Tauranga resident Donike Wilkinson is refusing to pay her rates until local democracy is restored.
“I know that they’re going to charge us penalties,” Wilkinson told Q+A on Sunday, but she says she will only pay rates to an elected council. She hopes her rates revolt will spread.
The city is currently under the control of a four-person panel of commissioners, led by former National MP Anne Tolley.
They were brought in by local Government minister Nanaia Mahuta, after dysfunction and infighting led to the dramatic resignation of former mayor Tenby Powell.
Pressure is mounting for the Government to announce a decision on whether elections will return for Tauranga this year, alongside local elections for the rest of the country.
The stated plan has always been for the commissioners to depart when the term ends, but many residents aren’t convinced that will happen – and some are hoping the commissioners will stay on.
Tommy Wilson leads Te Tuinga Whanau Trust, which helps Tauranga’s homeless and poorest families.
He says the previous council never had time to see and understand the social work his organisation did, but commissioners have visited several times.
“You got to have business acumen balanced with community connectivity to run a $4.3 billion business, and we’ve got that now, so stay there and keep out the clowns,” Wilson said.
Tauranga is also currently undergoing a massive programme of development, and the governance provided by the commissioners is seen by many in the business community as vital.
The commissioners staying on recently received an endorsement from the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce.
But others in the city see the commissioners as a warning for the rest of the country.
Retired businessman Maurice O'Reily has spent decades in Tauranga, and says many he talks to are increasingly concerned about the commissioners.
"When you have democracy and you lose it, you realise what a precious thing it is."
SHARE ME