Page 6 - Warwick Lampp News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

$220k referendum on Māori wards likely as petition achieves numbers 29 Jan, 2021 02:10 AM 4 minutes to read Concerned Citizens group member Ken Evans has been successful in gathering enough signatures to force a referendum on Māori wards. Photo / File A petition aimed at overturning a decision to establish a Māori ward in Tauranga has gained the numbers it needs. A referendum expected to cost ratepayers $220,000 is now expected to be held. In August, Tauranga City Council voted 6-4 to establish a Māori ward before the next council election in 2022. The petition sought to collect the supp...

Hobson Pledge's Don Brash to speak against Tauranga Māori wards 26 Jan, 2021 06:29 PM 5 minutes to read Hobson's Pledge spokesman Don Brash will speak at a public meeting in Tauranga on Friday, despite resistance from some parts of the community. Photo / File A Tauranga meeting with Hobson's Pledge spokesman Don Brash as one of the headline speakers has been organised in a bid to gather more signatures for a petition against Māori wards. However, the meeting on Friday could face opposition from protesters as resistance to the petition swells. The public meeting is expect...

'I'm moving on': Why Heidi Hughes quit Tauranga City Council 22 Dec, 2020 05:00 AM 4 minutes to read A third Tauranga City Council elected representative has resigned in as many months, with the aim of avoiding a "fiasco" byelection before a commission is installed next year. Following Heidi Hughes' resignation today, the byelection has been postponed until next year, but was expected to be cancelled by the appointment of commissioners before the nomination period ended. Hughes told the Bay of Plenty Times the main reason she resigned was to avoid a messy and confusing byele...

Byelection postponed after Tauranga councillor Heidi Hughes quits in 'selfless' move 21 Dec, 2020 10:17 PM 2 minutes to read Tauranga City councillor Heidi Hughes has resigned in the hope of avoiding an expensive byelection that was set to run even with a commission due to replace the council in the new year. Acting Tauranga mayor Tina Salisbury said Hughes had resigned this morning, effective immediately. Salisbury said Hughes' decision was "selfless". The decision followed advice that another resignation was the only way to delay the in-progress byelection, apart from all nominated candidat...

Tauranga by-election: Councillors plan to stand for mayor as another considers quitting 21 Dec, 2020 06:00 PM 5 minutes to read Uncertainty clouds the Tauranga by-election with two councillors indicating mayoral runs and a third considering resigning - an act that could delay the by-election. This follows Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta's confirmation on Friday she would appoint a commission to Tauranga City Council in the new year, which would see the nine elected members replaced with an unknown number of Government-appointed commissioners. Mahuta said the commissi...