The challenge for a tsunami siren sound-off issued by the Papamoa Progressive Association after last week's tsunami siren test is unlikely to be taken up by the city council.

Councillor Bill Grainger, who is himself an advocate of the ‘air raid' style sirens that were tested in Papamoa and Mount Maunganui last Friday, says council staff are locked into the process set by council.

Papamoa Progressive Association organised the independent tsunami siren test in Mount Maunganui and Papamoa last Friday.

In August the council let the first part of the tsunami contract, the design engineering and consenting, to Meerkat Alert Systems, which produces electronic sirens.

The final decision as to which sirens will be installed is to be made by the city councillors at the November meeting.

City engineer Howard Severinsen told councillors at the time that the company that tested the air-raid sirens last week, Tactical Tooling's application didn't make it through the interview process.

Tactical Tooling CEO Gary Lewis responded to Howard's comments made in a public meeting, saying council staff never told Tactical Tooling they had issues with their credibility.

City council has not tested Tactical Tooling's sirens despite offers to bring sirens to Tauranga for testing, and invitations to hear installed Tactical Tooling sirens in the Hutt Valley.

The PPA then decided to take matters into their own hands and arrange an independent siren test as it was felt earlier tests conducted by council were not accepted by the community.

'We'll do the best that we can, it's not only Howard Severinsen, it's the other councillors -they are the ones who put their fingers in the air to say yes or no. So it's coming to us again in mid-November,” says Bill.

'That will either be the final tick in the box or not. There's not a great deal that we can do. I've talked to Howard two or three times as well.”

Bill says council staff are locked into the current process as the council directed they give the first stage of the contract to Meerkat.

'We will have to do the best we can with what we have got,” says Bill.

'If I can persuade any of the other councillors to turn, then so be it.

'Steve Morris has really made it a bit of a thorn in their side and it'll make them think. I've been very favourable to what he has been doing. My golden rule to get the best outcome I can for the community.”

Bill supports the installation of ‘air raid' style sirens and believes they can be installed at a quarter of the cost of the electronic siren systems and be heard over a greater distance with a sound more likely to penetrate buildings and wake people at night.

'Why do we have to have 60 Meerkat sirens on 10 metre poles scattered about the city when we can do it with eight, or ten at the most,” says Bill.

Which sirens will be used will be decided when the council goes to stage two of the tsunami siren process, the manufacturing and installation tender.