New councillor Tony Christiansen says he has never given up on life and won't give up on council until they get it right.
Storming in with the most votes of all the at-large candidates, Tony says he is excited about getting the chance to make a difference.
Tony Christiansen is excited about getting into his new role as city councillor.
'It is certainly an exciting time and I have an opportunity to make some changes," says Tony.
'I've never given up on anything in my life and I'm not going to give up on this (council) until it's sorted.”
Tony says the council needs to run more like the business it is and he is looking forward to getting started and seeing what the job is all about.
He says the council is paying huge money just to cover its debt and if it was a normal business it would be bankrupt by now.
'It's time to stop this big flowery wish list and get things sorted.
'Rates are a big issue. The only income is rates and user pays and they've kept rates low to win votes. It's time to pay. We can't keep rates low with all the infrastructure going ahead.”
Tony won 10,268 votes, more than his three fellow at-large candidates, the re-elected Bill Faulkner, Murray Guy and Rick Curach.
Tony says he was surprised by the number of votes he received.
'I thought during the week that it was possibly not going to happen because of the low voting turn out.
'I guess I have lived in Tauranga all my life, I had my accident here and have my business here, it gave me a profile.
'Tauranga has said it wants some change and they saw me as a person or an opportunity to make that happen.”
Read the full Tauranga City Council election preliminary results here.
24 comments
Please, make it stop
Posted on 10-10-2010 13:02 | By DRich
What is this token personality-vote plonker on about? Our supposedly 'low' rates need to go up? Or infrastructure plans need to go down? Either way, chances of one cheery newbie politician making a dent in the formidable armour of council - nil.
Rates and the new Councillors
Posted on 10-10-2010 13:40 | By Pamaxx
Its great to see some new blood on council. Rates seem to be the emotional issue of the moment. Rather than increases or deductions in rates what I want to see is value for our rates dollar, whatever the amount. Hopefully this new council will be better at explaining the relative cost/value ratios of expenditure. Then we can all understand if they we are getting value for money. Max Lewis
Fresh thinking
Posted on 10-10-2010 14:07 | By maggiebop
Great to have Tony on Council. More change would have been even better but at least there are a few who will think for themselves. Just a pity it's not Tony for Mayor :)
Tony Christiansen & Rates
Posted on 10-10-2010 15:39 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Firstly congratulations Tony on becoming a TC Councillor. I would agree that Rates is the looming issue but please take note of the downturn of the economy and get realistic about what TCC is proposing to spend our rates on. Maybe even more user pays will be the way to go. poeple often feel agrieved that they have to support huge sports budgets around this city. Libraries should still be free for non-fiction though as learning and education need our full support for our younger students. No one will take kindly to a 20% hike in rates. So slash and burn. Get the projects bill down to a manageable level. I fought Council for three years to keep water meters out of this City. It would have saved over $20million by now!!!! Perhaps you could sell them all off and recoup thsi cost and go back to a Uniform Water change. Simpler and saves admin costs, maintenance changes and unfair billing. The difference between high and low users is not all that huge.
Rate Increases
Posted on 10-10-2010 16:23 | By Jitter
Come on Tony, neither the ratepayers nor the city can continue to sustain these massive rate hikes. It all comes down to peoples "ability to pay". If they don't have that then the city is in deep trouble. Projects should be essential jobs only not these fancy grandiose projects. Take action over the Art Gallery for starters. Ratepayers cannot continue to subsidise this business at $800,000 a year when it is losing $187,000 annually. This no way to run a business. Bring in a $5.00 entry charge. The same goes for the council overall. Demand a staff audit. With the majority of work contracted out how can a staff of 460 be justified. Private corporations who outsource so much work reduce their staff by 50% or more. Come on Tony let's see some action in the right direction. Don't join the Crosby "rat pack".
John Key's
Posted on 10-10-2010 16:37 | By Pamaxx
Interest paid on local bodies loans is an additional burden on rates. The proposed introduction of Prime Minister John Key's "Bond Bank", due to be implemented later in 2011 will provide lower interest rates on council loans, a welcome piece of good news for ratepayers. Watch the news media for progress through Parliament on this innovative financial instrument.
Grahame
Posted on 10-10-2010 16:49 | By whiskers
I do hope Tony has been misreported because it sounds to me like he all for pumping the rates up even more.The problem with this city and the way it has been run is that developers have either not paid their way when subdivisions have been developed or the money taken in fees has been squandered.One such recent case is the Mount Greens/Mount Cosmopolitan exercise where a huge sum of money has been spent all principally to rescue the club from going bankrupt. Despite the changes in this election we still have generally the same old faces who will diddle around as before.The time will come and for many that may not be too far away when they will not be able to afford to live in Tauranga.
water meters
Posted on 10-10-2010 17:38 | By tia
Mr Sanders, what planet are you on?? Perhaps you have been asleep for the last 8 years. Having water meters have saved the rate payers in excess of $40m in deferred capital and depreciation and loan charges and provided fairness of user pays. Don;t start that propaganda again because it is a lost cause and you are not being truthful to suggest $20m would have been saved by not having water meters. Plainly you want fixed income low users to subsidise the water wasters in this city.
RATES RISE AGAIN TO HARD!
Posted on 10-10-2010 19:39 | By megs
Tony As a young family with our own home we are already struggling withthe latest rates rise. I couldnt believe it when you said they have kept rates low to win votes when they have just gone up :0 Get rid of the wishlist and get back to basics!
dream on
Posted on 10-10-2010 20:26 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
well done tony getting on council,I have known you for around 40 years but afraid the air will all go to the top in your wheelchair if you support rate increases,they are unfair and unjust in many cases now. Get on with eliminating some wastage,sack some of the staff on over $100k then you will not have to increase rates. I pay over $7000 for a small industrial property at the mount,what do we get,3 toilets,in some cases tenants pay but they are already paying for there share at home.
Water Meters
Posted on 10-10-2010 20:44 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
Tia, thank you for your comment. Why not ask Council yourself just how much it cost initially to buy all the water meters and install them throughout the city. I think you will find that it amounted to significantly more than $10million plus annual admin and maintenance costs. The installation costs alone I estimate would have purchased around 10 water reservoirs. Then you could ask Council what are the costs to maintain all these TCC water meters over a 12 months period. I would say you need to ask just how many water meters have to be replaced because they are faulty, how many get repaired or replaced during their normal lifetime, what are the salaries costs associated with these, the purchase of parts and replacements, then the administration costs of mailing out the water bills. Then ask how much less this would be off our rates. The Water Action Group team investigated and found the real costs involved years ago and meters just did not stack up. And 70% of Tauranga turned out and voted - 67% of those people said NO to meters. Does that tell you something? I think you will find it costs around $500,000 per annum to maintain and administer all the water meters. There is no actual saving in water for these costs - which was the real reason we were told water meters would be installed. A water meter is only a water measuring device - it is of course the "drip" on the end of the tap who wastes water. One day I may seek to find out from Council what the recent water consumption is for this City, compared to what it was before water meters were installed. But then again I have other things to do with my life, now. But the Tauranga Council has to its credit put in more reservoirs which is a plank that was promoted by the Water Action Group years ago. This, more than anything, probably explains why we don't have to have water rationing now. And I am on the same planet as you Tia. We have to co-exist amicably! We can at least agree to disagree. And no I am not on a band wagon. I gave up politics about 8 years ago! Happily!
Higher Rates-Yeah Right!!
Posted on 10-10-2010 21:01 | By ROCKY
Tony first up congratulations on being elected as you seem at present(?) to have the right mindset to make a real difference.People certainly do want a change of direction but that clearly doesn't include ratcheting up rates to pay for past illconceived crazy overpriced failing 'wish lists' by some of your fellow councillor bozos sadly reelected on Saturday. For what we get Tauranga rates are not low & are being carelessly applied toward funding the wrong wasteful projects.Take heed.
I think I'm gonna spew
Posted on 10-10-2010 22:45 | By SpeakUp
The council is NOT a business, damnit! The council has a clear mandate to work for the community of ratepayers. "...they've kept rates low to win votes...It's time to pay...We can't keep rates low with all the infrastructure going ahead.” What are you on, mate? "...'Tauranga has said it wants some change and they saw me as a person or an opportunity to make that happen...." Well, looks like Tauranga stupidity gets what it deserves.
last man standing...
Posted on 10-10-2010 23:07 | By adyhutch
So rates are low are they? By the time you add up all the user pays that council keep introducing then I don't think so. Yes we are an expanding city that needs revenue to improve but not all at once. Rates are said to go up 19 per cent or so over the next three years on top the increases over the previous years (don't know the percentage) which is not sustainable for the average income earner, let alone the vast majority of residents. The only way forward is to improve wages before increasing rates anymore. The "well you expect to get paid less living here" mentality is no longer valid and unless things change the city will become only a haven for the wealthy business owners that can afford to be here! "Last man standing, please turn out the lights"
max
Posted on 11-10-2010 13:41 | By max
I wounder if Tony would of got so many votes, if he had made his view on rates known before the elections. That is one reason why there is such a small number of votes cast.IT was very hard to find out what new candidates views are. This is a general feeling with a lot of the general public.
Chance to clarify
Posted on 11-10-2010 14:46 | By tonychristiansen
Thank you all for your comments. I would like to make several clarifications. For starters, that 15-minute interview has been summarised into 150 words. I did say those words but I also said a lot more. However, only those words were quoted and they alone obviously mean what they seem to mean. Max, I did make my views known before the election. I just wish you had read those comments before this. I even wrote about them myself. My views on rates and non-essential services like TCAL, the upgrade to the Mount Hot Pools, the new Cosmopolitan club and the outdoor bowling green at Mount Maunganui have all been published in the media, my blog or in my Council Facebook page. I agree and I am FOR going back to basics. Speakup, you're right. Council is not a business. I never even said that it is. But running Council is like running a business. Any entity that has income and expenditure is LIKE a business. Any entity that employs staff is a business. And the basis of running a business is simply that expenditure must NOT exceed income. The problem that Council is facing at the moment is that its expenditure has exceeded income. The past Council had kept rates low RELATIVE to its expenditure. And its expenditure has been so high because of this wish-list that the past Councils had and consequently its involvement in non-essential services and commercial businesses like TCAL that continues to make big losses which are funded by ratepayers ie. YOU and ME! And it's now ***time to pay up for past Council's mistakes*** because this deficit really is OUR problem, isn't it? Council had a limited spend but it was spending money like it had a bottomless pocket of money. I am very interested to know what your thoughts are in overcoming this current problem because right now, the rates that we pay are financing the interest on that huge debt. And mind you, interest rates are more likely to keep going up, not down. So effectively, more and more of our money will go into financing this debt. This problem is not going to go away unless something changes. For starters, I am for selling off non-essential services and businesses that the Council has gotten involved with. I am looking forward to the appointment of a new CEO as I would really like an audit of Council's business. I am a ratepayer myself and each year, I pay thousands of dollars in rates. Do you honestly believe that I am for a further increase in rates? But lets be honest here. We are Council's only source of income. If the sale of non-essentials is not enough to reduce Council debt to a manageable level, what other alternative do you think Council has?
You asked for my thoughts
Posted on 12-10-2010 12:54 | By SpeakUp
Thank you for your comment. I think a good start would be something along the philosophy of the mayor of Doncaster/England. I would cut all salaries above 70K, reduce staff numbers (450 is not sustainable), discontinue council non-core spending, cut spending on core activities by application of stringent search for more cost effective alternatives (see City Strategic Partners without market competition) and stop further increase of debt. And maybe, maybe, keep the bigger picture in mind and gain some introspective into monetary policies, banking systems, currencies, world economy, resources etc. in order to be of any use to the people of Tauranga in what's unfolding. Cheers
Procurement efficiencies first
Posted on 13-10-2010 09:42 | By Murray.Guy
Procurement efficiencies first, saving 7-10% as identified by the independant expert employed by CEO Stephen Town earlier this year. Four weeks prior to the election the majority of Councillors refused to investigate an identified saving of $375,000 - $500,000 on the construction of the Arataki Community Centre (budget $2.75m) with no loss in outcome!
HOPE THATS CORRECT
Posted on 13-10-2010 14:17 | By ROCKY
TONY it was pleasing to see your explanation confirming your stance and restating your position taken pre election.You are correct rates are TCC prime source of revenue and expenditure must be met by income or else TCC will incur more capital debt.The answer is stop spending so all the best with your attempts(?) to convince the current crop of 'turkeys' on this point.Your summary of TCC failures is spot on so make sure you select the right CEO.
Good luck...
Posted on 16-10-2010 11:55 | By may-hem
I wish you good luck Tony...you'll certainly need it if you are going to go against the Crosby "ratpack"...tho I see two have been eliminated :) Hayden Evans spoke out against the "ratpack"...and lost his job. He was too honest, he found things that were going on that weren't 'above board". The Mayor certainly did his best to eliminate him from being re-elected. So your options are limited if you want to remain a councillor past the first term...be a 'yes man', or get the same treatment as Mr Evans. By the way, is the Council wheelchair "friendly"?
SPEAKUP IS COMING LATE ...
Posted on 21-10-2010 10:42 | By The Master
The TCC staff is over 550, "it is worse than you though Jim ...!"
MONEY WASTED
Posted on 21-10-2010 10:45 | By The Master
30% plus of rates goes to pay interest, so good luck reducing that, banks have a habit of mortgagee sales when they dont get paid. Only option to fend off that is to increase rates.
Rates Increases
Posted on 25-10-2010 13:45 | By Colleen Spiro
I am glad you justified you comments Tony, because I was gutted when I read your comments about rates..... Who was leading the "previous councils" Tony.... I have lived here all my life (we lived in the same street) and soon it will be a city where only the rich can live.
Is this thread still going?!
Posted on 25-10-2010 22:52 | By tonychristiansen
Well I must say I am quite surprised this is still going!! Kiaora2u, if you read an article published on the same day in BOPT, you will find in there that I was quoted saying the same words but it was published the way I meant it. TCC staff numbers whether 450 or 550, include those employed in non-essential services, some of which are commercial enterprises. These are supposed to be self-sufficient in addition to being good investments for the Council but they are neither. Instead they are making losses which are funded by the rates we pay. These are the interests which I believe Council needs to get out of. It is easy to blame the leader but we have a democratic system and every Council decision is made by a vote. Majority wins. That's just how it is. It is not one man's decision. I just hope that those of us who oppose the decisions made in the past now have strong enough a voice to challenge decisions in order to fix the damage that has been caused which we are now paying for. Master, hopefully the proceeds from the sale of these interests will go towards debt reduction. It will take time but a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. I can only promise that I won't give up, much like how I have always lived my life.
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