No Chipseal Latest News “Deliberate Road Vandalism by the Council”
Roads in Papamoa proposed to Chipseal Sovereign Drive, Santa Barbara Drive, Santa Monica Drive, The Gardens, Checkett Place, Montego Drive, Papamoa Denny Hulme Drive Arataki .
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Chipseal over Hotmix Road Surface Survey 2025 All Correspondence below
The Stupid Council “No Blame” Game
The Council staff say only the Councillors can change the policy and then they wave their hands around as if they can do nothing BUT the Councillors make their decision from the advice of the staff. This is the stupidity of the circular charade. No one will sit down and solve the concerns of the residents. Just dogmatic following of a flawed policy. And the solution is very easy and low cost.
24 December 2025
24 December 2025
Goodmorning Mayor and Councillors,
To the elected members who voted on 28 November in support of the policy requiring hotmix roads in Papamoa to be resurfaced on a like-for-like basis only if 100% of residents in a street agree and the full cost is paid upfront:
Reading the policy and its conditions, it is difficult to see how this approach is intended to be workable. The requirements are so onerous that they appear designed to be unachievable, with the likely outcome that residents are effectively forced back into the existing chipseal programme. If this was the intent, it will not earn the support or trust of the affected community.
It also appears that elected members have relied heavily on advice from Council staff without sufficient challenge or consideration of the wider community impact. Requiring residents to fund an undefined and untransparently costed project through an upfront lump-sum payment is unrealistic for most households. Very few residents can afford such a large payment, particularly the elderly and those on fixed incomes.
This policy has caused significant anxiety and distress. It has alarmed vulnerable residents, widened the gap between Council and the community, and threatens a clear reduction in living conditions for affected streets. Residents are facing increased road noise, reduced amenity and property value, seal bleed, stone migration, and an overall deterioration in the appearance and performance of their roads.
This issue is particularly concerning when viewed alongside Council’s willingness to commit approximately $80 million over the next ten years to CBD streetscape enhancements, while suburban streets are facing a downgrade in surface quality.
In discussions with elected members, it has become apparent that there is limited understanding of the technical, economic, and social differences between chipseal and hotmix, the history that has led to the current situation, and the real consequences for residents. There also appears to have been little consideration of alternative, workable solutions.
A last-minute drop-in session was held yesterday at the Papamoa Library to hear residents’ views on chipsealing over hotmix. The overwhelming feedback was opposition to the proposal. However, residents were advised that the chipsealing programme would continue unless the current policy conditions were met. There is no realistic prospect of achieving 100% street agreement, nor of residents being able to afford the unsubstantiated per-property costs being proposed.
There is, however, a clear and reasonable pathway forward. The community has proposed:
Deferring the chipsealing of the seven affected Papamoa streets for 12 months, noting there would be no adverse impact on the roads; and
Developing a transparent cost analysis and an affordable annual affordable targeted rate, shared equitably across the residents of these streets, to cover the cost difference between chipseal and hotmix resurfacing.
We are told the policy can only be changed by EMs.
Without a reconsideration of this policy, Council risks forcing residents toward formal objection as their only remaining option. This outcome is avoidable if elected members are prepared to engage constructively and revisit an approach that is currently unworkable and inequitable.
Regards,
Philip Brown
Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association
19 December 2025
Update to Residents in the streets to be chipsealed. Delivered to the letterboxes
Retaining Hotmix Roads in Papamoa 17 December 2025
Dear Residents
Update and Next Steps
PRRA received a response from the Mayor on Sunday following our request to address a full Council meeting on Monday or Tuesday this week. The Mayor declined the request, stating that we had no new information to present to elected members.
We strongly disagree. It is evident that elected members do not fully understand the depth of residents’ concerns or the strength of feeling within affected streets. This lack of understanding has resulted in an unworkable proposal requiring residents to pay the full cost of hotmix resurfacing in advance, with 100% agreement from the street. As residents have seen from the letters issued by Tauranga City Council, the contribution amounts vary significantly from property to property. This reflects a poorly considered policy being administered by unsympathetic Council staff.
Notably, the Mayor’s letter on Sunday introduced a different interpretation of the “100% agreement” requirement. He stated that only a majority of the street must agree, and that payment must be made before the proposed chipseal date. This directly contradicts earlier advice and creates confusion. Clarification is urgently needed as to the correct interpretation of the policy. The Mayor has also been commenting publicly on Facebook today, further adding to mixed messaging.
It is also important to note that the Council has advised in a meeting that the material for hotmix resurfacing is not available for at least the next 12 months. As a result, there is no operational urgency to proceed with chipsealing, and there is ample time to reconsider the current approach.
PRRA has written to the Mayor and elected members seeking formal clarification of the street decision policy and requesting that a further letter be sent to affected residents clearly explaining the correct interpretation. Our correspondence also reiterates that residents want hotmix resurfacing and are prepared to make a contribution. We have asked Council to remove the seven Papamoa roads from the current chipseal programme and to use the next 12 months to develop a full, transparent analysis of hotmix costs and to determine a fair and equitable level of resident contribution.
There is a growing groundswell of opposition throughout Tauranga to Council’s chipsealing policy. PRRA has been interviewed multiple times on Radio New Zealand, and several strong newspaper articles have been published. These can be viewed on the Papamoa Residents website: www.papamoaresidents.co.nz
Important Note:
There is also no requirement for the resident contribution to be an upfront amount. PRRA is lobbying for an annual amount over the 30 Year life of the road and have calculated this to be around $100 per annum -- a cup of coffee every fortnight.
What to do:
With the 19 December deadline approaching, our advice to residents is to email the Mayor and the Director of Infrastructure on that date stating your name and address and that:
You want your road resurfaced in hotmix;
You agree that residents should make an equal annual contribution. A Lump sum payment is unfair and unaffordable to us.
You require clarification on how a street decision will be made, the process Council will use, and to see a full transparent economic analysis of hotmix costs so you can understand both the total cost and your annual share.
There is no urgency as hotmix materials are not available for the next 12 months
Responding directly to the letter from Tauranga City Council is the most effective way for residents to clearly communicate their position. Can you cc the email you send to the Mayor to chairprra@gmail.com.
Email addresses
Mayor Mahe Drysdale mayor@tauranga.govt.nz
Reneke Vansoest (Infrastructure) reneke.vansoest@tauranga.govt.nz
Working together as a community will bring results.
Regards,
17 December 2026 Letter Response to Mayors Letter of 14 December 2025
Attention Mayor of Tauranga City & Elected Members,
RE Continuation of Hotmix on Papamoa Roads.
Goodmorning Mahe
Thank you for your reply of 14 December 2025.
There is much more that could be said about the relative merits of hotmix versus chipseal, and some of this information has already been presented to Council. Unfortunately, as you were not present at the November meeting where I spoke, you did not hear the residents’ views or the constructive alternative approach they are proposing to retain hotmix-surfaced roads.
The report prepared by Council staff for the 28 November meeting did not adequately consider the broader economic implications of the options presented.
Your letter states that the majority of a street needs to agree for hotmix to be laid. This differs from the TCC letter to residents which stated that “ If everyone agrees, you can contribute to … a funding package”. This implies 100% agreement of all residents in a street. Will a clarification be sent to all residents? This is an important change as many are doing nothing as they know 100% agreement can never be reached.
As confirmed at a subsequent meeting with Council staff, no additional hotmix supply will be available for at least the next 12 months. This removes any urgency and provides Council, Elected Members, and the community with the opportunity to pause, remove the seven affected Papamoa roads from the 2025/2026 chipseal programme, and undertake a full economic analysis of the available roading options. This would ensure that any future decision is based on complete and transparent information.
It is also increasingly clear that the benefits of local hotmix roads extend beyond the immediately affected residents. Hotmix surfaces deliver safety, lower noise, and amenity benefits to the wider Tauranga community, particularly for school children and for both commuter and recreational cyclists.
To place the proposed resident contribution in context, the cost equates to approximately one coffee per fortnight on an annual basis. The amenity and safety value of retaining a hotmix surface significantly outweighs this contribution.
This issue is now attracting wider national attention. Jesse Mulligan from Radio New Zealand contacted me today to discuss the chipseal versus hotmix issue. For your information, a copy of the interview can be seen on the PRRA website www.papamoaresidents.co.nz.
We seek clarification on one matter: for the purposes of the proposed resident contribution, is hotmix resurfacing classified as capital expenditure (capex) or operating expenditure (opex)?
In response to your letter, and based on resident surveys and ongoing engagement, the residents’ position is clear:
Residents want to retain hotmix-surfaced roads
Residents are prepared to contribute toward the cost difference
The seven affected Papamoa roads should be removed from the 2025/2026 chipseal programme while a proper economic analysis is undertaken
Finally, it is difficult to view this process as working with the community in good faith when today’s Bay of Plenty Times article is publicising a start date for chipsealing the roads. Elderly residents in particular are confused and distressed by the demands of the letter from Tauranga City Council (5 Dec 2025) and the unreasonable deadline imposed for a response.
Regards,
Philip Brown - on behalf of the residents.
Chair Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association
10 December 2025 Letter to Mayor and Councillors and key Council staff
To: The Mayor & Councillors Tauranga City Council
Re: Policy Inviting Ratepayers to Fully Pre-Fund Hotmix Road Surfacing
We acknowledge and appreciate the Council’s decision to retain hotmix surfacing on the six identified streets in Papamoa, and we support in principle the idea of residents contributing to the ongoing maintenance of hotmix roads.
However, the method the Council is using is fundamentally flawed. The letter sent to residents on 6 December demands an upfront payment of $3,000–$7,000 per property, to be paid in full by 12 January 2026. This approach feels coercive and undermines any genuine intent behind offering a user-pays option. No one pays an unsubstantiated invoice of this amount.
The demand notice provides no supporting detail, including:
No breakdown of how the costs were calculated
No warranty or assurance around the quality of works
No timeframe for when the resurfacing would occur
No explanation of how future maintenance or repairs will be handled
A requirement that 100% of residents must agree and pay immediately
Requiring unanimous agreement is unrealistic and unachievable. Our resident survey confirms this. Even Council itself does not operate on 100% agreement for decisions.
Our counter-proposal is as follows:
Remove these six streets from the current chipseal programme, formally commit to retaining hotmix, and introduce a targeted rate of $100 per year or less for properties on these streets to fund hotmix-specific maintenance.
The Council meeting of 28 November, which resulted in several key decisions lacking adequate resident consultation, needs to be revisited with proper community input and up-to-date information.
We request a meeting with the Mayor, Councillors, and relevant Council staff before the Christmas break to discuss this matter. Residents feel ignored and sidelined, and this situation requires urgent resolution.
We look forward to your response.
Regards,
Philip Brown (on behalf of the residents)
6 December 2025
Many residents have received by email or snailmail a request to pay between $3500-$6000 to enable their road to be resurfaced in hotmix. This is a very underhand and devious attack by the council and pitches neighbour v neighbour. Our response is “do nothing” in the short term. The residents have no way of winning if we follow TCC’s guidelines.
Here is our reply
Good morning,
Residents on the Papamoa streets scheduled for chipsealing in January 2025 will have received an email from TCC yesterday. The email asks whether you want to participate in—and pay for—an alternative option. Unfortunately, the way this question has been framed risks pitting neighbour against neighbour.
This process is fundamentally flawed and appears designed to produce the outcome TCC prefers:
because 100% agreement is impossible, chipsealing will proceed by default.
Please do not feel pressured to respond immediately. There is no urgency, and taking time to consider the implications is the best approach. Ignoring the email for now is a perfectly valid choice.
Importantly, the email does not address what PRRA formally submitted to TCC:
a 12-month deferment, a full cost assessment, and the development of a targeted rate of approximately $100 per year for all residents living on hotmix streets. These reasonable proposals have not been responded to.
Below is a quote from a resident that reflects concerns we are hearing widely:
“This process feels designed to fail by overstating the cost and demanding it in one lump sum. I’m willing to pay—but only if the numbers are done properly. Where are the deductions for TCC avoiding chipseal reseals at 7, 14, and 21 years? Why won’t TCC show their workings instead of giving us a single figure? And why isn’t this presented as an annual charge, given future homeowners will also benefit?
Can we get TCC to pause this until they provide a transparent and credible assessment?”
PRRA will be writing to the Council this week to again request a deferment of the chipsealing programme. We continue to face strong resistance from certain Council staff who do not appear to be prioritising community outcomes. We will keep all residents updated and circulate relevant correspondence.
A reminder that PRRA is holding a community meeting next Monday evening, with Councillors Morris and Currach attending to speak about the chipseal process. All residents are welcome.
Details are available at: www.papamoaresidents.co.nz
Press Release by PRRA 6 December 2025 Click here to read
Letter/Email from Tauranga City Council 5 December 2025 to Residents
Kia ora & Others
Tauranga City Council will be resurfacing your road early next year as part of the city’s annual road maintenance programme. Santa Monica Drive has been identified as needing maintenance to prevent damage to the surface and underlying structure which will be resurfaced with chipseal.
Our policy is to use chipseal when resealing roads that carry low traffic volumes because it represents best value for money for all ratepayers. There are exceptions where asphalt may be used in areas that need it, such as some cul de sac turning areas.
We know the cost of living and rates increases are a concern, so taking a value for money approach is one of the ways to help ease that burden.
In response to concerns raised by residents about changes from asphalt to chipseal, the Mayor and Councillors recently agreed to give property owners the opportunity to pay the difference in cost if they would like their street to be resurfaced in asphalt instead of chipseal.
As your street is currently sealed with asphalt, this is something you might want to consider. We would like to give you the opportunity to ‘opt in’ with other property owners on your street and share the costs of resurfacing with asphalt. If everyone agrees, you can each contribute to a funding package that covers 100% of all costs above Council’s contribution to the standard chipseal surface.
Please let us know if you would like to opt in to this self-funding option, by using this link www.tauranga.govt.nz/asphalt15 and entering your unique property code which is 594SA221MC. Property owners on your street have until 19/12/2025 to let us know if you would like to go ahead.
Your individual contribution would be $3,755 (incl GST) and would need to be paid in full by 12/01/2026.
If all property owners agree to proceed, your contribution would need to be received prior to the scheduled start date of resurfacing work on your road which is 21/01/2026.
Unfortunately, deferring the resurfacing programme on these streets would incur costs and isn’t an option available to us.
In 2027, we’ll be consulting on a formal policy to allow residents to fund the cost difference between chipseal and asphalt. Consultation will occur as part of the 2027-2037 Long-term Plan process.
If you would like to know more about our annual resurfacing programme and information about the self-funding option, please visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/road-resurfacing.
Ngā mihi
Mike Seabourne
Acting General Manager: Operations & Infrastructure
Tauranga City Council (TCC) is planning to apply chipseal over a number of hotmix (asphalt) roads in Papamoa.
Update: This maintenance policy will eventually result in all suburban hotmix roads across Tauranga being chipsealed. This is no longer just a local issue — it’s a citywide concern. See PRRA submissions below for the latest correspondence.
Chipseal involves spraying a tar binder and spreading metal chips over the top of the existing surface. If a road surface actually requires renewal, the correct approach is to replace it like for like — hotmix with hotmix.
TCC is well aware that residents do not want chipseal on their hotmix streets, yet they are proceeding regardless and offering shifting and confusing explanations for the decision.
The reality is that most of these roads remain in very good condition for their age (30 years or more). They are not failing. The only reason TCC has provided for chipsealing is that they can claim an NZTA subsidy for this work . Our view is simple: do nothing and save the cost. Those funds could be redirected to genuine priorities, such as tsunami evacuation routes.
After three decades of collecting depreciation, there should be more than enough funding to replace these roads in hotmix. Where has that depreciation money gone?
Chipseal is a downgrade for any neighbourhood. Even TCC’s own staff member, Garry Oakes, has acknowledged this—yet the Council still intends to chipseal over perfectly good hotmix.
The impacts of chipseal on hotmix roads are well known:
Increased road noise
Tar bleed
A rougher, uneven surface
Loose metal chips
Shorter and inconsistent lifespan
More frequent renewals (every 5–7 years)
Poorer cycling conditions
The Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association (PRRA) requested the list of streets scheduled for chipsealing this summer some time ago. TCC only released the information after we advised them that Fulton Hogan, the contractor, was preparing to notify residents directly. A very resident-friendly approach indeed.
Update: The list has now been provided — at the last minute.
PRRA needs to understand how the community feels about this issue. This online survey will help capture your views. Please take part and encourage your neighbours and landlords to do the same.
If you want to see how poorly chipseal performs over hotmix, visit the newly chipsealed section of Gloucester Road. Stop, get out of your car, and listen to the increased noise. Is this what you want outside your home?
Update – November 2025:
PRRA has formally presented to Council requesting that this practice be stopped and that any resurfacing of hotmix streets be done in hotmix. TCC has suggested that residents in affected streets could pay a targeted rate to fund “like for like” replacement. Our response: if this is a citywide issue, then any targeted rate should apply citywide to all properties on hotmix roads — not just a select few.
TCC Contacts Garry Oakes Traffic Section
110 Nov 2025 click image to read
18 Nov 2025 RNZ Nz herald. click image to read
Newly chipsealed road
Chipseal over Hotmix Road Surface Survey 2025
Note all information collected will remain confidential. Only the aggregated results will become public. Results will be sent to all the participants. Multiple reponses from a household are acceptable. Your replies are important.
PRRA November 2025