Tauranga growth threat to sustainability

One of the six candidates for the vacant Mauao seat on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council says the rapid growth of Tauranga and its port is putting huge pressure on the environment and on tangata whenua.

Carlton Bidois was runner up last year, and says he is standing again out of respect for the late Awanui Black, who died a month after being reelected to the Maori ward.

He says hosting New Zealand’s busiest port and one of its fastest growing cities puts huge pressure on the environment, and all three local authorities are struggling to cope.

"Our cultural values are still being impacted upon. The health of our environment is still degrading, What that says to me is that the policy needs to be adjusted and the efforts need to be increased to protect that environment and give credence to this notion of sustainable development," he says.

Carlton Bidois says he has been a hapu, iwi and Maori representative on local government bodies for most of his working career, and he’s ready for the step up to the regional council table.

Postal voting papers go out to voters on the Maori electoral roll in the Mauao constituency on March 20, with the result known on April 11.

FULL INTERVIEW WITH CARLTON BIDOIS

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