There was a warm and fuzzy group hug down at city hall last week as the three member councils of SmartGrowth got together on a meet and greet.

Tauranga City (TCC), Western Bay (WBOPDC) and the Regional Council Environment BOP (EBOP) got together in about 2002 to progress cooperative development principles that ensured all in the Western Bay region had a like minded view on where the region was headed to try and stop the tendency for different rules for different areas.
It's had some successes in parts and not in others, in my opinion. The SmartGrowth Committee is chaired by an independent consultant, Bill Wasley, and advised by consultant Ken Tremaine. Tauranga city is represented by Wayne Moultrie, David Stewart, Stuart Crosby, Western Bay by Ross Paterson, Sam Dunlop, Norm Bruning, three iwi representatives and EBOP by John Cronin, Jane Nees and Andrew von Dadelszen.
To the uninformed it might appear to be an expensive planner's dream.
With some justification, it has cost about $3 million with costs shared by Tauranga City Council, 42 per cent; EBOP, 42 per cent and WBOPDC, 16 per cent. On the other hand, there is no doubt the SmartGrowth model of spirit and cooperation so impressed the (previous) government it allowed access to the 'JOG” money of $150 million from government to help remedy our roading woes.

Prising open the government purse
However, actually getting our hands on the cash hasn't been as easy and prising the government purse open is another story - just like this government's promise of funding for the Hairini Link.
It's a timing thing, we are assured, and like Rachael's hair, it won't happen overnight but it will happen. On the downside, tightly controlling growth has had an effect on the cost of land, coupled with demands of the Resource Management Act (RMA) to provide quality infrastructure.
Wastewater treatment processes instead of septic tanks, high quality drinking water, storm water channelling, kerbing with quality sub divisional streets, landscaping and so on all cost heaps.
Light years from the barefields subdivisions of yesteryear where you could get a three per cent state advances loan, capitalise your child benefit and get into a three bedroom home on a quarter acre section for little or no money of your own – a dollar/pound down and a dollar/pound a week.
Septic tanks, storm water straight into the ground, some tar sealed streets, but no kerbs, galvanised water pipes – all basic stuff that has cost ensuing generations plenty to fix, but at least it got people into their own homes. And then planning allowed people to cut their quarter acre sections and suburban infill started. This had never been planned for in the original town planning concepts so, like Topsy, Tauranga just 'grewed”.

Future planning
SmartGrowth at least got some similarity going in future planning rules, got us access to government money and inter council cooperation but it's not helped in making land affordable. Statistics I heard recently show more young people staying at home with parents. A scary thought for some of us?

Super council?
Personally I think SmartGrowth is coming to its use-by date and individual council problems will need to be addressed individually - like West Bethlehem, which is 'unaffordable” to build in, with impact fees presently over $60,000. It's all intertwined with SmartGrowth, Regional Policy Statement (RPS) – which designates what growth and where – when you think about it. In my view the system is quietly, carefully and surreptitiously preparing the structure for a Bay super council, just like Auckland. The benefits will be more imagined than real, with smoke and mirrors, musical chairs and roundabouts being used to sell the concept, which is more about concentration of power and influence than any real benefits to the community – including non-existent cost savings.
As with the amalgamation/takeover of local government in 1989, it could cost us plenty. Tauranga city ratepayers significantly funded infrastructure at the Mount and Papamoa. In the case of a Bay super city this pattern will repeat itself as funding is directed 'where the need is greatest” and that won't be Tauranga city, in my opinion. Other possibilities hiding in the woodwork of central government at present are privatisation of council monopolies of water/wastewater. Both monopoly essential services that would present a one-off opportunity for capital injection for council debt repayment at the expense of ratepayer pillaging for eternity by the investment hawks who just love a non-competitive market place - like electricity. An air meter to charge for breathing is probably the only other money making venture they have yet to try to foist onto a long-suffering public.
So our group hug went well - good discussion and a spirit of cooperation that apparently doesn't come so easily elsewhere. The ability to agree to disagree and move on without recrimination is a good place to be, for the time being.

Making waves
The item last week on Baywave, Leisureco and TCAL (Tauranga City Aquatics) and the termination of Leisureco's management by TCAL has had developments with Leisureco in Australia being 'placed in administration” as a consequence of financial shortfalls (I'm not exactly sure of what that is in Australia). But TCAL's swift and decisive move was with the full knowledge of Leisureco before the event. Everything is running smoothly at the frontline and behind the scenes is being sorted out professionally.
Here's a little gem, adapted by me, to suit a local government scenario. A ratepayer funded laboratory at Chapel Street has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.
The new element, Councilenium (Cv) has one neutron, 10 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 358 deputy assistant neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 457. These 457 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since Councilenium has no electrons it is inert but it can be detected because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Councilenium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete.
Councilenium has a normal half-life of three years. It does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganisation in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact Councilenium's mass will actually increase over time since each reorganisation will cause more morons to become neutrons forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Councilenium is formed whenever morons reach a critical morass. When catalysed with money, Councilenium becomes Administratium, which radiates just as much energy as Councilenium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
My science teacher Fred Newton would be proud of my retention of what he taught all those years ago.