Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger has some answering to do.

The first question he has to answer, is how does he think he’s going to get away with his statement over the weekend that keeping rates increases to four percent or less next year is going to be a challenge?

Because this is the guy who said before the local body elections last month that he would be the man to keep rates increases down. At various times during the election campaign he talked about rates increases no higher than three percent, four percent, or something in line with the rate of inflation.

None of these are looking likely, with Phil Mauger saying - now that he’s mayor - that it’s going to be very difficult to deliver what he promised voters, which was to keep rates increases to an absolute minimum.

Which some people believed. Or probably, more correctly, wanted to believe. While everyone else knew he was either dreaming or talking absolute nonsense.

And so now, with the city council beginning work on next year’s budget, we’ve got the new mayor saying: 'er, actually, about that four percent rates increase…ah, no can do, sorry'.

A report over the weekend said city councillors have been given an “indicative range” for next year’s rate increase, understood to be between 12 percent and 14 percent.

And so here’s what the mayor had to say about his promise to keep rates down: “It is going to be challenging, that’s going to be very challenging because of what’s happening globally.”

I mean, do me a favour. Because what he’s talking about there are all the problems caused by COVID and the war in Ukraine. The old “supply chain issues”.

But hello, these supply chain issues were a thing well before Phil Mauger became mayor. The war in Ukraine was happening well before the election last month.

It was all happening when he was running around town promising to keep rates increases at between three and four percent. Running around town, when he knew full well that what he was promising was impossible.

So that’s the first thing he’s going to front up on.

The second thing, is this U-turn he’s doing on the $33 million being spent on roads around the site of the new stadium, Te Kaha.

Over the weekend, we had some of the biggest names behind the revival of Christchurch’s central city coming out and condemning the city council for this ludicrous piece of work. Property developers who have poured truckloads into new developments in town. The Central City Business Association is involved, as well.

Now previously, the mayor said he opposed it and claimed that he’d stopped it. Not the case, and the council plans to press on.

Granted, Phil was probably blind-sided by this one a bit given the council launched its consultation process on day one of his mayoralty. But it seems he’s been talked around by the council planners.

So what does he have to say to the central city business people and the developers who have come out fighting against this nutbar idea of the council’s?

Then there are some of his other election promises. The temporary hospital car park in Hagley Park. That was going to be done before Christmas.

And what about the roving pothole maintenance crew? They were going to have carte blanche permission to just fix things when they saw things that needed fixing. No permission required. Because they were going to be all about getting stuff done.

You may be one of the 53,000 people who voted for Phil Mauger, and you may have done so on the basis of his commitment to keep rates increases as low as three or four percent.

So how do you feel about him saying over the weekend that that’s unlikely, and that double-digit rates increases are actually more likely next year?

And, more broadly - whether you’re a Christchurch resident or not - how would you rate your trust in politicians full-stop?

Because it’s not just the mayor of Christchurch saying one thing and doing another.

Also over the weekend, we learned that the Labour Party and the Green Party used last week’s urgency in Parliament to tweak the Three Waters legislation to make it as difficult as possible for any future government to pull the plug on it.

This was all done on-the-fly and without any public announcements or discussion. Despite all the talk and reassurances from the Government that it is the most open and transparent government we’ve ever had.

Again, do me a favour.

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