BOP regional council bears brunt of election cost

Bay of Plenty Regional Council will carry all the election costs in Tauranga. Photo: John Borren.

The exit of district health boards and Tauranga's 'loss of democracy” will increase the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Local Body Election costs fourfold.

The projected Local Body Election cost for the regional council is $750,000 – four times higher than the 2019 figure of $179,982.

Previously Local Body Election costs were shared between the regional council Toi Moana, the district health boards and the local authority.

This year costs will be shared by six councils and Toi Moana.

District health board elections will no longer take place with the restructure of the health system. The country's 20 DHBs will be replaced by the single entity Health NZ and a Māori Health Authority from July 1.

In March, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced the four commissioners currently in charge of Tauranga City's governance would remain until July 2024, cancelling Tauranga's Local Body Election.

This means the regional council will be the only local authority holding a Local Body Election in Tauranga come election day, on October 8.

The estimated cost to the regional council for the Tauranga and Mauao constituency elections is $435,000 – up from $20,000 in 2019, more than half of the total projected cost of $750,000 for all seven wards.

The extra cost to Toi Moana was raised by Tauranga constituency councillor Stuart Crosby at a meeting on Tuesday. 'In the Tauranga constituency, there is no election for Tauranga City Council,” he said.

'There is no election now as I understand for the DHB, which is wonderful, but that must have a cost implication.”

Governance manager Yvonne Tatton said the 'biggest impact” on election cost is the Tauranga portion, but not having DHB elections had a 'major impact across the region”.

Yvonne said $435,000 for the Tauranga and Mauao constituencies is 'quite a considerable cost [compared] to previous elections”.

'We are bearing all the cost of the election in those constituencies,” says Yvonne.

Tauranga is one of the four general regional council wards and Mauao is one of the three Māori wards.

Yvonne said the $179,982 for the 2019 elections was across four constituencies as costs were shared among the regional council, the relevant council and the DHBs.

'In 2019 elections were not held in three constituencies as the number of candidates were the same as the number of vacancies,” said Yvonne.

These were Tauranga, Eastern Bay of Plenty and Ōkurei, the Rotorua Māori Constituency.

According to data previously provided to Local Democracy Reporting by Tauranga City Council, the regional council's share of the 2019 election costs was $20,000.

During the meeting, Tauranga councillor Paula Thompson queried the cost in comparison to rates and where it was budgeted.

'We're talking an over one per cent general rating requirement for the fact that we've lost democracy in Tauranga, is that correct?” she asked.

Tatton replied: 'From a financial point of view, yes”.

Deputy chairperson Jane Nees said she wanted people to clearly see the financial implications of the Government's decisions.

'I think the ratepayers need to understand what the cost is that is being borne by the regional council for those decisions,” said Jane.

Council chief executive Fiona McTavish said council would be seeking guidance from the councillors in terms of the additional costs through an Annual Plan workshop before deliberations in May.

Public Interest Journalism is funded through NZ On Air.

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7 comments

when does it end...

Posted on 10-04-2022 12:44 | By morepork

This crazy politically motivated legislation is causing cost increases that we should not have to front. Removing the Government and reversing the legislation will cost more money... we are between a rock and a hard place because of the political aspirations of a few...


morepork....

Posted on 10-04-2022 16:12 | By groutby

....it will never end, as long as these authorities can simply legislate and demand more money without actually earning it such as in the 'real' world....then obtaining money is no problem...is it?


Remember

Posted on 10-04-2022 17:51 | By Let's get real

The cost of ineptitude is enormous and lasts well into the future and well past your sacking and the installation of a directorate. Isn't it great to be only viewed as a bank balance to be plundered at will.


@Groutby

Posted on 10-04-2022 23:35 | By morepork

Thanks for your response. I thought about it and I see no flaw in your assessment. We are stuck as cash cows because we have administrators who answer to nobody. They have shown time and again that they have no respect for other people's money. I guess all we can do is vote them out if they are outrageous, but, of course, we can't even do that at the moment... I wonder if there is a legal way we could appeal the continuance of the Commission...? Petitioning Mahuta is not going to work, but a case to the Appeals Court might, if the right people got behind it. I see the current situation as just heartbreaking for Tauranga. I guess we need to look again after the by-election.


@ groutby

Posted on 11-04-2022 22:06 | By Yadick

Well said. Good on you.


@ Morepork

Posted on 11-04-2022 22:09 | By Yadick

Oohhh the by election . . . No good and positive person standing yet. Makes things really hard when there's not a positive candidate. Integrity goes a long way.


@Yadick

Posted on 12-04-2022 12:18 | By morepork

I gave my views on the candidates elsewhere, but I agree with you. Integrity IS one of the most required attributes, but I'd also like to see someone who is actually concerned about the replacement of Democracy with tribal tikanga, and who would be committed to active involvement by the community in the selection of priorities for work. No more "appointments", let's have "elections"; no more grandiose works projects that look good on a commissioner's CV; let's have works that we all need, and according to priorities set by the community, not by "The Boss"... I want to see a democratic candidate who is prepared to stand against co-governance and He Puapua and make sure that ALL people who need help can get it, with the only qualification being "need", not race, or who you know. We need to stand united for the future, with true equality. Big ask..


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