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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 votes on new Aquatic Network Plan

Tauranga City’s Mayor and Councillors have voted to support the development of a 50-metre outdoor training pool at Mount Maunganui College and to keep the Ōtūmoetai Swimming Pool up and running.

At this week’s Annual Plan 2025/26 deliberations, the Council was presented with three key options as part of a draft Aquatics Network Plan, which will outline a roadmap for aquatic facilities in Tauranga.

The Council was told site investigations are underway to inform the next step for the Memorial Park Aquatic project. If found to be favourable, a design review will ensure the project has the right scope, design and cost to deliver value for money for the community.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says a community survey undertaken at the end of 2024 showed 73% of respondents supported additional aquatic facilities with an indoor 50-metre lane pool ranking the second highest feature in the feedback.

He says the initial Memorial Park Aquatic Centre proposal, which had an original budget of $124 million, was inherited from the Commission but he is keen to get a better financial outcome.

“We’re committed to delivering value for money, so it’s on us to understand what our community wants and consider what cost savings could be possible,” Mahé says.

“I applaud the Mount Maunganui Aquatic Centre Trust for bringing us the 50-metre pool option. It ticks a lot of boxes, and we would provide an Olympic-size pool for Tauranga in the shortest possible timeframe. From a Council perspective, it’s probably the most economical pool we could ever build.”

The Council is supportive of the 50-metre pool proposal but will continue to work with the Trust and undertake due diligence before releasing the funding.

Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular says the Aquatic Network Plan is looking at the bigger picture for Tauranga and delivering what the people of Tauranga have said they want.

“This supports a healthy Tauranga. We want kids learning to swim and being safe in the water. We want them having fun and we’ve now got some great options on the table.”

The Aquatics Network Plan will now be drafted and go back to the Council for endorsement before going out for community consultation.

Posted: May 29, 2025,

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