Otago’s mayors have agreed “in principle” to opt out of the government’s amalgamation proposals programme. As next month’s deadline looms, council agendas show the region’s mayors appear to consider a practical merger proposal out of reach — proposing instead a joint letter pledging to continue working together be submitted. Mayors told the Otago Daily Times their discussions did not pre-empt or direct individual council decisions. Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said nothing had been ruled out, but mayors were conscious an agreement needed to be reached as soon as possible. “While the [Otago] Mayoral Forum has broadly discussed an approach that signals a willingness to continue working together on options, rather than deliver a rushed Head Start application, there is still room for an application if it is deemed to be the best way forward,” Ms Barker said. In May, the government gave councils three months to submit “Head Start” plans for new unitary authorities made up of at least two councils. Councils with an unsuccessful proposal, or no proposal at all, would have structures imposed on them, dubbed the ‘‘backstop’’ process. The August 9 deadline imminent, Waitaki District Council is the only Otago council to have formally backed a preferred amalgamation option, looking north to a proposed South Canterbury unitary authority. Following separate council workshops last week, Clutha District Mayor Jock Martin and Queenstown Lakes District Mayor John Glover both said their councils were not in positions to submit proposals by the deadline. Dunedin city councillors will discuss their position at an extraordinary meeting on August 3. A report on the head-start programme for Wednesday’s Central Otago District Council (CODC) meeting recommended councillors noted the mayors had “agreed in principle” to submit a joint letter rather than an application. CODC governance and business services group manager Saskia Righarts’ report said any formal application by deadline was “going to be impractical” given the “complexity” of required discussions. “As an alternative, the mayors are proposing to submit a joint letter of intent in lieu of a formal application that will outline the work and conversations to date, as well as a commitment to continue working collaboratively together.” Dr Righarts’ report said such a letter would “hopefully enable the Otago region to have a stronger footing to determine its future under the backstop pathway”. A starting point for ongoing conversations would be Central Otago kept as a whole and “towns not ‘carved off’ to other various districts”. The letter’s contents would be discussed at the Otago Mayoral Forum on Friday, the report said. An agenda for last Wednesday’s Clutha District Council (CDC) workshop made reference to a July 15 meeting of Otago mayors and Otago Regional Council chairwoman Hilary Calvert, where “there was some consensus that a Head Start proposal was unlikely to gain sufficient Otago council approvals”. The report said the letter could communicate intent to find a solution which met the government’s aims and did not require the backstop process. The CDC agenda also included three indicative options for a rural Otago unitary authority — two including swathes of Dunedin’s hinterland. In a joint response to questions from the ODT, Ms Barker, Mr Glover, Mr Martin and Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley said each council remained free to form its own position on amalgamation. The four said through regular discussions, they had agreed in principle a joint letter to government “could” be an alternative if each council decided not to advance a Head Start proposal. They had been open with councillors and communities about the process, they said. Separately, Ms Barker said the time mayors were taking reflected the scale and complexity of the decisions, but they all remained “committed to delivering the best possible outcomes” for their communities. ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz
