It seems Creative Tauranga are now saying that the Hairy McClary trail is going to cost around $1 million after TCC have agreed to provide the land for the 12 bronze statues. This works out at a cost of $80,000 for each statue. Well, fortunately TCC and ratepayers are not paying for this financial lunacy and the Tauranga Community and TECT should not be contributing either.
It is concerning that the Jazz Festival Society Committee, after making it clear this year's losses caused by the weather and poor attendances would not fall on TCC ratepayers as any shortfall would be met from retained profits. Then without telling anyone what the substantial losses are, the Committee promptly applies to Council for a dollop of money and got a bail-out for $120,000 from our cash-strapped Council. So much for standing on your own two feet! Support was originally supposed to be a hand up, not a continuous annual hand-out!
Mayor Stuart Crosby, clearly enthused by attending Local Government Conference in Wellington, has the gall after 9 years of rubbish to come up with the notion that too much bureaucracy kills democracy but didn't mind it at all until the consistently poor decisions and lack of money hit the fan. Why then, if the problem is worsening, have no staff levels and systems investigations been undertaken? In fact audits have been strongly resisted by many elected members.
Last but not least, we have the Maori Committee of Bay Regional Council which seems to have been involved in the recent Christchurch junket, the allocation of training scholarships to iwi members and now deciding to fly a maori flag, not the Maori Flag on special days on Council HQ. Who is running this Regional Council outfit – is it elected members or somebone else under delegated authority?

R Paterson, Matapihi.