The $5 million cost of Tauranga’s new waterfront destination playground is an example of local councils “treating ratepayers as a bottomless ATM”, a taxpayer lobby group says.

But Tauranga City Council says the playground is an “investment in our future” and would provide great value for money in its lifetime.

The $5m destination playground opened in December and included an 8m tower, accessible play equipment, a nature trail and a water play zone. It was part of the $92.2m waterfront revitalisation programme which included the new Dive Cres carpark, upgrading the Cargo Shed, redeveloping Masonic Park and a new harbourfront boardwalk.

When the Bay of Plenty Times spoke to locals and tourists visiting the waterfront during summer to gauge their reactions, they overwhelmingly gave the revamped waterfront and playground a big thumbs up.

CBD retailers and hospitality businesses spoken to also said they felt positive about the changes, apart from one retailer who described the spending as a “waste of money”.

Taxpayers’ Union communication officer Alex Emes hit out at the Tauranga City Council in a press release after requesting a breakdown of costs and fees for the playground under the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act.

Emes said the response revealed $1.67m was spent on play equipment, $1.1m on hard landscaping, nearly $640,000 on consulting, engineering and management costs $361,000 on safety surfacing and another $150,000 on council staff costs.

“Building a park for $5m was one thing but spending nearly $800,000 before a single cent is spent on actual materials, is disgraceful.”

Reggie Willock, 3, from Gisborne (in centre of image) running through the new Tauranga Waterfront Playground. Photo / Sandra Conchie

He said the combined cost of more than $1.4m for landscaping and safety surfacing made him wonder if the playground floor was made of “shredded ratepayers’ cash”.

“Not only did Tauranga council blunder millions on the project, including exorbitant council fees, but they had the gall to jack rates 13.1% this year alone.”

Emes said this was another example of local councils treating ratepayers as a “bottomless ATM”.

“Tauranga residents deserved full transparency on where their money is going and why the cost of the playground climbed so much higher than it should have.”

Tauranga City Council general manager of city development and partnerships Gareth Wallis said the waterfront playground had a guaranteed minimum lifespan of 25 years and would provide “great value for money” over its life.

“We are beginning to see the positive effect of this investment in our future, and we are heartened by the community response since the waterfront playground opened in December,” he said.

“It’s been great to see this area come alive, with families and people of all ages flocking to the playground and enjoying the magical location Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour provides. Many visitors are also enjoying the wider city centre environment and visiting local retailers, cafes, and restaurants.”

The NZ Taxpayers’ Union website states the union had 200,000 subscribed members and supporters and was an independent and membership-driven activist group “dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power”, with a mission to “lower taxes, reduce waste, and have “more accountability”.