It's Not Over Yet!
The council has published its final proposal for the system of wards and councillors for the next 6 years. The system will comprise 8 general wards and 1 Maori ward. The Maori ward has already been established. Residents will only be allowed to vote for and have reasonable access to 1 out of the 9 councillors; their ward councillor. That definitely doesn't win the best and fairest award! One example of the council's weird thinking is its decision to split Greerton into two wards with the centre of Chadwick Road being the dividing line.
BUT, it's not over yet. Residents still have the right to challenge the council's decision!
It's now up to the Local Government Commission to make the final decision about which system Tauranga will have. The LGC has a good record of listening to the public and overturning bad council decisions. And, this is a bad one! If it's to to consider the matter properly the LGC needs to know what the public thinks The way to pass on your opinion is to:-
(a) send an email to - repreview@tauranga.govt.nz, or
(b) send a letter to the council at Private Bag 12022, Tauranga 3143, or
(c) drop off a letter at any library or at the customer service office in Willow Street.
To read the council's webpage on the subject Google - Tauranga city council elections review.
A better system of wards and councillors would be 1 city-wide general ward with 4 ward councillors, 7 at large councillors and 1 Maori ward. General roll electors would have the right to choose 11 out of the 12 councillors and Maori roll electors could choose 8. Tell the LGC that the council's chosen system is wrong for the city and that you want this one instead.
The council also refused to establish community boards. Boards are not another layer of bureaucracy. They are not run from a council desk. They are statutory community organisations designed to encourage and assist local participation in city governance. Residents would be able to have their say in familiar surroundings in their own community instead of in the council chambers. Tell the LGC that you want community boards.
The closing date is the 13th of December. Don't miss the deadline, don't let the council win by default.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.4% Yes
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14.8% No
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2.8% Other - I'll share below
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 ⬇️
Today’s Riddle – Can You Outsmart Your Neighbours?
First you eat me, then you get eaten. What am I?
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.
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