That is the view of regional councillor Michael Laws, who will table a paper on "The Local Government Commission & Unitary Authorities" at a council committee meeting this week. Cr Laws warned on Friday that a mooted Dunedin-based unitary authority, in which the Dunedin City Council potentially assumed the relevant regional council duties in its area, would be a "thermonuclear" option. That outcome would probably spark similar unitary authority moves in Central Otago and Queenstown, and the ORC "could not survive alone", he said in an interview.
Last month, the DCC unanimously resolved that staff prepare a high level report for the city council outlining "the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a unitary authority".
ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead said the matters raised by Cr Laws would be discussed at an ORC meeting on Wednesday and there would also be some potentially related discussion at the Otago Mayoral Forum and another regional gathering tomorrow.
His own personal view was that it would be good to wait until the DCC report had been produced and see what it contained, Mr Woodhead said.
Territorial authorities and the ORC already worked closely together, as the recent development of Emergency Management Otago showed, and the forum was also considering collaborative ways to further improve services, he said.
Cr Laws said one possible outcome after talking to other authorities was a "transfer of responsibilities", resulting in, for example, the ORC’s urban transport duties being transferred to Dunedin and Queenstown councils respectively.
"Most of these issues are about effective communication and establishing good working relationships.
"If the ORC needs a kick in the pants, or to be more proactive in engaging other councils and communities, let’s hear that message and resolve to be better."
He was a "philosophical fan" of unitary authorities, but, ultimately, the ORC should do the research, involve the community, and choose the governance structure "our ratepayers and residents prefer".
If the ORC did not take the initiative, it risked an "activist" commission imposing its solution from outside the region, and "I’m not sure that’s what Otago wants or needs", Cr Laws said.
The paper, written by Cr Laws, advises against a "passive wait-and see policy", and includes a recommendation for talks with other councils, to be moved by Cr Laws and seconded by councillor Maggie Lawton.
Given "recent public and political disquiet", the ORC should talk to territorial authorities to determine "the most effective and efficient governance structure" in Otago.
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'Territory folks should stick together, territory folks should all be friends'/Oklahoma.
'Activist' as used by Michael Laws, was a pejorative term on his TalkBack show (which is much missed).