The Labour Party says the Government’s local government reform process is a "messy, watered down plan" - which could lead to councils being blamed when things go wrong.
By Sue Teodoro for Local Democracy Reporting
Last month, the Government gave councils three months to come up with amalgamation plans, in a bid to cut the complexity and costs of local government.
“Our message to councils is simple: lead your own reform, or we will do it for you. Either way, change is coming," RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said at the time.
Now, councils are scrambling to organise workshops, road shows, surveys and meetings to consult with communities to meet the August 9 deadline.
Labour spokesperson for local government Tangi Utikere said while the Party supported local government simplification, it should not be at the cost of loss of community voice.
“This is a messy, watered down plan from National,” he said.
“While it's positive that councils have been consulted on their own reform, we'll see more twists and turns for the Government to blame missteps on councils and further excuses for overreach.”
Utikere criticised the “very short, 90-day deadline”.
“We’ll assess how far along their reforms are when we get into Government in November – and work with local Government to ensure the smoothest path possible.”
Local Government Minister Simon Watts previously said he was confident councils could meet the timeline.
“This is a voluntary process for councils that have indicated that they are ready and keen to get underway now, to get on with the job."
Councils only need to submit outline proposals in the three-month window, and if accepted, officials will work with councils to develop proposals ahead of final decisions in 2027, he said.
The changes are part of a raft of other reforms, including plans to scrap regional councils in 2028, introduce a potential rates cap of 4%, and a shake-up of the Resource Management Act.
Former Labour Local Government Minister and current Wairarapa-based Labour list MP Kieran McAnulty said Wairarapa had already been discussing amalgamating Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa councils, while retaining Greater Wellington Regional Council, before the announcement.
"This made sense to me," he said.
McAnulty said this would have been the likely outcome for Wairarapa if discussions had continued, but the Government’s proposals had "thrown all that work up in the air".
Wairarapa is faced with two potentially unpalatable options: losing their local voice as part of a Wellington unitary authority, or having a Wairarapa unitary authority, which would likely be unaffordable, he said.
Wairarapa National Party MP Mike Butterick said the reforms were a generational opportunity to reimagine what good local governance could look like.
"There is no doubt that the current multiple structures aren't working. We've kicked the can down the road for far too long," he said.
"I support reform where it can deliver efficiencies for residents and ratepayers and continues to have fair local representation."
Green Party Local Government spokesperson, Mike Davidson, said they accepted change might be needed.
“We don’t necessarily have a view on how local government should look as a final version, but whatever it looks like, it should be led by councils and communities and not be enforced top down from central Government.”
Former Wellington Mayor and current Wairarapa-based Green Party list MP, Celia Wade-Brown, said the "Miramar to Masterton“ idea was too far for a single super city-style council.
“I am more open to a single Wairarapa council if that is what the residents want. There is scant evidence that bigger councils are cheaper to run. Auckland Super city has certainly not shown significant savings.”
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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