Leaders open to council merger
Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson. Photo: Grey District Council
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Leaders open to council merger
Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson. Photo: Grey District Council 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
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Councillor Challenges West Coast Council Over Secrecy
A West Coast regional councillor is challenging the council's refusal to reveal the credentials of people who work for it. Brett Cummings, who chairs the council's Resource Management Committee, asked the council in March for details of the professional qualifications of Commissioners and a planner engaged by the council to work on the region's new district plan - Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP). The Greymouth goldminer represents his council on the TTPP working group and has protested regularly over its mounting costs and rules he considers too restrictive. 'It's supposed to be an enabling plan, customised for the Coast but the planners have taken over and I wanted to know to know how qualified they are and in what fields'. Cr Cummings made his request under the provisions of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA). But the council's quarterly summary of LGOIMA requests showed it was rejected on privacy grounds. Under the Act, councils can withhold information to protect the privacy of 'natural persons'', including the dead. Cr Cummings says that makes no sense in this case. 'These are professional people and we are paying them and the council should be open about their backgrounds and their qualifications.' The councillor has since found the information he wanted both online and in the council's public documents. Principal planner Lois Easton formally recorded her credentials with the TTPP committee at the beginning of the plan project. Her LinkedIn profile describes her as an environmental scientist with 25 years' experience advising government and not for profit organisations. And a quick Google search reveals her bio as a member of the Hawke's Bay Conservation Board, with an MSc degree in environmental planning and botany. The credentials of the five TTPP commissioners are also readily available online. Cr Cummings says council staff appear confused about the meaning of privacy, as it applies under LGOIMA. 'If the information is publicly available and our council staff are citing privacy – you have to wonder why.' The LGOIMA report shows the council rejected several other information requests on privacy grounds, and those decisions should be reviewed, Cr Cummings said. The West Coast Regional Council received 27 LGOIMA requests over the quarter and granted 13 of them in full. Ten were granted in part, with remaining questions declined. Privacy grounds were cited in three other cases. Information requested about the Taylorville Resource Park and its monitoring was partly withheld on grounds of privacy, maintenance of the law, legal privilege and to protect the free and frank exchange of information by or to council officers. A request about the Te Kinga pest control aerial poison drop was refused in part to 'protect staff and contractors from improper pressure or harassment." Another, about compliance monitoring, was declined to protect privacy and the integrity of the council's environmental complaints hotline. Other requests were refused on commercial grounds, or because the information did not exist, or that collating it would require too much work. The council has been approached for comment.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Trump Tariffs Critique Sparks Councillor To Jump To US President's Defence
If Donald Trump ever found himself on the West Coast, he could count on at least one fan to roll out the regional council welcome mat. Goldmining councillor Allan Birchfield sprang to the defence of the US President at this month's corporate services meeting, after the council's treasury advisor critiqued Trump's tariff policies and their chaotic impact on financial markets. Bancorp corporate manager Miles O'Connor was presenting the firm's quarterly report on the West Coast Regional Council's (WCRC) $14 million investment fund, and the global trends likely to affect interest rates - all backed up with graphs, facts and figures. The US was moving away from acting in the world's interest towards an America-centric approach, he noted. Traditionally 60 percent of the world's capital had gone to the US because it was seen as a safe haven in uncertain times, O'Connor said. But the volatility in the equity and bond markets that followed Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs had not been seen since the stock market crash of 1987, and had caused a flight of capital out of the US and into European, Asian, and Japanese markets. Predicting profits and interest rates had become so difficult that some banks and major companies had given up forecasting completely, O'Connor said. The US president had also challenged the independence of the Federal Reserve by calling on its governor to cut interest rates. "Now that's just not done normally by political leaders. You don't see our Reserve Bank being told by the Prime Minister you must drop rates. "It's inherent in monetary policy that the central bank is independent of political influence." Trump had since reduced the 145 percent on Chinese goods to 30 percent, and the markets had settled down somewhat, but some tariffs would be permanent and New Zealand exports would be affected, O'Connor said. A recent Federal Reserve survey showed the tariffs were not working as hoped in the US domestic market: businesses were passing on price hikes to customers which was inflationary and hardly any overseas companies were relocating to the US. "My view is (Trump) probably won't go back to what he was doing; he probably didn't expect the reaction he got." Two Trump policies that did make sense were US defence spending and ending "unfettered" immigration, O'Connor said. "I'm not totally opposed to what he (Trump) does - some of the other policies I am slightly dubious about." Councillor Birchfield, whose goldmine office sports a large photo of Trump, seized his opening. "I'm pleased you're starting to give Donald a bit of credit - you go on with the usual rhetoric, anti-Donald Trump. "You say the US only does stuff in its own interest - you need to think about the US Navy - it guarantees freedom of trade - even for China [and] it's a huge cost on the US taxpayer." The US had recently "sorted out" the (Yemen rebel group) Houthis who had been disrupting world trade, Birchfield said. "Nobody else is gonna do that so you do need to start recognising the value of the US. And I see you saying it could impact New Zealand exports. "You don't really know. Lift your game," Birchfield instructed the Bancorp manager. O'Connor agreed the US did protect world trade. "But [the tariffs] are having an effect on our exports - we know that from some of our clients who've had orders cancelled." Birchfield continued, saying Trump had a huge problem of debt and a trade imbalance with China. "There's gonna be a bit of a shake down but at the end of the day he had to sort that out." O'Connor said the reason for the trade imbalance was that the US just could not match China's manufacturing capabilities. Council chairperson Peter Haddock put an end to the exchange, saying "We've had a shot across the bows by the US". "We have to recognise the volatility in the world... the best we can get out of it is lower interest rates." O'Connor said the official cash rate was likely to drop to three percent this year or possibly lower by November. The council had longer term cover in place for its investments and would not need to make any changes until next year, he said.
