Super-council for Wairarapa?
The Local Government Commission is seeking public submissions on a draft proposal for a combined Wairarapa District Council. Commission chairman Sir Wira Gardiner explains the background and outlines what is proposed.
After the fizzer that was the Wellington super-city proposal, the three councils that make up Wairarapa look set to become one.
The Local Government Commission has published a draft proposal to combine Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa district councils after its inquiries found there was a public mandate for change.
The new council would be made up of a mayor, elected by Wairarapa district voters, and 12 councillors elected from seven wards, including two rural ones.
Five community boards would also be created for Featherston, Martinborough, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton, comprising 21 members.
With a total population of about 43,600, the proposed Wairarapa District Council would be similar to those of Timaru, Marlborough, Whanganui or Upper Hutt.
Joining the three councils together is expected to save $31 million over the first 10 years, but the process of merging will cost $21m, leaving Wairarapa $10m better off over the next decade.
It would take two years before the savings began to outweigh the costs.
The commission has proposed to keep current rating arrangements in place until the new council and the community have had a chance to consider any changes.
If rates changed as a result of the merger, the change would be capped at 5 per cent, up or down, each year. The cap would remain in force until 2024.
Wairarapa would remain part of the Wellington region, meaning residents would still pay rates to Greater Wellington Regional Council as well.
The public will decide whether all this goes ahead. Feedback will be sought and a Wairarapa-wide referendum will be held if 10 per cent or more of electors in either South Wairarapa, Carterton or Masterton sign a petition calling for one.
South Wairarapa Mayor Viv Napier said there was a more positive feeling about this merger than about plans to combine all nine councils across the Wellington region into a super-city, which was scrapped because it had little public support.
‘‘We’re more in control of our own destiny, rather than getting sucked up by big brother, like it was under the super-city,’’ she said.
Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson said the proposed council had good rural and urban representation, from Martinborough to Masterton.
But it could meet opposition from smaller areas, which did not want to be swallowed up.
Carterton Mayor John Booth said it was a good thing the final decision was in the hands of the public.
Regional council chairman Chris Laidlaw said the only change to its organisation would be the addition of a 10-member Wairarapa committee.
Regional rates would not be affected, he said.
If approved, the Wairarapa District Council could see its first election in late 2018, serving an initial four-year term before reverting to a three-year cycle.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester said he did not expect the Wairarapa proposal to reignite debate over a Wellington-Porirua merger: ‘‘There is no public appetite for it.’’
Porirua Mayor Mike Tana agreed it was important for Porirua to keep its own identity. ‘‘Given that Justin is quite strongly against having that [merger] conversation, we can assume cold water has been poured on that idea.’’
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said any decision on whether his council combined with Hutt City Council was ultimately up to the public, but there had been no discussions about such a move.
‘‘It’s not about individual councils, it’s about us working together where we can to benefit the whole Wellington region,’’ he said.
In mid-2013, South Wairarapa District Council, Carterton District Council and Masterton District Council put forward an application to the Local Government Commission to form a single unitary council for Wairarapa.
An application from the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) for a Wellington ‘‘Super City’’ followed hard on its heels. These two proposals set in motion a process which, finally, has an end in sight.
The intervening history has been well-traversed, but I thought it important, as we go forward with a draft proposal for a Wairarapa District Council, to recall that the idea of working together to achieve the best possible local government arrangements for the district is not a new one, nor something the commission dreamed up of its own accord.
This proposal, then, marks a milestone for the Wairarapa community, the commission and the rest of the Wellington region. It is the culmination of more than 18 months’ work by mayors, councillors, council staff, the commission, and by the generous, active Wairarapa residents who have given us their time and thoughtful feedback.
Since withdrawing the proposal for a single region-wide unitary council for Wellington in mid-2015, our approach has been to come back to the community and listen directly to what local people want from their local government.
The release of the Wairarapa draft proposal means that the formal reorganisation process in the rest of the Wellington region is now at an end. However, working with the Wellington region mayoral forum together we identified and agreed to investigate a range of functions.
These included transport, water, economic development and spatial planning. The commission has presented the councils with technical reports on these areas, and sees opportunities for the region should the Wellington councils choose to take these up, particularly in transport and three waters.
The commission has limited additional powers under the current legislative arrangements but is considering whether to make further formal recommendations on these matters to Wellington councils. In the meantime, the ball is in the councils’ court.
In Wairarapa we held a series of public engagement events in 2016 to include the community at all stages of development of the proposal. Most recently we asked what local government should look like – investigating what structures would best promote good local government, meet community interests, and facilitate economic performance.
Community feedback in Wairarapa was clear – there was strong support for a combined district council. Taking this into account and considering many factors, the commission concluded that, on balance, the Wairarapa District Council option would best promote good local government in the area. This is no reflection on current councils’ performance. It is about future-proofing Wairarapa’s local government and creating a council that is more resilient to the challenges ahead.
As the name suggests, the essence of the proposal is a single Wairarapa District Council combining the existing three councils, South Wairarapa, Carterton and Masterton. There would be a single mayor elected from across the district, 12 ward councillors from seven wards, and 21 elected community board members from five boards centred round the five main towns.
The district would remain part of the Wellington region, with GWRC continuing its current roles and responsibilities; but there would also be a new Wairarapa committee of GWRC to strengthen Wairarapa input into regional council issues affecting the district. There would be a Rural standing committee and a Maori standing committee to ensure appropriate input from rural communities and from marae, hapu and iwi.
We have worked closely with the Wairarapa councils at each stage of preparing this draft proposal, building on their original 2013 application to the commission, where possible. Our robust relationship with mayors and councillors in the district gives us the ability to work constructively together and sometimes, agree to disagree. We hope and expect this will continue through the submissions process.
Likewise, we encourage the wider Wairarapa community to provide feedback on the proposal.
The full details of the proposal, including what happens next, are available at www.lgc.govt.nz or in our booklets and pamphlets available from Wairarapa council offices and libraries. Submissions close on May 3 and there will be public hearings in Wairarapa in late May for those who wish to speak to their submissions.