Commission prefers one district plan
The Local Government Commission has rejected the idea of merging the West Coast’s four councils, but wants them to consider creating a combined district plan.
The commission’s preferred option was to retain the structure of the Buller, Grey and Westland district councils and West Coast Regional Council.
The lead commissioner for the West Coast reorganisation proposal, Janie Annear, said the preferred option was to have a single set of planning and development rules for the whole region.
‘‘This decision, pending the release of a draft proposal and a period of submissions, will provide certainty on the process for developing a combined plan.’’
The commission received an application in June 2015 by former Westland councillor Anthea Keenan and anti-1080 campaigner Peter Salter, asking for the four councils to be merged to save money.
Annear acknowledged the West Coast was home to just 32,600 people over a stretch of land as long as Auckland to Wellington and its limited rating base faced challenges, particularly in meeting infrastructure, service delivery and planning needs.
Creating a unitary authority would combine the functions of each council, but each town and region would have its own representatives.
‘‘Financial and operational analysis of the options showed the option of a unitary authority for the region is workable and would deliver the greatest potential gains for the West Coast,’’ she said. ‘‘But the commission has come to the view, given the special nature of the West Coast, that just one council along with an unfamiliar local board structure wasn’t the best option at this time to enable democratic local decision-making.’’
Keeping the status-quo was not considered a reasonable option due to the challenges in resourcing and capacity the West Coast councils faced. Surveys on the West Coast indicated most people wanted change, including sharing some services to ‘‘increase their efficiency and cost-effectiveness’’, Annear said.
The commission will now consult councils before releasing a draft proposal in the first half of next year.
Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said having one district plan was commonsense and he supported the commission’s ‘‘well considered decision’’.
‘‘Before I was mayor, the mayors signed a document agreeing to put in place a structure that would have one district plan and it’s gone round in circle since then.
‘‘What will happen now is the Local Government Commission is using a structure that’s got legislative backbone to actually ensure that it does happen..’’
Anomalies across the West Coast would be tidied up, including improving homeowners seeking building consents that differed in Greymouth and Hokitika.
Grey Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said a combined district plan would create the same set of rules for people building a house or doing work anywhere in the region. ‘‘Any step to shared services and having less rates for ratepayers and keeping things simple within the regulatory system is a good thing.
‘‘Because the three district councils and the regional council are all on the same page . . . the complications and expenses aren’t there, so it should take the pressure off rate rises,’’ he said.
Buller Mayor Garry Howard said he was ‘‘disappointed’’. The Buller District Council has rejected calls from the West Coast’s three other councils to create one district plan four times.
‘‘The problem was never identified about what was wrong with our district plan and what cost benefits there were with having such an amalgamated, one district plan situation,’’ he said.
West Coast Regional Council chairman Andrew Robb said the council had been advocating for one region-wide plan. ‘‘It will be worthwhile, it’s just a bit of a shame that it had to be done by someone telling us to do it rather than making our own decision.’’