Foxton not going anywhere
The Horowhenua and Manawatu¯ district councils are hosing down talk of territory swaps amid rumours Foxton could be the next town in line for a change.
There are already moves for the Tokopiki area – Tokomaru and O¯ piki – to shift north from Horowhenua District Council to Palmerston North City Council.
Then at a recent Horowhenua council meeting, councillor Neville Gimblett said there was talk the Tokopiki group may not be the only boundary change coming. Gimblett, who represents the northern Kere Kere ward, told Stuff there had been talk about a potential shift for Foxton, but he couldn’t see it happening.
‘‘I know a few years ago there was quite a bit of talk bandied around. I’m not sure who it was by, but it came to nothing.
‘‘I just noticed there’s one or two people talking about it again, probably on the back of the Tokopiki thing. And I just think people need to make sure. If people want to talk about it, they need to realise just what the facts are.’’
Gimblett said people had a right to decide where they want to go.
But he didn’t think a shift to Manawatu¯ was the best move for Foxton, which was a big district stretching from Himatangi to Rangiwahia.
‘‘There’s no common interest.’’ He said the changes to rates could be a disaster.
Horowhenua’s council voted to participate in discussions about the Tokopiki shift and
would do the same for any proposed boundary change considered
by the Local Government Commission.
But the council’s group manager of corporate services, Mark Lester, said it had not received anything formal about a proposed boundary change between Horowhenua and Manawatu¯ .
‘‘The council has not had any discussions on such a proposed boundary change,’’ Lester said.
‘‘However, it is proud to have Foxton and Foxton Beach communities as part of the Horowhenua District and has over the years invested heavily in service and amenity infrastructure to develop and grow these parts of its district.’’
There had been no other discussions about a boundary change in the district.
The feelings about a boundary change were the same at the Manawatu¯ District Council.
‘‘There have not been any discussions about a boundary change with us,’’ Manawatu¯ mayor Helen Worboys said. ‘‘Until a proposal is presented, we won’t know if it should be considered.’’
For any potential move, a submission needs to be put to the council with an application to the Local Government Commission.
The commission will decide whether to assess the application, then see if there is sufficient evidence of community support.
If so, the commission will trigger a formal reorganisation process, including consultation with the affected communities.