A Facebook page protesting Tauranga City Council's decision to double the water charge has 108 friends a week after being created with its creators hoping to gather more support before moving on to the next phase of protest.

Colleen Gourlay set the page up with a friend who has a similar page.

'We were just going to let it run for a couple of weeks and see how many people we have got and then either visit red square, or start a petition.

'We don't know yet, but we are going to do something,” says Colleen.

It's a hot topic with Tauranga ratepayers, given the issue's history.

A previous council held a referendum on water meters, the vote was ‘no', but the council went ahead anyway.

'Now they want to double the water rate. We are paying enough in water rates for that sort of thing,” says Colleen.

'It's amazing what you can do on Facebook; if you use it the right way you can reach quite a few people.”

One of the page's friends in Tauranga City Councillor Murray Guy who says social media have become more involved in community/council issues.

He noticed the involvement of social media over the successful public opposition to the council's proposal to charge for free fiction and non-fiction library books.

Murray also got a lot of public feedback through social media on the Boobs on Bikes issue.

'This one has built on the previous two,” says Murray.

'It's a sign of a changing medium for voicing protest.

'I think one of the reasons people are attracted to it is it is unedited; it provides an opportunity to express an opinion without a third party, be it like a meeting chairman or newspaper editing, abbreviating it, cutting off.

'It's going to require people in public office, and staff, to re-think their whole approach.”

See: STOP fixed water charging DOUBLING IN TAURANGA