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Council-controlled organisations

A Council-controlled organisation (CCO) is an organisation in which the council controls 50% or more of the votes or has the right to appoint 50% or more of the directors or trustees.

Council and its CCOs work in partnership to successfully deliver quality outcomes for our community and contribute to Tauranga Moana becoming a vibrant city that attracts businesses, people and visitors, is well planned, connected and inclusive.    

Our CCOs deliver a range of great offerings for Tauranga’s residents and visitors, including leisure, aquatic, arts, events and cultural activities. 

The benefits of CCOs include:

  • Independently managing Council initiatives and facilities.
  • Providing business and community expertise that Council may not have in-house. 
  • Being able to focus on achieving the best outcome for their particular organisation, rather than focusing on the many activities of a council.
  • Attracting some of their funding from sources other than rates. 

Applications open for the Aspiring Directors Programme 

Applications for the fourth intake of Tauranga City Council’s Aspiring Directors Programme for its Council-Controlled Organisations (CCOs) is now open.

The programme aims to expand the number of people with governance experience while enhancing the diversity and depth of the governance talent pool available to organisations in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty region. 

This is a valuable opportunity for aspiring directors to gain hands-on governance experience by interning with one of the following CCOs:

  • Bay Venues Limited – Guardian of over 20 community facilities in Tauranga Moana, including Mercury Baypark and the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance.
  • Tourism Bay of Plenty – Jointly owned by Western Bay of Plenty District Council, this organisation leads the sustainable growth of the visitor economy across the coastal Bay of Plenty.

For further information about the Aspiring Directors Programme, please download the full job ad. 

Aspiring Directors Programme job advert (184kb pdf)

Non-disclosure and conflict of interest declaration form (55kb pdf) Please sign and email to Council - instructions in the job ad.

Applications close at 10am on 24 October 2025. 

Interviews will be held in Tauranga on 11 and 13 November 2025. 
 

Council cover reports

2025

2024

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Latest news

Council considers additional cost savings for Annual Plan 2025/26

With community feedback on board, Tauranga City Council’s Elected Members are this week considering how the Council should prioritise investment and reduce costs in next year’s annual plan.

Deliberations on the draft Annual Plan 2025/26 commenced on Monday, following a month-long consultation period.

Council received 968 submissions on the draft Annual Plan 2025/26, as well as the Local Water Done Well proposal that was consulted on at the same time. Sixty-eight people spoke to their submissions at hearings earlier this month.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says a wide range of community views were heard during the consultation process and it’s now up to the elected members to prioritise the Council’s investments and budget for the next year, with an ongoing focus on reducing operating costs.

“During consultation, we heard from people excited about the progress being made in Tauranga, while others told us that current facilities in Tauranga are not meeting the needs of our growing community. We also heard concerns about the scale of proposed rates rises,” says Mahé.

“Taking this feedback on board, we need to consider how to get the balance right. Our population is growing, so it’s important that the city continues to progress and that we prioritise the infrastructure and facilities our community needs and wants, while keeping rates increases as low as we can.”

Mahé says since coming into office, elected members have given the organisation a clear direction that it needs to reduce costs and make financially prudent decisions that deliver value for money on every dollar spent or invested.

“We need to be smart and efficient with every ratepayer dollar we spend. It’s pleasing to see the organisation responding to this call for action and we’re now looking at what additional savings we can achieve for 2025/26.”

Mahe Drysdale
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale

The updated draft Annual Plan 2025/26 presented to Council for consideration this week includes the following proposals:

  • A further $10 million reduction in operating costs across council’s day-to-day activities, to add to the $28 million already found, reducing Council’s overall expenditure by $38 million.
  • A further reduction in the planned capital programme spend for the year, with the originally $544 million budget first reduced to $505 million and now proposed to be $498 million.
  • Rates were initially looking at a 20%+ rise, because of the need to fully-fund depreciation on Council assets, but the $28 million reduction in spending brought that back to 12% and the additional $10 million in savings now provides a 9.9% average rate rise option, depending on any additional investment/financing decisions.
  • Total Council expenditure of $589 million for the 2025/26 financial year.

Mahé thanks the staff for their efforts in responding to the challenge laid down by elected members.

“Saving 10% of discretionary spending within a 9-month period is an impressive effort. This has had an impact on the organisation, including the confirmed disestablishment of 98 roles over the past few months. This is hard, but under the circumstances, it is the right thing to do.”

He says the $10 million in further savings will be realised through an ongoing reset of the organisation in the coming months, with possible further staff reductions to come.

“We don’t apologise for being prudent with ratepayers’ money and are pleased with the organisation’s response so far, finding $38 million in savings without sacrificing levels of service.

"Making these changes now will lock-in savings for following years as we continue to push for efficiency and look to deliver lower rates increases in future, while continuing to provide the infrastructure the city desperately needs.

“We acknowledge this has been a tough time for staff and we feel for those who have lost their positions,” Mahé says.

The Council will now consider the additional savings proposed, as well as decisions that result from submissions, to arrive at a final proposed rates number.

Once deliberations on the Annual Plan 2025/26 are finished, the financial aspects of the decisions made will be confirmed at a Council meeting on 10 June.

Final adoption of the Annual Plan 2025/26 and the rates resolution will occur on 26 June.

Breakdown of savings achieved to date:

  • Projects reprioritised or delivered in-house                                         $ 3.2 million
  • Reductions in consultancy use and greater use of internal services    $ 3.9 million
  • Employee cost reductions (including training)                                    $ 9.1 million
  • Uptake-related kerbside collection cost reduction                               $ 0.9 million
  • Interest-related finance cost savings                                                    $ 2.0 million
  • Increased user fees                                                                               $ 2.3 million
  • Reduced engagement and education costs                                           $ 1.5 million
  • Other organisation-wide cost reductions                                              $ 5.1 million

           Total                                                                                                      $28.0 million
 
Breakdown of additional savings (subject to deliberation decisions):

  • Further employee cost reductions (including training)                        $ 3.2 million
  • Interest and depreciation savings                                                         $ 2.2 million
  • Process improvement savings                                                              $ 3.8 million
  • Additional and updated savings estimates                                           $ 0.8 million

           Total                                                                                                      $10.0 million
 
Other key items being discussed by Council this week:

  • Local Water Done Well – following discussions, an open workshop on the financial model is scheduled for 24 June. A decision on the preferred delivery model is expected to be considered at the Council meeting on 15 July 2025.
  • Aquatic Projects – the Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project is currently on hold, pending the outcome of site investigations currently underway, with results expected to be available in early-August. A proposal to retain the Ōtūmoetai Pool was approved by Council this week, along with support in principle for a proposal from the Mount Maunganui Aquatic Centre Trust to expand the college pool to a 50-metre outdoor training pool.

More information about topics being covered during this week’s deliberations can be found on the agenda on Council's website.

Posted: May 28, 2025,

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