Mahe Drysdale: Tauranga mayor on the Government beginning negotiations for regional deals with local councils

Tauranga's mayor says the region wants certainty - as a deal with the Government inches closer.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop's confirmed talks are progressing on 10-year Government partnerships for housing, developments, and assets.

Auckland, Otago-Central Lakes district, and Western Bay of Plenty are the first areas.

Tauranga's Mahe Drysdale says they want new tools to help with infrastructure.

"So we can deliver the houses, we can deliver the infrastructure that's required to get those houses, we can deliver jobs and we can deliver the economic growth that the Government keeps talking about."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The city and regional deals that the government has been
banging on are about a one step closer to reality.
Three regions have now signed MoU with the government. One
is the Western Bay of Plenty including Todung and Todung
is me and my head Drysdale is with us.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now, hey maham, Good evening, Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
This MoU is basically where you start the negotiations, isn't.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
It It is so it's been a long process to
get to hear, but no, it's now time to sit
down at the table and start the real work.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
What do you want to get out of it?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
We want certainty, you know around investment into our region.
We want some new tools to be able to help
us with our infrastructure and unlock some of the infrastructure
so we can deliver the houses. We can deliver the
infrastructure that's required to get those houses, we can deliver jobs,

(00:48):
and we can deliver the economic growth that the government
keeps talking about.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
When you say tools, you mean money.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
It's well, it is money ultimately, but it's how we
can get that money, and that's what we're How.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Do you get that money? Don't they just give you
the money?

Speaker 2 (01:06):
No, it's you know, it's I guess it's one of
those things that as a negotiation they've said there's no
extra extra money on the table, but it's sharing in
some of the good parts of growth. And you know,
for example, we build infrastructure and two thousand houses, we

(01:26):
get a big debt on our balance sheet and that
gets paid off over the next ten to twenty years
through development contributions and the government get or the GST
and the income tax of us delivering that growth. So
it's just you know, a little bit more of a
two way street that they help us with some of
that growth through what they're getting from us delivering that growth.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Okay, and how long do you imagine this will take?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Oh, look, they've said they want the first deal by
the end of a year. I guess we feel like
we're in a pretty good position and the fact that
we don't have election. The other two regions have an
election to navigate through October, so that's going to be
pretty hard to negotiate. So we're hopeful that we might
be first and we'll be have a deal by the
end of the year.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Listen, mahe can I ask you is it okay? I mean,
can you really tell me it's a chill thing to
do to put up your rates by ten percent when
you guys have just signed a lease for like, what
is it, ninety two million dollars for a council building.
That's big, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Yeah, look at this, this is a something that keeps
coming up. Look, at the end of the day, we
need a place to to lease. We were leasing other
buildings up until now. You know, this wasn't a decision
we made, but it's it is.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
A decisions.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
The commissioners that they signed the lease in about twenty
twenty one.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
We can't undo it.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh no, not at all. It's it was done and
dusted by the time we got there. But you know,
at the end of the day, it's not that much
more expensive than the three buildings we're leasing around town
to house our staff. You know, council has to how's
this stuff? And you know, it's been great to have
the community come through and we've been leading tours. We'll

(03:10):
do more tours next week, you know, getting people through,
they can see the working environment. It's not any different
to most of the other offices. But yeah, it is.
I see where it is. We're for timing and the
look of it.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, I'm glad you can see that my hair. Thank you,
look after yourself my head. Risdale's turning a mayor.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allan Drive. Listen live to
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Speaker 1 (03:32):
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