The Selwyn District Council has shut the door on a merger with Christchurch. 

At an extraordinary council meeting on Thursday, it was agreed Selwyn would submit a proposal to be a standalone unitary authority.

The council now has until August 9 to submit the proposal to the Government’s Head Start process deadline of August 9. 

Councillors are expected to meet again on Wednesday to formally adopt a proposal before it is submitted on August 7.

Thursday’s decision follows the council running a 10-day survey on three options:

  • Selwyn as a standalone unitary authority.
  • Selwyn and Ashburton District amalgamate.
  • Selwyn amalgamates with Christchurch, Waimakariri and Hurunui.

Of the 4035 responses, 58% supported Selwyn becoming a unitary authority, 24% favoured an amalgamation with Ashburton and 18% backed a merger with Christchurch, Waimakariri and Hurunui.

Mayor Lydia Gliddon said Thursday’s decision is really only the start of the process 

“If we make it through this gate, there are still two years of detailed design,” she said.

“Regardless, this isn’t a one-and-done.” 

Gliddon thanked the community for its large response and the council’s staff who had given a large amount of extra time to respond in the short timeframe. 

Cabinet is expected to decide whether it moves forward with Selwyn’s proposal in September. 

Any changes are expected to be implemented before the 2028 local body elections. 

To meet the requirements, the council still needs one other Canterbury council to support Selwyn being a standalone unitary.

Thursday’s decision delegated Gliddon to request other mayors to support Selwyn’s proposal. 

Councillor Samuel Wilshire said it was “glaringly obvious” the community wanted Selwyn to become a unitary authority. 

Councillor Tracey Macleod said there was little evidence of council amalgamations producing savings globally.  

The council could have also chosen not to submit a proposal, which would have left it to the Government to decide. 

Councillor Sophie McInnes was the only councillor to vote for this option based on the risks and the many unknowns in the legislation to support the amalgamations, which is still to be written.

"Local government needs reform but not this way,” she said. 

Gliddon said there had been a “strong mandate” to submit a proposal from the community. 

"You’re either at the table or on the menu,” she said. 

As a unitary authority, the council would be responsible for delivering some regional functions currently done by Environment Canterbury.

What those regional functions will be are still largely unknown, with some still requiring cross-council collaboration. 

The Government is finalising the replacement for the Resource Management Act: the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill, with the impacts of the replacement bills still unknown.