Christina Persico05:00, May 07 2021
Christina Persico/Stuff
The tide has yet to turn in favour of water meters in New Plymouth. On day three of the New Plymouth District Council hearings on its draft $3 billion 10-year spending plan, there was little support for one of the most controversial ideas – the introduction of water meters to 26,000 homes. If approved, the $18 million installation job would start in July. Real bills won’t start arriving for a year, with residents only receiving mock bills while they get used to having to watch their water use.
SIMON O CONNOR/STUFF/Stuff
Greg Mackay unsuccessfully stood for the New Plymouth mayoralty in 2019. On Thursday he took councillors to task over a proposal to install water meters.
Taranaki Regional Council votes for Māori seat
7 Apr, 2021 01:39 AM
4 minutes to read
The vote was 9-2 in favour of including a Māori seat.
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By: Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter
Taranaki Regional Council has voted to include a Māori seat in next year s local government elections.
Councillors voted 9-2 in favour after hearing submissions on the proposed constituency for voters on the Māori electoral roll.
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All eight iwi in Taranaki supported the Māori constituency, although many said it was an imperfect solution to increasing Māori participation in decision-making.
Council chairman David MacLeod said there was no other way to guarantee Māori representation with full voting rights at the council table.