Hoardings for the first local body elections in Tauranga in four years. Photo: RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
There are just under two days left for Tauranga residents to vote in their first council elections in four years.
Those who have not yet voted have until noon on Saturday, but for those who are yet to register, Friday is the last day to enrol.
Alisha Evans - the Local Democracy Reporter for the Bay of Plenty, who is based in Tauranga with Sunlive - has been covering the election for the past month.
She told Nights' Todd Zaner that as of Wednesday, voter turnout was 23 percent.
"Although that sounds low, it is actually better than previous years. The council's really hoping that a lot more people get on board and vote, in what some are saying is the most important election we've had in a long time."
The last council was sacked by then-local government minister Nanaia Mahuta in February 2021 and replaced with commissioners after a public breakdown of relations between elected members.
Residents spoken to by Evans had mixed feelings about the elections, she said.
"There are some people who are very strongly supportive of what they say is democracy returning to Tauranga, and ... they're looking forward to getting their vote in there and they want to have elected representatives back.
"Then there is another group of people that I would say are a little bit nervous, as they've been quite supportive of what the commissioners have done, and the projects they've either started or completed ... and they just don't want to see the city slide backwards into that place ... where not a lot was happening and that was the whole reason the commissioners got involved.
"There's a bit of a divided community, to be honest."
A major focus for the candidates had been the city's 10-year plan approved by the commissioners just before the end of their tenure, which would see nearly $5 billion of spending over a decade, she said.
All of the mayoral candidates have said they would amend the plan, though most were supportive of some projects, including the new aquatic centre.
"These are the things the commissioners were told they needed to address because there had been such an underinvestment [in infrastructure] for the last 20 years.
"Part of the community really wants those things to go ahead but ... the plan is really a sticking point, because it is a lot of money and ratepayers are just wondering how the city is going to be able to afford it."
The city had expanded rapidly in the past 20 years, she said.
"There has been a lot of urban sprawl - the city's just grown and grown and grown."
In terms of the mayoral race - which included big names such as former Olympic rower Mahé Drysdale and singer-songwriter Ria Hall - what was her prediction?
"It's really hard to say. Name recognition does mean a lot to people - but... I'm really looking forward to seeing how the city votes."
Asked about Drysdale's chances, considering he lives 100km away in Cambridge, Evans said this topic had reared its head in a number of candidate debates.
"He does work in Tauranga two days a week as financial adviser ... but I think there are a few residents who are concerned their mayor might not live in their city.
"But Mahé has said he would revisit it at the end of the year and contemplate moving here if he were to be successful."
The unofficial mascot of the Bay of Plenty Steamers, Hori BOP, had told Evans he was running because the region needed a sports stadium and she said he wore its colours "with pride" at every candidate meeting.
This Tauranga election was also notable because - for the first time in New Zealand - those elected would be in office for a four-year term, as the city was out of synch with other local body elections.
Evans said Local Government NZ president Sam Broughton had described it as a "test case" for longer council terms, and whether they might bring greater efficiencies.
Would locals miss the commissioners?
"People want democracy back, but a lot of them appreciate the progress that has been made and they don't want that to stop and for Tauranga to become a stale place where nothing is really happening.
"And then others really want that democracy back... [saying] we need to have elected representatives advocating for the city."
The election - which was being conducted under the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system - would see a progress result declared some time after 3pm on Saturday. On Sunday, the preliminary result would be announced, with the final, official declaration on Thursday 25 July.
