Any form of local government should be driven by communities, not the Government, Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton said yesterday.
His comment came at a Waitaki District Council meeting yesterday during his report on Government reform of local government, of which draft legislation is expected to be revealed this month.
Council chief executive Michael Ross also touched on the subject, saying he did not believe the legislation would lead to widespread local government reforms by the Government like those in 1989.
He echoed the views of Dunedin City Council chief executive Paul Orders that the legislation was unlikely to result in a major round of council amalgamations, and the Government's focus would be on enabling like-minded communities to agree on common future outcomes.
Any change would happen over time rather than in the short term, Mr Ross said.
Mr Familton said the Government would also be deciding on the future structure of Environment Canterbury after next year's local body elections. The 14 councillors were sacked by the Government in March 2010 and replaced temporarily by appointed commissioners.
The Waitaki community needed to be well informed about the options, he said.
The regional boundary between Environment Canterbury and the Otago Regional Council runs through the Waitaki district, meaning the Waitaki District Council has to deal with two regional councils.
"This is duplication, and inefficient," Mr Familton said.
There might be an opportunity to resolve this issue through local government reform procedures in the new legislation, but he emphasised the Waitaki council had no resolved position on what should happen.
"Given the distinct possibility of reforms for local government, we need to be prepared for any eventuality and consider all possibilities," Mr Familton said.
However, he was also concerned people of Christchurch and its surrounds had enough on their plate dealing with reconstruction after the earthquakes, and any change in local government might severely test their resources.
