Keen electioneers are being reined in by Tauranga City Council, as rule-breaking election signs begin to appear around the city.
The council has been told of five signs outside the designated election signs areas, including the hoarding put up on the Cameron Road median by local ACT party candidates this week.
They were unaware the city council has changed the rules since the last national election. ACT candidate Bruce Carley says they will relocate their hoarding this weekend.
The city council put out a press release Wednesday afternoon, asking all political candidates to follow the city council rules.
Rule breaking signs have also been spotted at Memorial Park, the Bureta traffic island, and the traffic island at Papamoa Beach/Domain Road.
'We have designated areas for election signage, as well as size limits. It's important to minimise distractions for motorists,” says Bylaws & Parking team leader Stuart Goodman.
Between now and September 22, candidates can place signs in the areas identified in Council's local election policy maps.
Approval is for one sign per candidate, and one sign per political party.
The maximum size of each sign is 1.5 square metres. Signs are also required to comply with section 221B of the Electoral Act 1993.
Any signs that fall outside of these rules require specific approval from the council, says Stuart.
The rules regarding election signs in Tauranga were changed in May 2016 after issues over local government electioneering signs highlighted the fact roadside election signs in Tauranga were governed by three different sets of council rules; the Local Elections Policy, the Street Use and Public Places Bylaw, and The City Plan, each of which had different rules regarding electioneering signs.
The old policy stated election signs were to be in accordance with the requirements of the council's Street Use and Public Places Bylaw 2013, the City Plan and the Policy. But the timeframe for the display of election signs in the City Plan and the Policy was different, and there was no time limit in the bylaw.
Councillor Gail McIntosh was among candidates who exploited the ‘interpretation gap' in 2013, parking her sign written car on the roadside. Gail says she paid a city council parking infringement fee of $40 at the time.
Councillors voted to delete the exclusion of election signs on vehicles in the definition of sign to make the policy consistent with the Street Use and Public Places bylaw. It means a campaign vehicle can park anywhere, as long as it's complying with the bylaw's parking rules – or there is a $40 ticket.
Dissenting councillors said in May that the new rules benefitted only sitting councillors, to the detriment of new candidates.
8 comments
golly gosh
Posted on 26-07-2017 18:52 | By old trucker
We get a ticket for having a car for sale on the side of the road and yet all this sign polution is too much, everywhere as long as its to get into council its alright, making promises and then not keep them, every year is the same, my thoughts only,No1, Thankyou,10-4 out.
Way to go Council..!!
Posted on 26-07-2017 21:16 | By groutby
...don't just have one set of clearly definable rules to go on...have THREE all saying different things !!..why not just confuse everyone...again...sound familiar within TCC ?
Election eyesores
Posted on 27-07-2017 06:14 | By OAP
Ban all of these signs. They are quite often a traffic hazard, are at minimum a distraction for drivers,and do nothing to improve the governance of New Zealand.
Toothless
Posted on 27-07-2017 10:31 | By Chris
With no enforceable penalty there is no incentive to comply with the council's limp wristed approach.
Outdated
Posted on 27-07-2017 12:46 | By Stuart Pedersen
We moved the ACT party Cameron Rd sign last night after advice from TCC, and will move others on Saturday. Frankly ACT would be happy for signs to be ditched in future, but for now, once one party erects them the others need to follow suit.
rules
Posted on 27-07-2017 14:41 | By gingerpussy
if they cant follow the rules then what kind of candidate are they...oopps, maybe i should say that once they are elected they do as the want....
Outdated
Posted on 27-07-2017 15:42 | By surfsup
Mr Pedersen, I sincerely hope that as a new candidate you do not believe that any signs put up by a political party will in anyway influence a voter, if you do then we deserve what we get, if you don't then don't put them up and make a stand as the forward thinking party you say you are and let the electorate know why you have done that. Good luck anyway.
No surprise
Posted on 27-07-2017 16:51 | By maildrop
Kiwis are represented by a number of fraudsters and liars, just going by the last couple of weeks, with Barclay and Turei. A few others have slipped my memory like that one who forged a dead baby's birth certificate. Wow. Numerous others have some very sketchy dealings to their name. Probably a fair representation given all the robberies plus anything gets nicked if it's not bolted down. Yee haw.
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