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A “mega merger” of the West Coast’s four councils into a unitary structure is not off the cards, local government leaders say.
Southland District Mayor Rob Scott has just backed a full-scale merger in the Deep South.
On the West Coast, an attempt in 2015 to merge the four councils through a citizens-initiated referendum resulted in the Local Government Commission ordering a combined district plan instead — Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP).
Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson said the region’s leaders were always talking about ways of working more closely but much of that had yet to move beyond discussion.
“I’m not opposed to it … it has to come as far as I’m concerned, and it will come eventually.”
However, merging councils could also effectively mean “throwing out the baby with the bath water” and ending in “bureaucratic excess,” Mrs Gibson said.
Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine said he did not believe the current government had an appetite to impose amalgamations on the West Coast, “but I wouldn’t be surprised”.
“I honestly think Local Water Done Well will be a bit of a test as to how councils work together,” he said.
Buller, Grey and Westland district councils are considering forming a joint company or CCO (council-controlled organisation) to take over three waters (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater) functions throughout the region.
West Coast Regional Council chairman Peter Haddock said he believed a restructure had to come, based on the need for “rates affordability”.
It would have to be on the basis of “fair representation” across the whole region.
He could foresee that, bringing about at least a two-council unitary authority structure that absorbed the current environmental functions of the regional council and combined with the current Westland and Grey district councils into a southern West Coast unitary council.
“There’s got to be a way forward in the future. That’s a question for the new council.
“However, the one plan [TTPP] is the key to it,” Cr Haddock said.
The TTPP provided a model for collaboration by implementing a regime “run by the same set of planning rules” regardless of local authority boundaries in the region.
“That will be the founding document for it going forward.
“[But] I still believe there has to be some form of service centre in Buller, Grey and Westland.”
Mr Cleine said he could definitely see a merger coming but he did not sense any real groundswell yet to formally instigate it.
“There isn’t an appetite I don’t think for a full governance merger-type scenario — just because of our geography.”
He had “no fixed views” on the possibility, apart from not wanting Buller district swallowed up by a mega council administering the whole region.
“We shouldn’t rule out some form of closer working together on the West Coast … apart from not having one structure.”
He agreed the Local Water Done Well reform was an important step and a tangible foretaste for wider restructure.
The joint CCO proposal was a “no-brainer to access cheaper capital” for asset provision, given the Westland, Grey and Buller councils faced a combined bill of $250 million to upgrade three-waters infrastructure.
If that got runs on the board it might give more impetus to other efforts to come together, Mr Cleine said.
“Seeing how that lands and getting that up and running could be a good vehicle to look at other areas.”
Westland Mayor Helen Lash was not available for comment. — Greymouth Star
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