MEDIA RELEASE

10 September 2013

Waikato amalgamation debate intensifies

Business groups and local councils are rallying behind Property Council’s call for a closer look at local government amalgamation in the Waikato.

Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) and Waikato Chamber of Commerce are two of the interested parties, and both attended the local government amalgamation debate hosted by Property Council in August.

Property Council released a position paper designed to stimulate regional discussion on amalgamation at the event, which attracted more than 100 engaged people from the local community, including council officials, business leaders and mayors.

Waikato Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive Sandra Perry said her organisation is interested in the benefits of regionalisation, and is mindful of the importance of a ‘national voice’ for the region.

“We have been viewed by NZ Inc as a region behind the eight ball because we don’t have a regional economic development agency to drive economic activity. We do have a number of organisations working individually to achieve similar outcomes. However, the challenge for central government is they often do not know who to ‘talk to’.

“At the moment we are regionally individualised and whilst we have different drivers for different parts of our region, the Auckland model had some thought provoking outcomes particularly the cost saving efficiencies because of scale.

“It was good to learn that the Waikato Mayoral forum has an action plan including cost saving measures through sharing services, and in fact a person has been employed by several of the TLA’s in the group. That’s an excellent start,” said Perry.

However, Property Council’s Waikato Branch President Rob Dol thinks that the Mayoral Forum is unable to fully rectify the inefficiencies it has identified. “What Waikato needs is radical change. Why do we have to have 11 full sets of staff which all operate different policies when, in reality, Waikato should be a unified force implementing consistent regional development policies?”

TCDC’s strategic relationships and projects director Sam Napia said he is wary of a region-wide unitary authority that does not reflect the specific needs and preferences of local areas like the Coromandel. "Thames-Coromandel District Council is not supportive of a Waikato-wide Unitary Authority as the best model that serves the needs of the Coromandel.

“We agree with the Property Council's position paper on Waikato re-organisation in that the Coromandel's economic and environmental catchments do not make it a natural fit for a region-wide Unitary Authority.”

Thames-Coromandel District Council believes that reorganisation in the Waikato is inevitable and is preparing to make its own case or to respond in the event that a third party initiates a Waikato-review via the Local Government Commission.

ENDS

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