its LTP due to the change of government. The Coalition… Continue reading Tauranga City Council’s 2024 Long Term Plan

A Tale of Two Cities: Tauranga’s Own Debt Crisis

You may have come across the recent story about Christchurch City Council having “serious financial issues”. As a sustainability organisation, that made us wonder how sustainable are Tauranga City Council’s finances? Tauranga City had about 158,300 residents in June 2022, whereas Christchurch City was home to 389,300 people (2.5 times Tauranga’s population). Tauranga City Council… Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities: Tauranga’s Own Debt Crisis

Why IFF is a bad choice for Tauranga

Tauranga City Council is asking Tauranga residents if they prefer the Civic Precinct to be financed by an ‘IFF’ levy (option 1) or rates-funded debt (option 2). Either way, the debt is repaid by ratepayers. However this is a much bigger topic than it may first appear, so we urge you to read this short… Continue reading Why IFF is a bad choice for Tauranga

Growth Does Not Pay For Growth

Photo: NZME BOP Times Tauranga City Council told us all for years that “growth pays for growth”. It eventually admitted that wasn’t true, and today’s paywalled BOP Times article shows how growth can go ‘off the rails’ and leave ratepayers with $735 million debt. Key points: – Te Tumu development (between Papamoa East and Maketu)… Continue reading Growth Does Not Pay For Growth

The Future Shape of Tauranga

We’re all aware there is an important general election on 14th October. What is sometimes overlooked is that the result may lock in, or reject, the increasing centralisation of decision-making that has happened over the past few years. This could impact our region for years to come. During this electoral term, central government agencies have… Continue reading The Future Shape of Tauranga