A Waikato super council, for want of a better description, will inevitably be one of the options put to the Government by its August 9 deadline – but it doesn’t have to be the only one.
Roy Pilott
Waipā district councillors have decided a single Waikato unitary authority is their preferred option for further exploration. The Waikato Regional Council has taken the same view.
Ōtorohanga and Waitomo councillors held talks last week and were on the same page in terms of those districts joining forces – illustrated by a photo of the two sets of councillors and mayors John Robertson and Rodney Dow shoulder to shoulder.
But the Government’s drive for change is geared to thinking big as it maintains pressure on local bodies to improve efficiencies and cap rates.
The government is anticipating proposals which see multiple councils teaming up. That’s already been achieved in Waikato where two water entities have been established.
So Waikato boundaries could cut across the region, encompass it completely – or remain open in the south where there has been a call for the inclusion of Taumarunui in any model involving northern King Country councils.
Resource Management Act Reform minister Chris Bishop and Local Government minister Simon Watts told all councils on May 5 about head starts and back stops.
‘Head Start’ is a voluntary approach where two or more councils submit an amalgamation proposal to central government. ‘Back Stop’ is a process for those councils that don’t submit a proposal where central government will determine how amalgamation will occur.
The August 9 deadline left councils at least partially snookered in terms of public consultation – it is inevitable that many of those conversations will be held after recommendations are made.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he is open to local government consolidation and streamlining but is not convinced by top-down government approaches. That said, he was at the forefront of the merger of the country’s 16 polytechs to form Te Pūkenga in 2019, a programme subsequently unravelled by the National led government.
Tim Macindoe
The Waikato Mayoral Forum, led by Hamilton’s Tim Macindoe, is not scheduled to meet the district’s iwi forum before the August deadline, but it is anticipated an earlier meeting will be proposed.
The issue has not sparked wide public debate, but it’s inevitable there will be cries of foul from rural communities if they feel they are being sucked into an Auckland style super city model.
That point is not lost on Macindoe who says the forum must look at how any plan put to the government protects the “local voice”.
He was in Ōtorohanga where the mayoral forum was hosted this week for further discussions and acknowledges a lot of work has still to be done
Waipā’s Mike Pettit said councils across the country were facing significant change and Waipā wanted to help shape the future of local government in the Waikato rather than wait for decisions to be imposed – the ‘back stop’.
Mike Pettit
“We know change is coming, and we want to lead the conversation — not have a model imposed on us,” he said.
His council would continue to test unitary the option against alternatives and assess the impacts.
Pettit said the timeframe was tight and the issues were complex but Waipā entered the discussions from a position of strength as a high-performing, high-growth district.
“A single unitary authority could provide more coordinated planning, infrastructure delivery and investment across the Waikato region, by bringing regional and district functions together into one organisation,” he said.
“Decisions affecting communities need to continue to be made close to those communities. Whatever the model, representation for Waipā communities must be maintained.”
Auckland has operated as a super council for 16 years. Eight regional and district council voted to hold hands in 2010
