Tauranga City Council

Tauranga City Council is the local government authority for Tauranga City in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the 158,000 people of Tauranga. The current Mayor of Tauranga is Tenby Powell. The council consists of 11 members elected from three wards (2 councillors each) and at-large (4 councillors), and is presided over by the Mayor, who is elected at large. Marty Grenfell is currently the CEO of Tauranga City Council.

History

The historic predecessor was Tauranga Borough Council, which existed from 1888 to 1963. Tauranga City Council was then formed and existed from 1963 until the 1989 local government reforms. Post-amalgamation with other authorities in 1989 (e.g. Mount Maunganui Borough Council), Tauranga District Council existed until 2003 when it again became Tauranga City Council.[1]

Elections

The Council is elected every three years, using the single transferable vote voting system.[2] The vote is conducted by postal ballot. The 2007 election, which closed on 13 October 2007, had a turnout of 40%. Turnouts have since been 38.07% 2010, 37.78% 2013, 43.64% 2016, 40.28% 2019.[3]

Tauranga City Council formerly used the first-past-the-post (FPP) voting system until 2019.

For electoral purposes, Tauranga is divided into three wards and an at-large category. The three metropolitan wards each elect two Councillors each, and the at-large category elects four Councillors.

Party politics are much less influential in elections to the Council than is the case for the House of Representatives. In 2007, the Mayor and a majority of Councillors were elected as independent candidates.

Council

Mayor, Council and Committees

See also: Mayor of Tauranga

Under most circumstances, the Council is presided over by the Mayor. At its first meeting after a local election, the Council elects from among its members a Deputy Mayor, who acts as Mayor in the absence and with the consent, or in the incapacity, of the Mayor. The Deputy Mayor also presides at meetings if the Mayor is not present. The Deputy Mayor serves until losing his set on the Council, unless removed from office by a vote of the Council.

Councillors also serve on a number of committees. As of 2008[update], there is one Standing Committee, eight Standing Subcommittees, seven Joint Standing Committees and Working Parties (so called because they involve members of other local authorities), and 14 ad hoc subcommittees and working parties. The Council can delegate certain powers to these committees, or alternatively they can consider matters in more detail and make recommendations to the full Council.

Organisation

The day-to-day administration of the City of Tauranga is carried out by the Tauranga City Council staff. Indeed, in everyday usage, the term the council is extended to include not just the Mayor and Councillors, but the entire organisation.

The professional head of the city council organisation is the Chief Executive Marty Grenfell,[4] who is appointed by the Council under contract for up to five years. The Chief Executive is assisted by ten General Managers, each with his or her own portfolio:

  • GM Corporate Services - Paul Davidson
  • GM People and Engagement - Susan Jamieson
  • GM Strategy and Growth - Christine Jones
  • GM Infrastructure - Nic Johansson
  • GM Community Services - Gareth Wallis
  • GM Regulatory and Compliance - Barbara Dempsey

The council organisation is about 600 people delivering services across 58 businesses. Given the size of the city and its growth, this makes the organisation one of the most efficient in New Zealand.

The organisation is focused on addressing three critical challenges within the city:

  • Housing affordability
  • Predictable travel times
  • City Resiliance

Responsibilities and services
See also: Territorial authorities of New Zealand

The Council is vested with a power of "general competence" for the social, economic and cultural well-being of Tauranga. In particular, the Council has responsibility for a range of local services, including roads (except State highways), water, sewerage, glass recycling, parks and reserves, and libraries. Urban development is managed through the maintenance of a District plan and associated zoning regulations, together with building and resource consents. The Council has been given extra powers to regulate certain types of business operations, notably suppliers of alcohol and brothels.

Waste collection

To dispose of residential waste at the kerbside, residents can choose to either purchase apricot coloured pre-paid bags, black rubbish bags with a pink pre-paid sticker, or hire a wheelie bin from a number of private companies.

To dispose of recyclable material at the kerbside (such as paper, cardboard, plastics number 1 and 2, aluminium cans, tin cans), residents can hire a wheelie bin of either 240-litre size or 140-litre size from a number of private companies.

As of 2018 Tauranga City Council now provides rate-payer funded kerbside collection of glass every fortnight.[5]

References
  1. "Tauranga City Council Minute Book History". Tauranga City Libraries. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  2. "Voting - Tauranga City Council". www.tauranga.govt.nz.
  3. "Returns". www.electionz.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  4. [email protected], Samantha Motion Multimedia journalist (September 3, 2018). "Marty Grenfell takes up Tauranga City Council's top job" – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  5. "What you need to know about the service - Tauranga City Council". www.tauranga.govt.nz.
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