Two Otago mayors have been accused of “meeting in the shadows” as the wheels come off the region’s united front on amalgamation. On Monday, the Otago Mayoral Forum was in apparent agreement, having decided in-principle to opt out of the government’s merger proposal programme. However by Thursday, Central Otago and Clutha district councils had voted to back a proposed merger with Queenstown Lakes. Dunedin councillors were critical of the plan they believed left the city in the lurch. Cr Andrew Simms said it appeared while Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker was collaborating with the forum, “other mayors have been meeting in the shadows devising their own plans for the future of Otago which do not include the Dunedin City Council”. But Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley was having none of it — describing Cr Simms’ comments as “absolute rubbish”. “We have been working through the options with all of the mayors of Otago . . . but there are some realities — being a small rural council, and the types of communities we serve here in Central Otago, is totally different to a metropolitan city of 130,000 people,” she said. [Missing Credit]Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley. Photo: Allied Media Files Clutha District Mayor Jock Martin was unable to be reached for comment on Thursday. Councils have until August 9 to submit ‘‘Head Start’’ plans for new unitary authorities made up of at least two councils. Those with an unsuccessful proposal, or no proposal at all, would have structures imposed on them. Early this month, Waitaki District Council backed joining a proposed South Canterbury unitary authority, though remained open to discussions on its southern boundary. With the deadline looming and a practical merger proposal seemingly out of reach, the mayors of Otago’s remaining councils proposed a joint letter, pledging to continue collaborative work, be submitted to the government. The mayors stressed it did not pre-empt individual council decisions, as evidenced this week when, at separate meetings, Central Otago and Clutha district councils voted to advance the same merger proposal. Their proposed unitary authority would combine the full areas of the Central Otago, Clutha and Queenstown Lakes district councils, with an option to include Waitaki District Council’s Waihemo ward and rural parts of Dunedin City, including Middlemarch and the Taieri catchment, if they wished. Queenstown Lakes District and Dunedin City councils will discuss their position at meetings on Monday. Queenstown Lakes’ agenda mentioned a possible inland-coastal “twin unitaries” model. Cr Simms, who backed an Otago-wide unitary council, said he believed Central Otago and Clutha’s “clandestine abandonment” of the mayors’ previous position “destroys any credibility” the mayoral forum may have had. The proposal was a politically motivated “One Otago except the Octagon” approach, he said. Ms Alley said discussions were ongoing among councils, but Central Otago’s priority was a Head Start outcome which best served the district’s residents. “When we went out to our communities and asked what was important, the number one thing for Central Otago people was our identity. “We do need to ensure that that community rural voice is secure and that people have a say in what happens with their councils.” An opportunity for Dunedin to share services with the proposed council remained, Ms Alley said. Nonetheless, Dunedin city councillors were downbeat about recent developments. Cr Brent Weatherall said the chances of a regional consensus were “doomed” from the start and he believed the rural-urban divide was growing. “At this stage, the tail is wagging the dog and I feel that once the government steps in, the councils joined at our hip will be forced into joining Dunedin’s economy of scale.” Cr Doug Hall said the approaching deadline was compelling decision-making and “that’s not how good governance should work”. It was a “complete mess”, Cr Russell Lund said. “We, as the biggest council in the region needed to take the lead and sell the benefits to the other councils of a region-wide amalgamation. Instead we have been a total passenger on a journey to nowhere.” Cr Jo Galer said it was wrong of councillors to rely on the mayoral forum and it appeared Dunedin’s best interests of the city had not been well served. “The entire process so far is bizarre.” Cr Mandy Mayhem saw the various models as options for discussion, rather than conclusions and any proposal would need clear evidence residents were better served. When asked about the matter, Queenstown Lakes councillors were keen not to pre-determine their discussion. Mayor John Glover said the council was reflecting on recent decisions and would take it into account at Monday’s meeting. ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz
