Straight from city council A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris

In 2018, political donations from property developers and their associates were made illegal in Queensland as part of an effort to improve transparency and restore public confidence in local government. Receiving or giving a donation can be punished by up to two years' imprisonment.

It's legal in Tauranga - property developers have been regular contributors to favoured candidates in both council and government elections, as evidenced by donations declared by the candidates themselves.

From Australia to the US, several states and cities have banned such donations because of concerns about perceived conflicts of interest. A council has the power to make a landowner incredibly rich overnight by rezoning land or favouring a particular development proposal.

Developers have been accorded ‘key stakeholder' status by Nanaia Mahuta's advisors. It comes as no surprise that some lobbied to replace councillors with commissioners that have been instructed to fulfil government's growth agenda.

They also lobbied councillors when council decided to replace Larry Baldock as Deputy Mayor and it looked as though he was going to be replaced by John Robson, a staunch advocate that growth (and developers) should pay for growth rather than existing residential ratepayers.

A letter from the newly formed ‘UTF – Urban Taskforce for Tauranga', made up of property developers, to a prospective member (asked to contribute $2,500 - $5,000), was leaked by the concerned individual.

The group was formed to address Tauranga's ‘leadership vacuum' (which, arguably, some of their members helped create!) and lobby both commissioners and government to support growth. Read the letter from UTF in full here: www.facebook.com/SteveMorrisTauranga

Who stands for the residential ratepayers these days?