Latest news with #Tauranga
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Tauranga's rates hike approved amid protest
Some of the 60 people that gathered outside the Tauranga City Council building to protest the 9.9 percent rates increase on Thursday morning. Photo: LDR/Supplied Tauranga homeowners will pay an extra $180 to $1124 in rates for 2025 after the council approved its budget. Tauranga City Council adopted the 2025/26 Annual Plan at a meeting on Thursday with a 9.9 percent overall rates increase. About 60 people gathered before the meeting to protest the rates increase. It was the second rally organised by Jan Gyenge. In May, around 250 people marched down Devonport Rd calling for a 0 percent rates increase for 2025. Gyenge said Thursday's rally was to let the councillors know people were still not happy with the 9.9 percent rates increase, given it was nowhere near the 0 percent they called for. Tauranga resident Jan Gyenge spoke in the public forum against the 9.9 percent rates increase. Photo: LDR/Alisha Evans There would be another protest at midday Sunday outside the council building at 90 Devonport Rd, she said. The 9.9 percent increase was down from the 12.5 percent initially proposed. Gyenge and three others spoke in the public forum asking the council to reduce the rates. Gyenge's request to speak at Wednesday's meeting was initially declined because the council said her perspective had been heard before, but it had a last-minute change of heart. She asked the councillors to "stop the wastage". Gyenge talked about the council's spending and chastised it for a planned playground opening event in Bethlehem, with free food and face-painting. "It's a little amount, relatively, but these little amounts add up. This expenditure has to stop." Tauranga mayor Mahé Drysdale. Photo: LDR/David Hall Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the council took more than $30 million out of its operating budget to get to the 9.9 percent increase. This included cutting 98 staff , with more likely still to come as the council underwent a management review. Drysdale said there was a lot of work to do in Tauranga after "chronic underinvestment" in facilities and infrastructure. "We do understand the tough financial position a number of households find themselves in. This [annual plan] strikes a good balance of keeping the investment in our city for what we need for the future while making it as affordable as possible." Councillor Rick Curach said the council had a big job ahead to look for further savings, but he was confident they could reduce the forecasted rates in the 10-year plan. Rates increases were not in line with people's wage increases, and many in the community found it "increasingly difficult" to afford them, he said. "I look forward to finding more and more savings and not having such a huge cost on our community." Ōtūmoetai ward councillor Glen Crowther. Photo: LDR/David Hall Councillor Glen Crowther said he would support the Annual Plan, but the council had to deliver a lower rates increase next year. It also needed to look at its capital projects and reorganise them to "lock in some affordability", he saidm and figure out what the public could afford and come up with a plan that met those requirements. "We are here to serve the public. We are not here to deliver a plan." Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said people wanted new playgrounds, sports fields and facilities, but the council needed to understand how to get more value from its "significant expenditure". Deputy mayor Jen Scoular. Photo: LDR/David Hall Drysdale said they were approving a budget by adopting the Annual Plan but that did not mean they needed to spend it all. "We want to find every saving that we can, and I think there's big opportunities to continue to save money." The council could deliver the same assets for significantly less money if it looked at its processes and did things differently, he said. "This is setting a budget\ - now the real hard work starts as we try to deliver under that budget." Residential rates rises by property capital value in the Annual Plan 2025/26: - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Nga Tohu Toi Awards
te ao Maori arts 10:07 am today Matariki is already off to a celebatory start there with the Nga Tohu Toi Awards held last night. The awards honour the exceptional contributions of Maori artists who whakapapa to Tauranga Moana.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
East Coast's Pekatahi Bridge worse than Third World
WozHiab transportation operator Warren Sherborne says deck conditions of the Pekatahi Bridge are shaking his loads to bits regardless of how slowly he drives. Photo: Troy Baker Eastern Bay transportation operators are "ropable" about the surface of the Pekatahi Bridge. The 100-year-old, single-lane bridge is on the main State Highway 2 route between the Port of Tauranga and the East Coast and Gisborne. Warren Sherborne who operates WozHiab says the condition of the bridge has become "critical" despite frequent closures for works. "They keep on shutting this bridge down but make no improvement," he said. Sherborne frequently transports portable buildings to Ōpōtiki and the East Coast. "It's like sending your little transportable home through an earthquake. It's just ridiculous. "They're quite fragile," he said of some of his loads. "The bridge is rattling the absolute living crap out of them. We're idling across the bridge in the lowest gear, taking up many phases [of the traffic lights] because we're trying to look after our loads." Having operated the business for five-and-a-half-years, he said he had never seen the bridge in a worse state than now. "At the moment this is just insane. Their latest bridge shuts [during April] have been pointless. The boards are indented now." He expressed fears for the safety of loads. "What if one of our loads was dislodged and came off after that bridge in transit and hurt someone?" He also feared for the effect heavy vehicles vibrating across bumps on the bridge would have on the foundations, likening it to a 40 tonne plate compactor going across the bridge. He said he was reporting the issue to the road transport forum Ia Ara Aotearoa - Transporting New Zealand, of which he is a member. The asphalt over wooden boards on the deck of the Pekatahi Bridge begins to deteriorate within days of undergoing repairs Photo: Troy Baker Robert Monk, from Robert Monk Transport which he said was carting as many as 30 loads a day of export kiwifruit from the Eastern Bay to the Tauranga port, said the bridge deck had gone "beyond a joke". "We're getting shook to pieces on that bridge even though the guys are going slow." He had just pulled a stainless steel screw out of one of his truck's tyres yesterday which he said was just the most recent of many. Recently, he had to pay $1200 for a call out when one of his trucks had a flat tyre from one of the screws. "I'm only a little company but I pay in excess of $1.5 million a year in road users' tax. It's unacceptable. "I'm just ropable. It's costing us a lot of money, and a lot of other transport operators. This stainless steal screw head Robert Monk pulled from one of his truck tyres on Thursday morning is just the latest of many. Photo: Supplied "It is a disgrace," he said. "The roads I travel on, when in the Philippines, are far superior to this, and the Philippines is a so-called Third World country. What does that say about New Zealand?" New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has said Pekatahi Bridge is not on its End of Life Bridge Register for replacement because the timber and steel sub-structure was in good condition. Design work was underway for a full deck replacement. However, construction was subject to funding and the existing 2024-27 National Land Transport Plan budget was currently oversubscribed. Bridge replacements were prioritised according to the age and condition of the bridge and suitability for current traffic volumes. Pekatahi Bridge did not rate as highly as similar bridges across New Zealand. NZTA planned to shut the bridge for further repairs during the upcoming school holidays, between 30 June and 4 July. Dom Kalasih, chief executive of industry association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand, told the Beacon the industry had real concerns about how works were being carried out on the bridge. Every repair done to date lasted only a matter of days before it started to fail again and in only a matter of weeks it was as bad as it was before, he said. Doing this several times a year looks like false economy, not to mention the additional freight costs related to the detour are in the order of $100,000 every day. "On average it serves over 10,000 vehicles every day, of which typically nearly 1000 each day are trucks moving goods and freight. The communities are heavily reliant on this connection and for NZTA to think that just because there's a 20-minute detour available this is no longer seen as a priority is incredibly difficult to fathom. "NZTA's new approach is not what our country needs, particularly when productivity improvements are so important to our economy's recovery." A heavy vehicle bumping its way across the Pekatahi Bridge surface on Wednesday. Photo: Troy Baker East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick agreed the situation was "deeply frustrating for everyone". "I met with NZTA about this on Tuesday and learned there were three areas they were working on." Short term these were regular maintenance each school holidays to maintain the surface. In the medium term, deck replacement. Longer term, assessing the future of the bridge alongside the necessity for a second Whakatane crossing via the 2027 Regional and National Land Transport Plans. "I impressed upon NZTA the need to evaluate whether spending $12-$14 million on resurfacing the bridge is really the most cost-effective option when it will still leave a one-lane bridge with complicated surface requirements as the main heavy traffic and regional traffic route through the district. "Surely it is time to re-assess a number of components, heavy traffic requirements, the combined councils' spatial and growth planning, which will see this route used more and more, the need to plan and prepare for a new roading project for Whakatane before the traffic volumes reach a stand still, and the economic viability of the region and those of its neighbouring regions who use this route to transport export product to the Port of Tauranga and around the North Island. "As an example you only need to travel the Waioeka Gorge a few times as I do, to realise the amount of heavy traffic travelling north from Gisborne for stock, Leaderbrand vegetables, citrus, products and services to understand the necessity of this piece of infrastructure." "I am determined to keep pushing on these issues - I want people to keep sending me stories and photos. I forward them all to NZTA and it really is making a difference." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Fast Favourites: Matariki celebrations with Ria Hall
To celebrate Matariki, singer-songwriter, TV presenter and political candidate Ria Hall will be on stage with the Auckand Philharmonia to present a night of epic anthems. Her self-titled EP won Best Maori album at the music awards in 2012 - blending hip hop beats with rich layers of Te Reo and English. She has since released two more albums - Rules of Engagement and Manawa Wera and has collaborated with many of Aotearoa's leading musicians. Last year she ran for Mayor of Tauranga - where she was born and raised. Ria Hall joins Culture 101 as the Fast Favourites guest.
RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Stu Wilson remembered: All Blacks star farewelled at funeral
Stu Wilson during his time as a rugby commentator for Sky Sport Photo: Photosport Former All Blacks captain Stu Wilson had an energy that made him unforgettable, mourners were told at his Tauranga funeral. All Blacks teammates joined family and friends at the service at Bethlehem Baptist Church this afternoon. Wilson, 70, died peacefully in his sleep at his home last weekend. Mourners heard of a vibrant personality, who had an innate ability to connect with people, as well as reaching the top of the rugby world, with his extraordinary ability as a player. He played 34 tests for the All Blacks, with 85 games in all for the national side, scoring 50 tries, 19 of them in tests. He also played 89 matches for Wellington, forging a dynamic partnership with fellow winger Bernie Fraser. Daughters Kristy and Livvy, New Zealand Rugby president Matthew Cooper and former Wellington and All Blacks teammate Murray Mexted were among the speakers at the service. A family eulogy detailed a sporting career, with a young Wilson excelling in several sports, including rugby, cricket, golf and athletics. He was born in Gore, but raised mostly in Wairarapa. In form two at Masterton Intermediate, he took part in the Wellington regional athletics champs, winning five titles - the 100m, 200m, 800m, high jump and long jump. After leaving school, he tossed up between cricket and rugby as his main sport, choosing the latter. Cooper, who also played for the All Blacks eight years after Wilson's retirement in 1984, recalled watching him play for Wellington College Old Boys in the 1970s, saying he was like a ''puppet master at the fair". Stu Wilson played 34 tests for the All Blacks, scoring 19 tries. Photo: photosport "They only needed a forward pack, a first-five and a halfback and Stu Wilson, and still would have cleaned up.'' Wilson was the "best rugby player on the planet'' in his prime, Cooper said. "Beyond the statistics, beyond the commentary, beyond the tries and many highlights, Stu carried an energy that made him unforgettable. His half-glass-full personality, always with a smile, always bringing joy, was as much a part of his legacy as his talent as a rugby player." Mexted said he had been good mates with Wilson for 50 years. On the rugby field, Wilson had a great feel for the game. "He was an international rugby star and, as the years go by, we tend to forget about how good players were, but I will never forget how good Stu was. "What I loved about him too was how much he appreciated people and how good he was to people that felt uncomfortable, and I saw examples of that throughout my years with him." He said he had a coffee with Wilson the day before his death. "He was so full of life, and he had this smile on his face and he had no inclination he was about to pass." The family eulogy emphasised his ability to connect with and help people, with plenty of mentions of his recent job as an orderly at Tauranga Hospital. "He will be admired for his talent, humour, humility and kindness. His big laugh, the glint in his eye, his fast stride and his constant smile.'' Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
