Revolt brews in heartland over CDA representation review
Rural towns in Southland are in revolt over a proposed plan that will axe their council subcommittees.
At a meeting in Lumsden, more than 30 Community Development Area Subcommittee representatives met and unanimously rejected the proposal to remove the CDAs.
The council wants to remove the 19 CDAs and create eight newly expanded community boards.
Southland District Council mayor Gary Tong said he was ‘‘blown away’’ by the situation.
‘‘This was the first time I’ve heard there were concerns about CDAs disappearing.
‘‘I don’t know what this eleventh hour stuff is about – they should have brought their concerns before now, they’ve had eighteen months to do so.
‘‘For CDAs to start jumping up and down now, it’s amazing.’’
Mossburn CDA chairman Jim Guyton said there was widespread rejection of the Southland District Council’s plan.
‘‘When all the people got together, it was clear they were all dead against it,’’ Guyton said.
The CDAs still played a vital role in rural Southland, he said.
‘‘Since (former mayor) Frana [Cardno] started up the CDAs, she has been remembered for giving local communities a voice.
‘‘If they get their way, this lot will be remembered for getting rid of them.’’
Along with CDA members, Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker also attended the meeting.
Walker said ultimately this was a local government matter.
He had discussed the issues with Tong, and had been assured by him that what the council was proposing would still ensure grassroots voices would be heard, Walker said.
‘‘I strongly encourage people to write a letter expressing their views and submit these to council.’’
Tong said he was disappointed that he, or any of the other local council representatives, had not been informed of or invited to the meeting. ‘‘My door has been open this whole time. As a council we’ve been transparent throughout the entire process.’’
Lumsden CDA chairman Rob Scott said throughout the review process, he had been told other CDAs had been happy with the proposed changes.
‘‘[At the meeting] we found out we were unanimously on the same page, that it’s not just me thinking this.
‘‘It’s a shame if council are surprised by that – it goes to show the nature of the disconnect between council and the community.’’
Scott said in an area with such a large and diverse landmass, a ‘‘one size fits all’’ model would not work for everyone.
Public meetings were held in Nightcaps on Tuesday and in Ohai on Thursday night to discuss the proposal.
Ohai CDA chairwoman Kelly Day said the changes would hurt small communities.
‘‘My view is if you get rid of the CDAs, how would you have that local voice? With the changes, maybe one of our members could be elected onto the new community board in Otautau.
‘‘If you’ve lived here long enough, you’ll know that Otautau don’t really care about what goes on here or in Nightcaps, so I cannot see it working as a better representation.’’
Ohai CDA member said Wilfred Peard the council had adopted a ‘‘divide and conquer’’ strategy with the CDAs.
‘‘They come to our meetings and tell us that all the other CDAs are for this review, in going for community boards [instead of CDAs].
‘‘At the meeting in Lumsden there were 12 CDA chairs there, and to a tee they were all against the review in disbanding the CDAs.’’
Tong said any accusations the council had glossed over the plans for removing CDAs were ‘‘absolute rubbish.
‘‘I honestly don’t understand where they’re coming from.’’
The changes have also been met with opposition from community boards. The Riverton/Aparima Community Board’s draft submission, included in its latest agenda for a meeting on June 6, says a proposed Taramea Te WaeWae Community Board is too large and ‘‘will be unmanageable’’.
‘‘The board felt that the smaller villages will lose their identities and local projects will not be of importance or relevant in a larger community board,’’ the submission says.
The wider issues in the draft submission from the Tuatapere Community Board were that they were concerned ‘‘yet another aspect of our identity has danger of eroding’’.
Public submissions on the representation review close on June 6.