Opinion: One Otago – or everyone for themselves?

Clutha District Mayor Jock Martin’s recent comments on council amalgamation have exposed an uncomfortable truth. While Otago’s councils continue to publicly champion collaboration through the Otago Mayoral Forum, several appear to be pursuing their own interests behind the scenes. Mr Martin has outlined a proposal that would remove the Taieri and Strath Taieri from Dunedin City and incorporate them into a new Otago Unitary Authority, while leaving the remainder of Dunedin outside that arrangement. It is a remarkable proposition. The population of the area he seeks to acquire is roughly equal to the entire population of the existing Clutha District. This is not a minor boundary adjustment. It is an ambitious attempt to redraw Otago’s political map by annexing one of Dunedin’s most valuable communities. His comments do not stand alone. Waitaki District councillors have unanimously voted in favour of joining Canterbury, while Queenstown Mayor John Glover has publicly participated in a discussion with Michael Laws, which the latter termed “anyone but Dunedin”. These are hardly the actions of councils committed to developing a unified future for Otago. Throughout this process, Dunedin city councillors have been encouraged to remain patient while the Otago Mayoral Forum develops a collaborative regional proposal. That commitment to collaboration is reflected in the forum’s published minutes. Yet the reality now appears very different. The forum’s chair, Waitaki Mayor Mel Tavendale, has supported her own district leaving Otago altogether, while other leaders openly promote alternatives which exclude Dunedin. The contrast between the rhetoric of collaboration and the actions of individual councils could hardly be more stark. This is particularly surprising given Dunedin’s position within the region. Dunedin is Otago’s largest economy, contributing around half of the region’s GDP. It possesses substantial commercial assets through Aurora Energy and City Forests, one of New Zealand’s most resilient deep-water ports, internationally recognised education and research institutions and a new teaching hospital that will serve the entire lower South Island. Having a population of more than 133,000, Dunedin provides the economic scale and institutional strength that no other Otago district can match. Rather than recognising those strengths as assets for the whole region, some appear determined to fragment them. That approach is driven by politics rather than economics. Credit should go to Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker and Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley, who continue to advocate for constructive engagement. However, the structure of the Otago Mayoral Forum presents an obvious challenge. It consists of six mayors or chairs and six chief executives, many of whom could see their own organisations fundamentally altered or even disappear under amalgamation. Expecting those with the greatest personal stake in the outcome to objectively design the future governance of the region may simply be unrealistic. Perhaps this is precisely what central government expected. A fragmented regional debate that ultimately requires Wellington to impose a solution. That would be a missed opportunity. Council amalgamation should not be viewed as a battle over boundaries or political influence. It should be viewed as an opportunity to create a stronger, more efficient and more influential Otago. A unified region could reduce duplication, lower the long-term cost of local government, strengthen strategic planning and provide a far more powerful voice when competing nationally for investment, infrastructure and services. The challenge will be ensuring every community retains a meaningful voice. That is not an insignificant task, but neither is it an impossible one. Modern governance structures are entirely capable of balancing strong regional leadership with effective local representation. A united Otago would be one of New Zealand’s most powerful regions. Queenstown would continue to anchor an internationally recognised tourism industry that benefits the wider region. Dunedin would remain the centre for health, education, research and innovation. Our rural districts would continue to drive world-class food and fibre production. Together, those complementary strengths would create a region far greater than the sum of its parts. The real question is no longer whether Otago has the potential to become one of New Zealand’s leading regions. It is whether short-term self-interest and institutional protection will prevent us from achieving it. Andrew Simms, Dunedin city councillor East Taieri

Opinion: One Otago – or everyone for themselves?

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