Northland council leaders have signalled they are still committed to the amalgamation process despite the Government hitting pause on reform.
By Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter
The region's efforts towards the biggest overhaul of local government in almost four decades have been left in political limbo since the Government announced it needed more time to consider Head Start merger proposals.
The change of tack pushes any decision beyond November's general election, raising the prospect that Northland's proposal could ultimately be judged by a different government from the one that launched the nationwide change process.
Asked by Local Democracy Reporting what the delay meant for Tai Tokerau's plans, the Northland Local Government Reform Elected Member Steering Group said councils remained committed to finding the best long-term local government model for the region.
Steering group chair and Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper said councils continued to view reform as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to improve local government arrangements for Northlanders.
"We remain committed to building a solution that is durable and delivers real benefits for Northlanders. We look forward to receiving clear direction from the Government post the election."
Northland's Head Start amalgamation outline proposal, submitted by Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Far North District Council (FNDC) and endorsed by Northland Regional Council (NRC) in August, proposed a two-stage path to amalgamation.
A southern unitary authority combining WDC, Kaipara District Council (KDC), and NRC functions, and a northern unitary authority combining FNDC and NRC functions would be established for the Government's requested 2028 local election deadline, before eventually transitioning to a single Northland unitary authority.
Northland's majority outline proposal was accepted for consideration after the councils spent three months developing it to meet the Government's August 9 deadline.
KDC did not support the proposal and instead put forward its own alternative reform option, which did not meet the Government's Head Start criteria and was not accepted.
The Government previously said it would decide this month which of the regional Head Start proposals could proceed to the detailed design stage.
Had Northland received the green light this month, it would have been required to prepare a detailed blueprint by March, with final Cabinet decisions expected in May and legislation supporting changes nationwide in place by late 2027.
That timeline would have seen Northlanders voting under a substantially different council structure at the 2028 local elections - the first time they'd have faced a new council structure in the region since local government's nationwide 1989 amalgamations.
Instead, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts said on Thursday that, after considering 18 reform proposals from around the country, the Government had concluded more work was needed before deciding which plans should proceed.
Wellington mayor Andrew Little and Ashburton mayor Liz McMillan both said it had been a rushed process, which took a lot of time and money. (Source: Breakfast)
The decision raises questions about whether there's enough time to put new council structures in Northland and around the country in place before the Government's ambitious 2028 local election deadline, with Bishop yesterday offering no indication as to whether this deadline set by his government now remains achievable.
Mayor Couper said he understood why the Government wanted more time before making what could be far-reaching decisions.
"Local government reform of this level is complex, and we welcome the Government's efforts to ensure we reach a sustainable solution that is embedded with strong regional collaboration."
Kaipara Mayor Jonathan Larsen said the delay would provide more time to consider the implications of reform and ensure communities had a meaningful opportunity to help shape any future changes.
"Local government reform is too important to rush," Larsen said.
NRC chair Pita Tipene said the work undertaken to date had not been wasted.
"Our collective efforts to date have not been in vain and have provided valuable insights into what is needed to create structures that best serve our communities into the future," Tipene said.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said the pause would allow council staff to focus on other major projects, including long-term planning work and preparations for Northland's new water services organisation.
"While we do not have the clarity we may have hoped for, I'm grateful that council staff can now focus on completing other major workstreams."
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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