Inexperience and infrastructure costs blamed for local government dysfunction 4 Mar, 2021 11:55 PM 5 minutes to read Tauranga City Council mayor Tenby Powell in November last year. Photo / George Novak Rotorua Daily Post By: Natalie Akoorie A long-time councillor says inexperience, personality clashes and infrastructure costs are at the root of ongoing council infighting around the country, while a local government academic believes New Zealand's sector is unfit for purpose. It comes as Stuff reports Cabinet slashed a billion-dollar bail-out fund for water infrastructure by $239 million and as Wellington City Council backtracks on a proposal to sell-off part of the city's central library and cut its book budget by 40 percent.