New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd says he will lobby the Government to help solve a tangled mess involving huge rises in rents on leasehold land in Waitara.
Rents on the New Plymouth District Council's 780 properties in Waitara have jumped in some cases from $420 to $4000 per year.
Waitara residents protested on Saturday against them.
Mr Judd said the council's hands are tied, because the price of leases is set independently by valuers under the Public Bodies Leases Act.
He said the council will now need to lobby the Government for legislative change.
The Waitara leases are currently renewed every 21 years but the mayor said he wants renewals or price adjustments done every one to two years, so residents are not saddled with such large rises.
