Tauranga ratepayers have paid more than $6 million to help cover the city council’s prosecution and operational costs following the Bella Vista Homes fallout.

And ratepayer representatives say people are “fed up” with the continued ongoing costs related to the saga.

In March 2018, 21 homes and building sites that were part of the failed Bella Vista Homes development at The Lakes were evacuated due to safety fears. Tauranga City Council later prosecuted five parties connected to the subdivision with a raft of charges relating to breaches of the Building Act.

The parties were engineer Bruce Cameron and his company The Engineer Limited, Bella Vista Homes Limited and its director Danny Cancian, and bricklayer Darrel Joseph. They are expected to each be sentenced next month.

In response to an official information request querying the costs of the council’s prosecution of Bella Vista parties, the council confirmed it has spent at least $6.4m on the Bella Vista saga since 2018. This did not include the original $14m acquisition from homeowners or the subsequent remediation of the site and sale of the site.

Council manager of democracy services Coral Hair said that by the end of January 2021, the council had paid a total of $4,973,683 in operational costs since 2018. These costs related to the day-to-day running of the project such as building and Geotech assessments, investigations, communications, security and homeowner support.

“There are likely to be further costs once the sale of the property is finalised, however, the quantum of those costs is unknown at this stage,” Hair said.

The operational costs also exclude $1.4m (excluding GST) spent on prosecution costs up to August 24, 2020. These costs included travel costs of $16,242 and accommodation and subsistence costs of $7652 (both excluding GST).

The council also spent $9162 on a weather tightness report for properties at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Aneta Way in the Bella Vista development.

Most Bella Vista costs had now been paid, Hair said.

Phil Green, chairman of Grace Rd and Avenues Neighbourhood Residents’ Association, said people would be shocked but not surprised at the new costs, which in his opinion were symptomatic of a wider problem stemming from the council.

“I think most ratepayers are hoping the new commissioner will change all of the future projects that the city council has dealt with. Ratepayers are fed up with the continued, ongoing costs of mistakes …”

Green said he was referring to the council “from the top all the way to the bottom” from over the past 10 to 15 years.

“We expect better governance and better business minds to be in control,” he said, expressing his view.

“Don’t get me wrong, within the council structure there are some very, very good people but we seem to not have very good decision making having been made. My main concern is when is it going to stop?”

Green said the Bella Vista situation should never have spiralled to the extent it has. He also referred to the failed Harington St Transport Hub.

“Unfortunately, the ratepayer has to sit back and write out another cheque.

“Ratepayers are just sick and tired. We want all of these major problems … to be sorted and move on but we seem to be continual costs and no end to anything.”

Michael O’Neill, of the Mount Maunganui Residents, Ratepayers and Retailers Association, echoed Green’s concerns regarding the council.

O’Neill said in his opinion: “There has been a lot of focus on councillors and leadership but equally, there should be the focus on the capacity of staff members … There needs to be some sort of audit of staff capability.

“Ratepayers would have to be very angry that their money is being wasted as it has been with wrapping up the court costs when there don’t seem to have been any heads that have rolled – that I’ve seen – from this,” he said, expressing his view.

Tauranga City Council has been approached for comment.

On March 16, 2020, the Bella Vista court case began and eventually finished on July 27, 2020.

Judge Paul Mabey QC released his reserve decision on December 10 in which he convicted each party of some charges.

Sentencing for the court case is expected to take place in Tauranga District Council on March 19.

Guilty and not, who got what

Judge Mabey found Danny Cancian and Bella Vista Homes guilty of three charges each in relation to non-compliant works at 297 and 301 Lakes Boulevard and 5 Aneta Way.

But the two defendants were acquitted on four further charges each relating to construction works at 297A, 299 and 301A Lakes Boulevard.

Darrel Joseph was convicted of the three charges he defended which related to block laying work he had undertaken at 297, 299 and 307 Lakes Boulevard.

His convictions related to defects in block walls and foundations including inadequate wall footings and reinforcing steel at those three properties.

Bruce Cameron and The Engineer Ltd were found guilty of six of the same charges each, relating to non-complying building works at numbers 297, 301, 303 and 307 Lakes Boulevard.

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