The weather might have put paid to local government minister Rodney Hide's blokarting hopes, but it didn't stop other calls he made in Tauranga today.

Rodney spoke to the Chamber of Commerce at Mills Reef winery today and also met with Tauranga City Council, which presented him with suggestions
'I met with them for about an hour today and they explained to me their difficulties in being a growth area with future needs for infrastructure and how they were going to provide for that,” says Rodney.
Tauranga City Council was concerned about costs imposed by central government in terms of required processes.
'That was actually a very good meeting because they gave me something practical,” says Rodney. 'That's what I took out of the meeting.”
His only comment on the rates increases facing Tauranga residents was that each district across the country is facing problems.
'Tauranga has particular problems caused by the big increase in population and how they provide infrastructure and fund it.
'What I would like to do is reduce the burden of costs that central government imposes on them, make expenditure more accountable.”