High school students and young professionals took on the elected members and Tauranga City Council staff in the inaugural quiz event ‘Are You Smarter Than a Councillor' last night.
The event was organised by Tauranga City Council to start Youth Week and launch the council's new website: citystuff.co.nz – a website targeting Tauranga youth.
Mayor Stuart Crosby and elected members appeared confident as they greeted the other teams.
Over 40 people took part from the city's secondary schools, Bay Young Professionals, Merivale Community Centre, TCC ‘youth' staff and councillors.
Quizzers were greeted with pizza and non-alcoholic drinks and an opportunity to mingle and meet those who run the city, including Mayor Stuart Crosby.
The councillors initiated the quiz night, MC'ed by Robert Davies.
The winning team, Southern Pipeline from Merivale Community Centre, was streets ahead of the other teams with 96 points.
There was a lot of talk by the elected members as they jested about taking out the top prize for the night.
The rounds included questions on Tauranga knowledge, identifying New Zealand music, a photo round and even a slogan contest – with Tempt Me Tauranga held up as an example to beat.
Council staff judged the answers and their answer was final.
Teams were encouraged to come up with politically incorrect names. Team names included the Southern Pipeline, 15 per cent, and the Mana Act Alliance Party.
MC Robert punctuated the night with humour and digs at the councillors which was taken in good humour by all.
But it was Merivale Community Centre which took out the top spot, winning iTunes vouchers, bus passes and library vouchers.
Hilary Coote form ANZ and Liz Dawe from Beca on the young professional's team ‘YoPros'.
Services manager Graham Cameron says the quiz was a great opportunity for the council to recognise the Tauranga youth in a positive light, and for beginning a positive reputation.
The elected members didn't do as well as they might have hoped, finishing fifth place out of the seven teams.
The final scores were:
1st Southern Pipelines
(Merivale Community Centre) 96
2nd 15%
(TCC Youth Team) 84
3rd Mana Act Alliance Party
(Secondary Students) 83
4th Yo Pros
(Bay Young Professionals) 78
5th City Slickers
(TCC Councillors) 69
6th Good luck with that
(Secondary Students) 66
7th BC Crucifiers
(Secondary Students) 63
21 comments
A no-brainer
Posted on 24-05-2011 09:32 | By Writerman
Of course the kids would be smarter than the councillors. Hello? And hopefully they are much smarter when it's their turn to vote than the people who voted this lot in last time.
Real Depth
Posted on 24-05-2011 14:04 | By Candy Clark
That shows the real depth and imagination of the council staff . If that is the best they can organise, the most imaginative and inclusive of all youth and youth culture groups in Tauranga.... what chance do we have with the rest of the work they do? Lip service at best!
Youth v Councillors
Posted on 24-05-2011 14:32 | By tia
Boy, do we have some real constructive posters to this site going by the last two postings. It was a low key event so take it for what it was.
Low key?
Posted on 24-05-2011 18:16 | By PLONKER
Well I guess Council staff wanted it to be, in fact prayed for that. But reality gets there in the end that the Councillors would rate at school. 5th out of 7 is not a good reasult for those who are meant to be in charge and showing some signs of what they are doing.
OUTSIDE CHANCE AT BEST OF THREE
Posted on 24-05-2011 18:37 | By WOFTAM
Good promo I am sure and provides some light entertainment especially if it was broadcast live on the net. However you would have though that there would have been a better result from our "leaders"? Will they ever appear again?
WE already know and some things will never change.
Posted on 24-05-2011 20:32 | By Hebegeebies
What it proves is that all involved have too much spare time on their hands.The result is no surprise our history confirms that.Very surprising Councillors didn't drag the others down to their level whack them round the ears then beat them with experience
A Joke
Posted on 24-05-2011 20:39 | By Glen Clova
The kids had nothing at stake so the whole thing was a waste of time,wait till they join the real world.
Good sports
Posted on 24-05-2011 20:41 | By al pillocksworth
Both the students and councillors that took part in this are obviously good sports. I wouldn't take it too seriously. But in my opinion it's one of the worst kept secrets that at least a couple of our councillors are below par in the thinking department. Never mind, half of us are below average intelligence, if you think about it.
And the good news is
Posted on 24-05-2011 22:27 | By Nigel Barker
?????? Of course it was only fun. What the hell did anyone expect? No big deal ... just a bit of fun. So what is any different to how TCC bureaucrats & councillors treat any other day ??? Seriously tho ... what is the difference?? "Citizens Monitoring Council"
JUST ANOTHER DAY ION THE OFFICE ...
Posted on 25-05-2011 10:54 | By PLONKER
Right on, a hoot from dawn to dusk then off to the Sebel for drinkees now that the Councillor lounge fridge is off limits now.
comments
Posted on 25-05-2011 13:24 | By earlybird
I often find the comments far more enlightening than the article itself. So many of the commentators must really hate waking up each morning
@ EARLY BIRD
Posted on 26-05-2011 09:47 | By YOGI
Gosh no sir! this is like a "buffet break-feast of picnic baskets 24/7 spread from one end of the place to the other, it is like bear heaven!
COUNCIL STAFF WERE THE JUDGES
Posted on 26-05-2011 11:53 | By MASSA KISSED
And they still lost the game, so that is a reflection of the real world results isn't it?
BEST RESULT POSSIBLE
Posted on 26-05-2011 13:42 | By DRONE
I would guess that this is the best result that could have been hoped for even though the despite the raft of boffin bureaucrats were running the thing anyway, guess without that inside running advantage built in they would have been a dead cert for last, how much worse could it get.
DADS ARMY AND ?
Posted on 26-05-2011 17:48 | By Secret Squirrel
The monent they walked into the room they were laughing and joking about the ease with which they were going to claim the prize, the trophy, the win, yet that did not appear at anytime once the games had begun, in fact it was only with some marginal calls of a very quesitonable nature that they even managed to drag themslves from being "stoned cold last" in the whole proceeding.
TEST REQUIRED
Posted on 27-05-2011 08:39 | By Vomit
maybe this should be a pre-requisit before being allowed to stand in an election, that would weed out most of the tyre kickers anyway!
YES A TEST SO WE GET A REST
Posted on 27-05-2011 16:11 | By PLONKER
From all the radical rates increases. may bring some common sense and realism in the place sooner than later, SOOOOO over due!
TCC YOUTH TEAM
Posted on 27-05-2011 20:41 | By YOGI
The name is "15%" is that for the next rate rise or the level of success with anything that is expected to then get a promotion and pay rise?
GET TO UNDERSTAND THIS RIGHT?
Posted on 28-05-2011 12:25 | By YOGI
Councillors had a team, council staff had a team and Council staff were teh judges yet performance could not muster any thing better than 5th out of 7, wow when the deck is stacked they still can not win. Alot of message in that message!
BACK TO SCHOOL
Posted on 29-05-2011 11:34 | By Vomit
Answer is: COuncillors need to go back to school and start again, the real bonus of that is that we will see if that makes a diffference for the 10 years or so that they are not at TCC, let me see ... I wonder ... ?
SKIVVING OFF
Posted on 30-05-2011 21:21 | By Hebegeebies
As they say smile first thing in the morning and get it over with early in the day. Everyone is being very unkind to the TCC Councillors after all they have had the equivalent of a frontal lobotomy when 1/2 the brain resigned in October last year and was transplanted elsewhere in the food chain.Some uncharitable people have picked up the Muldoon throwaway line by suggesting that the IQ in both places improved as a result of this. Surely not ?
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