Ian McLean Spokesperson for the Green Party

Hopefully, you noticed we just had local body elections. Participation in voting was at an all-time low, public meetings were ignored by voters, and engagement with issues was superficial at best.

The main issues raised for Tauranga City were city council debt, the demise of the CBD, and sirens at Papamoa (that is noise-making sirens). The many challenges to our environment barely rated a mention; and the election of regional councillors was a damp squib.

Here are some thoughts on the issues raised.

On debt, the people elected three years ago to get debt under control assured us it was all 'good” debt, because it was an investment in our future. Nobody discussed the opportunity cost, such as what we don't do because $80,000 per day goes straight to the banks in interest charges.

For example, recently, Tauranga City Council refused to fund Summerfest in preference to supporting the battle of Gate Pa historical celebrations. One day's worth of interest charges would have funded both.

Festivals and other events that attract people downtown were a key platform for several candidates as their solution to reviving the CBD. Sadly, infrastructure was more important for the previous council, and they've paid the price for promoting services over a city with soul.

Tauranga has an obsession, pushed by SmartGrowth and certain developers, with on-going development on the fringes. Incentivising conversion of commercial property into residential in the CBD would solve the two problems of failing shops and empty office/retail space, while supporting the compact city promoted in the city plan.

The curious thing about sirens along the beach is the tsunami risk has not changed since Papamoa was subdivided. However, the perception of risk has changed due to television reporting of tsunami in Bali and Japan. The risk of storm surge from tropical cyclones is increasing due to global warming, but sirens are not needed for such events.

Efficient, safe and public transport systems usually feature during elections, but barely emerged as an issue this time round. Incumbents maintained the tired and irresponsible theme that painting lines onto busy roads creates effective cycleways.

Genuinely sustainable improvements were not discussed, such as one-way roads, in order to generate better traffic flow and free up space for safe bus and bike lanes.

The Tauranga Mayor defended debt strongly during the campaign. But he had a scare, and is already shifting ground towards debt intervention. The new councillors will no doubt bring many new ideas to the table, some of which will hopefully create a more sustainable and vibrant city that focusses on quality of life for those who already live here.

Congratulations to all elected members. We wish them all the best for the challenges ahead.