Group proposes Napier takes half of Hastings

A GROUP opposed to Hawke’s Bay amalgamation has lodged a proposal in which Napier would take over about half of Hastings.

Dedicated and Democratic (DAD) has lodged its proposal with the Local Government Commission in response to a proposal by A Better Hawke’s Bay that asked the commission to consider replacing the region’s four territorial authorities and regional council with a unitary authority.

DAD told the commission it was ‘‘strongly opposed’’ to proponents of the amalgamation proposal, who had ‘‘turned the clock back and raised tension and anxiety across the region’’.

It wanted to restore ‘‘harmony and unity’’ in the Bay, which would not be achieved ‘‘by a hostile takeover where the largest council uses its numerical advantage to impose unwanted changes on its neighbours’’.

The group felt its proposal ‘‘offers a way for our regional community to heal the wounds opened by the amalgamation debate and move forward again’’.

Napier and Hastings had worked well together on many issues and attempts by A Better Hawke’s Bay to portray local government as ‘‘incompetent and dysfunctional’’ were ‘‘highly misleading’’.

The group was also concerned that amalgamation would put at risk the $250 million Ruataniwha water storage scheme.

At present, Napier City Council is encircled by the much larger Hastings District Council area. DAD wants the boundary between the two to run along the Tutaekuri River, with a new Napier district council extending west to the ranges and north to the boundary with Wairoa District Council.

This would make Napier about 25 times larger than its present 102 square kilometres, and would roughly halve Hastings’ 5230 sq km.

DAD proposes the size of Napier’s council should increase by one to 13 councillors and a mayor, to cover the rural area.

Napier’s population would increase from 57,800 to 61,225, and Hastings’ would decrease from 74,300 to 70,875.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule, who backs amalgamation, said DAD’s proposal was predictable.

‘‘They raised this as an option in 1999. If you look at the purpose of the [local government] act and what reorganisation should do, it doesn’t achieve any of those things. It’s just a reaction.

‘‘Would we turn the clock back on any amalgamation that has occurred in New Zealand? No. Would anyone turn back the amalgamations that have already taken place in Hawke’s Bay? No.

‘‘People need to be looking forward . . .’’

Mr Yule also labelled a proposal to form an East Coast regional body as ‘‘ridiculous’’. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council wants a body with 11 councillors, that would cover 210,000 people and be the fifth largest in New Zealand.

At a meeting yesterday, Hastings District Council voted to lodge its own proposal with the Local Government Commission. It supports a move to a unitary authority with 18 councillors supported by five community boards.