The shocking resignation of the mayor of Tauranga: Tenby Powell calls on the government to intervene

Tauranga City Council Mayor Tenby Powell resigned after the Council voted to bring in a Crown manager after conflict and dysfunction among elected members.

Powell resigned today in a speech to a public meeting and called on commissioners to replace the council, an option local government minister Nanaia Mahuta has since said she is considering.

Powell’s announcement was immediately greeted with applause from Councilman John Robson.

“I will not stand up and review a team report, I have asked the Minister of Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta, to consider the appointment of commissioners,” Powell said to applause.

“The future of Tauranga as a strategically important city for New Zealand cannot be left in the hands of a small group of petty politicians who have a long record of hindering, or worse, stopping progress.

“I hope that history shows that in November 2020, the DNA of incompetence among the elected members of the TCC was recognized and cauterized and after a period of the crown management can rebuild a government team with real leaders.”

In closing, Powell took the opportunity to thank his colleagues, in particular Deputy Mayor Tina Sailsbury and Councilors Heidi Hughes and Larry Baldock.

“I also want to convey our appreciation to the community for the overwhelming support Sharon and I have had,” Powell said in a shaky voice.

“We are inundated with cards, emails and messages of goodwill and that fills us with humility.”

Powell made one thing clear before he stopped talking: “My decision to quit is not about my cancer.”

Earlier in the month, the mayor announced that he would take medical leave at the end of November to receive treatment and recovery from prostate cancer.

“Until last Tuesday’s meeting I had every intention of returning to my place of service to the city for the remainder of the current term, however, I have come to the conclusion that it will only perpetuate the status quo.”

“It is my great hope that my resignation will facilitate government intervention and I believe it is necessary for the future good of Tauranga Moana.

“It has been a privilege to serve all of you and the city. Kia ora.”

Outside the council chamber, Powell said in hindsight that it should have slowed things down.

“I came in with an entrepreneurial attitude, I wanted to do things but the local government operates at a glacial level.”

However, he did not think that the results would necessarily have been different “and I do not think that the relationships have necessarily changed.”

He said there had been strong resistance towards him during the election campaign and that some of those who opposed him were now sitting around the council table.

“It was not the normal level of resistance, as many people told me at the time.
“There was hatred at the beginning and to be honest it has been difficult to deal with.

He described the relationships on the council as incredibly conflictive.

“However, we have made real decisions. We have kept pace.”

He highlighted the attraction of $ 900 million in government investment in the area as an important achievement.

The council has also improved relations with the central government “from a zero base”, which would be a good position for the city in the future, he said.

“Of course, part of that is developing relationships with iwi, who, as I said today, are critically important to moving this city forward.

“We need them not just as partners to the Treaty, but we need them as our partner in the city where we live.

“The iwi are represented, they will soon be around 20 percent of the population, and yet they don’t have the right voice on issues that are critical for the city, for all of us.”

Before announcing his resignation, he highlighted the serious problems facing the city.

Tauranga was one of the fifth largest and fastest growing cities in New Zealand, but it was in a desperate position in terms of infrastructure, housing and social amenities, “Powell said.

“If we are constantly surrounded by little thinkers, living in shallow silos and constantly operating in a self-protective, or even self-interested mode, the role of running a city … would inevitably be demanding and challenging.

“In my experience, it has been devastating.

“Tuesday’s council meeting, where six councilors voted to leave the review and enforcement report on the table, highlights the inability of this council to adequately govern the city and meet its strategic needs.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we need to invest $ 4.3 billion in infrastructure over the next 10 years, and while this council recognizes that we cannot pay half of that sum, six of their advisers don’t have the moral courage and say ‘let’s change the way we behave and change the course of history. Let’s take Tauranga strategically into the future, ‘”he said.

In the words of motivational speaker Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. The people you spend the most time with shape you. They determine which conversations dominate your attention and unless you are strong and resilient Eventually, you will start to think and behave like them. “

He added: “It’s called groupthink and it’s very, very dangerous.”

EARLIER:

His resignation came after a councilman issued a tearful condemnation to a colleague.

Councilmember Heidi Hughes said she wanted to respond to comments made about Councilor Andrew Hollis by members of the public earlier in the meeting.

“I apologize for not speaking earlier. I have not spoken because, if I’m honest, it’s because I’m not willing to attract the kind of dark vitriol into my community world that supports their ideology,” Hughes said, her voice choking.

“I hereby lift my silence and publicly condemn the brazen rejection of the Waitangi Treaty and the continuing destructive comments by this counselor on social media.”

As he struggled to be on a team with someone with his views, he said he could keep trying to work with “whoever democracy brings me together.”

Hollis said she would have liked to have the conversation with Hughes before the meeting.

Elected members are discussing how to respond to a scathing independent report that recommended seeking help from the government.

The report, which was presented to the council earlier this week, refers to internal turmoil by elected members effectively preventing the council from properly governing.

The report was produced by a three-person review and observation team, chaired by Peter Winder. The team joined on September 2 to observe interactions by and between elected members following the escalation of tension and conflict earlier this year.

The report listed several concerns, including allegations of “settling scores and a reported eruption in which elected members suggested resolving their differences outside of the council chamber through physical violence.”

The report also referred to a “significant number of requests for the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act from elected members or, in one case, from an attorney acting on behalf of an elected member.”

“Some requests appear to be designed to identify ways to undermine individuals or relationships, rather than address board business.”

The team, through the report, recommended that the council ask the Minister of Local Government for help by calling for a Crown administrator and observer to be appointed.

Winder addressed the elected members this morning to answer questions before elected members vote on whether to accept the recommendation or try to solve their own problems, which was not recommended.

Councilwoman Dawn Kiddie asked Winder if the prospective Crown manager would have the power to override decisions made by elected members.

He replied that they would.

Councilman Steve Morris questioned whether Winder would exclude himself from the possible Crown manager position.

Winder said he hadn’t considered taking on the role and doubted his intention, but he didn’t rule it out.

Mayor Tenby Powell said the behavior of some elected members Tuesday exemplified the same problems highlighted in the report.

“The three members of the Observation and Review Team … it was humbling for them to be questioned in a way that reflected that report in almost every respect. It was off-topic, full of minutiae, unrelated details.”

“They were personally accused of mistakes.

“It was mortifying. It highlights in all respects that, in my opinion, this council really has a limited capacity, at best, to develop the Long-Term Plan necessary for a city of the size and complexity of Tauranga.

“While I support him [recommendation]”I think we need commissioners in the city of Tauranga,” Powell said.

Councilmember Steve Morris said the Minister of Local Government had the opportunity to call a general election.

“Unfortunately, I think there would be a lack of support around the table and I think there is actually a lack of support from the Minister to do so, but it comes from the beginning of, I think people should decide who runs Tauranga, not the Beehive and so on. I prefer elections. generals to commissioners.

He said that the product had not met the packaging in terms of what was promised during the election and what was delivered.

“The packaging collectively promised something: the product is something different and therefore the community has the right to a replacement, and it should be their decision.”

Council Member Andrew Hollis said accepting the recommendation was not the only solution for elected members who were considering supporting it. There was also the option to resign, he said.

Hollis said voting in support of the recommendation was a “weak and cowardly decision and unlikely to solve the alleged problem.”

“Bad behavior is no reason for the government to take care of it.”

Councilman Bill Grainger said the decision was one of the most difficult he had to make and that he had been up late the night before still trying to decide “which direction to lean on.”

“I’ve had people call me and say ‘I voted for you, not for a coach.’ I feel like I’m betraying those votes to get a coach. My decision is difficult, as difficult as it is, I will support having a Manager of the crown “.