Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop last week gave councils three months for their reorganisation plans to be delivered, in what was dubbed a ‘‘head-start’’ approach.
Those that fail to deliver a locally produced plan will be given a standardised government ‘‘backstop’’ approach
While the move was signalled in November, Queenstown Lakes District Council interim chief executive Michelle Morss said the short deadline came as a surprise.
‘‘A three-month window in local government terms — in any government terms — is incredibly short to secure political agreement, to understand community sentiment and to look at organisational operational impacts,’’ she said.
‘‘I think I would have liked longer. Three months probably isn’t long enough to do this justice.
‘‘However, we’ll have a really, really good swing at it if our politicians want to go [down] that pathway.’’
Ms Morss said simplification of local government had been on the council’s radar for some time, but the deadline was also difficult given it was during a period where staff were also working on the annual plan, and preparing for the next long-term plan.
However, the QLDC was ‘‘very well-advanced’’ in terms of collaboration opportunities, in part resulting from regional deal discussions, though ‘‘we haven’t gone down the pathway of amalgamation in our thinking’’, Ms Morss said.
‘‘There was no political aspect for amalgamation as far as I’m aware. However, collaborative activity is well under way.
‘‘However, what I would say is there hasn’t been a political conversation about this — this ultimately requires a significant level of political engagement and political will to make this happen, and that process hasn’t happened.’’
She said there would be an appetite for community consultation, but given the short window of opportunity, ‘‘I think the challenge is to have a genuine consultation process’’.
‘‘You have to have really explored the implications and the impacts for people to then comment on, and it’s just a very aggressive timeline.’’
Ms Morss said it was ‘‘highly likely’’ amalgamation would include taking over the Otago Regional Council’s functions, which included public transport and acting as the primary environmental watchdog for water.
While the government had previously discussed ‘‘re-centralising’’ some of those, ‘‘we don’t have any detail on that as yet’’.
‘‘There are some big implications as to how that [ORC’s functions] gets parcelled out, and as to whether or not that requires a unitary authority to be created to receive those functions.’’
It was also ‘‘far too early’’ to determine what, if any, implications there would be on rates in the coming years.
‘‘Without understanding the functions that may or may not be combined, the territories that may or may not be combined, the debt levels of areas that may or may not be combined, it would be impossible to say.’’
Requests for proposals close on Friday — the expected contract start date is June 29.
Proposals are to focus on creating larger, more efficient unitary authorities that streamline functions, reduce duplication and improve decision-making.
It signals the end of the Otago Regional Council — Mr Bishop stated last on Tuesday last week regional councillors ‘‘will not be elected at the 2028 local body elections’’.
If councils did not come up with plans within 12 weeks, the government would come up with one for them.
