Southland District Mayor Rob Scott will be speaking in Gore and Mataura tomorrow after an invitation from the Gore Rates Reform Group. Mr Scott said the visit would be to discuss the two unitary authorities proposal he and his council put to the Local Government Commission last year which was now entering its third phase of investigation. The Environment Southland report which stated the two unitary authorities Bill would only save money post-2034 would not be up for discussion, as the meetings would focus on his council’s proposal, Mr Scott said. “I’ve taken exception to [Environment Southland’s] modelling, in the way they’ve done it, but I’m not really interested in talking about what they’ve done there. “The important thing to reflect on is it’s only one part of it they’ve modelled, notwithstanding we haven’t actually agreed that those numbers and the model are right. “The modelling can be used in multiple different ways and it’s already getting almost weaponised, which is not ideal. “I don’t believe that was the intent of it, even when it was done,” he said. Mr Scott will be at the Mataura Community Hall from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, and will then speak at the Gore RSA from 7.30pm.
