With a bit of breast beating, a harrumph from one or two councillors and figures to back performance, the Rotorua Lakes Council approved its annual plan 2019/20.

An average overall rate take has been approved at 4.8 per cent, below the 5.1 percent originally projected.

Before it became a full-blown spat, councillor Mark Gould was urged to 'accentuate the positives” by councillor Charles Sturt.

But before councillors rubber-stamped the plan, Mayor Steve Chadwick said that 57 per cent of funding for infrastructure had been stumped up by partners, not through rates.

Earlier councillor Gould had bickered over the rates for the rural sector at 5.1 per cent. He was also concerned people in Rotorua were missing out on 'some basic services”.

At this point, the so-called mayoral bloc kicked in.

Mayor Steve Chadwick said Cr Gould's points were well discussed in the annual strategy on which yesterday's full council meeting was set approve.

Cr Sturt said the debate was robust and Cr Gould needed to accentuate the positives.

'There is not a mention or congratulations to the Mayor who got $10 million from the Lotteries Fund for the redevelopment of the arts and history museum,” Charles said. Nor, he said, was there mention of anything positive in terms of some of the money staff had been involved in in terms of projects under the guise of partnerships 'that we around the table have all been fighting for – councillor Kumar and myself with the skate park, who got people clamouring over our staff to come in behind us to fund that”.

The average rates increase at 5 percent for the average property was $2.50 a week. It was under the increase projected in the LTCP and not a huge increase.

It was time to put those debates aside.

Overall, a clear message sent to the community is that Rotorua is open for business, he says.

The council had a growth strategy, it was open for partnerships and the community was moving forward.

Councillor Rob Kent said the rural rate increase in fact ranges from 3.7 percent to 5.1 per cent and that the average increase was 4.8 per cent, which was below the average 4.9 per cent.

Councillor Gould said on page 116 of the agenda said he figures was 5.1 per cent.

Mayor Chadwick said councillors were not debating pedantic points of difference.

'It is all in our annual plan and it is in a range.”

Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson said he supported the annual plan, that it came within the rate increase than set in the LTCP, that there was a clear message Rotorua needed to invest in its future.

Rotorua needs to find another 500 beds to meet tourist demand and the hotel association was aware of that.

The rates were well-spread and residential rates were pretty well on a par with farming.

Mayor Chadwick said the annual plan was very clear.

It built on the long-term plan which had set out goals and objectives.

It was also clear about the rehabilitation of the museum and the Sir Howard Morrison Community Arts Centre (both needing earthquake damage repairs), pensioner housing and the Aquatic Centre, environment and growth.

'What's not to like where we as a district as sitting? I get nothing but positive affirmation wherever I go, and I would be the most active moving around the community,” Steve says.

'…. It's under your council leadership as a team. We had a plan; we're moving on towards it.”

She said attended a function with construction firm Fulton Hulton recently who says it cannot believe how innovative the council is.

'And we don't thank our staff, we don't congratulate ourselves for actually looking at different ways of doing things. And 57 percent of our funding for our infrastructure is coming from other partners.”

For her it had a focus she likes about ‘localism'.

With minor variations, the council approved the annual plan, with councillors Gould, Kumar and Bentley recording their votes against its adoption.