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Southland mayors have taken aim at the government’s decision to stall its amalgamation reform, saying warning signs were visible from the beginning.
Councils across the motu were given a three-month window to lodge amalgamation proposals under the Head Start process, but on Thursday, the government announced it had delayed decisions until after the election.
Gore District Mayor Ben Bell was disappointed by the situation, labelling it a “joke”.
He said councils had put a lot of time into amalgamation, and the sector had been saying from the outset the timeframe was too short.
“It leaves communities hanging with baited breath, and ultimately a bit of a betrayal to them.”
Mr Bell was also surprised the government had halted the process instead of getting two or three proposals underway similar to what he had seen with regional deals.
“Because I think there are some communities across the country that are genuinely ready to go,” Mr Bell said.
Invercargill mayor Tom Campbell was equally disappointed by the outcome.
“I think government are beginning to understand that local government reorganisation is a bit more complicated than they thought,” he said.
Mr Campbell said there were contradictory elements in proposals around the country, including in Southland, but that was no surprise given the timeframe.
He also noted how divisive the process had been, with councils, communities, and individuals pitted against each other.
“There was Facebook wars going on, right, about this subject. And we find it’s been kicked into touch.”
Southland District Mayor Rob Scott said the announcement was frustrating but not unexpected.
He felt the Government had shown disrespect by allowing extra time at the end after being told throughout that timeframes were unrealistic.
Mr Scott said the local government sector was open to change, but it had to be done “properly, for the right reasons”.
Last month, Southland District Council lodged a Head Start proposal for two unitary authorities to govern the region, while Invercargill City Council lodged a proposal for one unitary authority.
Gore District Council backtracked on its support for both proposals, instead supporting an ongoing Local Government Commission investigation which predated Head Start.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.