Council representation
The council has announced its representation proposal for the next 6 years. It wants Tauranga to be split into 8 wards and for each ward to be represented by 1 councillor. Each ward will have a population of about 17,000 - a medium size town. There will also be a Maori ward with 1 councillor. Residents will ONLY be allowed to vote for their ward councillor, no other councillor. So, people only have a one-ninth say in who represents the city. Furthermore, residents can only speak to their ward councillor about council and local matters; they can't speak to any other councillor.Too bad if your ward councillor turns out to be a dud; you can't go to anyone else for help. How will one councillor manage to look after 17,000 people and do all his other council work as well? Complaints and suggestions could be diverted to the mayor but he or she couldn't possibly cope with the demand.The council plan could turn out to be another disaster.
The council IGNORED the popular choice which was 9 general councillors elected from 1 ward constituting the WHOLE OF TAURANGA. Every resident on the general roll would have a vote for all 9 councillors, not just 1 ward councillor as the council has proposed. Residents would be free to speak to any one of the 9 councillors about matters that concerned them. There would be 1 Maori ward councillor to make up the rest of the team.
The council also decided that Tauranga did not need community boards. Astonishingly, the council considered that having 1 councillor to talk to would provide enough opportunity for the public to participate in the governance of the city. IS THE COUNCIL TRYING TO SHUT UP AND SHUT OUT THE PUBLIC VOICE?.
The council's scheme is out for public comment until the 4th of October. Go to the council's website to read the feedback form and have your say. Call for at least 9, and maybe more, at-large general ward councillors to be chosen by every resident on the general roll. Also call for 3 community boards to be established so that the public voice can be heard. Community boards are legally constituted bodies to which EVERY RESIDENT living in Tauranga will belong without having to enrol or pay a subscription, and councils are required by law to pay attention to what they have to say. Boards will cost no more than $4 a year per head of population, and probably much less,That will be money well spent if if giving locals their say before the council starts throwing money around prevents expensive stuff-ups.
If you have any questions about the review process and the system I have suggested or would like to read, and perhaps support, my submission, contact me through Neighbourly.
Test Your Wits! Today's Riddle Will Keep You Guessing!
Only one colour, but not one size,
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies.
Present in the sun, but not in rain,
Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.
What is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Product recalls - November 2024
Here are some items that have been recalled during October/November. Click on the blue title to learn more details about the recalled product.
Food recalls:
Equal brand European Dark Chocolate
Mrs Rogers spices - Butter Chicken, Curry Powder and Garam Masala
Bin Inn brand Ground Fennel
Classic Taste Fennel Powder
Jongga Kimchi
Pure Delish Grain-ola
Homemade Baker Muffin Batter Banana Choc-Chip
Hellers Shaved Roast Chicken
My Food Bag middle eastern spice blend and All The Flavour dukkah
Gilmours Jalapeno flavour corn chips
Product recalls:
Goldair panel heaters
Boost Lab skin cleanser
Canyon E-bike batteries
Panasonic power supply adapter
Kids blanket hoodies
SCA lithium battery
Noxen Kids hooded towel
Kids rubber duckies
Justyling/YesBobbleheads custom Neon sign
Brompton T Line bike
We hope this update was helpful to you and your whānau.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️