Matt Cowley Tauranga City Councillor

During the local body elections, you would have heard a lot of people talking about creating a vibrant city. But what does it mean?

This week, the new council started to translate what we consider a vibrant city to mean in the real world. In the back of my mind is Tauranga's age-friendly strategy. It aspires to bring people of all ages together. It promotes active lifestyles and improving accessibility for everyone. I believe council's decisions this week make progress towards the strategy, as well as promoting the city's vibrancy.

On Tuesday, we were presented with petitions both for and against banning cyclists on the beautiful Harbour Drive foreshore at Otumoetai. After listening to both sides, we agreed to change the rules to enable both walking and cycling on the same path. Users need to ‘share with care'. The $21,000 required to widen the path will be in TCC's draft annual plan for your feedback.

The proposal to sell the Phoenix carpark on Mount Mainstreet to a developer to reduce debt has been stopped. The numbers didn't stack up, meaning the community would lose an important asset for no benefit. But we've agreed to ask for your thoughts on converting the front carpark into a people-friendly urban park. The urban park would be funded by development contributions that council has already collected.

Then there is the taboo subject of alcohol. Walk down the Strand at 5pm on a Friday, and you'll see a lively and fun atmosphere. But alcohol becomes a problem when it is abused. This week we accepted the local alcohol policy, as proposed by the previous council. Any changes would have required starting the long process over again. We need to work with the police, health officials and the hospitality/retail sector to monitor progress so we have better information when the policy is next reviewed.

The Tauranga Art Gallery Trust wants to establish an endowment fund to be more self-sufficient. Council has agreed to transfer $100,000 of the trust's own funds to a separate endowment trust, subject to various conditions.

A vibrant city means different things to different people. Sometimes, it requires council to intervene. Other times, it requires council to get out of the way. Building Tauranga's vibrancy will be a tightrope walk for the new council – as the two key election issues were managing TCC debt and retaining our young people. We need your help to get the balance right.