Behold! The hardy perennial of local government amalgamation has reared its ugly head again.
Central government’s “Simplifying Local Government” proposal suggests replacing regional councils with an interim governing body which would determine the future structure and delivery of regional council functions has caused a flurry of activity in which I fear mayor Max Brough has been hoodwinked into a premature course of action.
If the byline in Saturday’s Taranaki Daily News is correct that “mayor Max Brough believed it made sense to start the process of amalgamation early” then his impulsive actions simply highlight his lack of experience and are highly likely to bring the whole process of reforming local government in Taranaki to its knees.
I totally agree that “starting the process” should begin immediately. But that would be a process of investigation into how a more streamlined model for local government in Taranaki might look. Amalgamation is not the only option. It is disingenuous of mayor Max and regional council chair Craig Williamson to assume so.
It would appear that they (Max Brough and Craig Williamson) have arbitrarily started “a process” where there has been minimal discussion with the other two leaders in the region (Neil Volzke and Phil Nixon). This reeks of arrogance, ignorance, and very little thought about what the needs of the people on the ground might be – or respect for the value of a collaborative community led approach.
To have appointed Steve Ruru prior to the advertised closing of applications for the New Plymouth District Council chief executive position (20th March) is questionable. To justify that appointment by citing Ruru as “one of the best chief executives in the country and ‘best placed’ to lead the amalgamation process” suggests that Brough and Williamson are happy for Ruru to lead what happens next. This would be a clear case of the tail wagging the dog(s).
The task of advancing a reorganisation plan lies with the elected members. In this instance the three mayors. The task of identifying future structures, operating models and efficiencies also lies with the three mayors and ultimately the elected members. The role of the chief executive is to find ways to make the aforementioned structures and models workable.
A reasonable process might involve taking into account first, the needs of the people who live on the ground in the many and diverse communities that comprise the Taranaki region; and secondly, acknowledging, accommodating and harmonising the varying levels of infrastructure investment that have previously occurred and/or still need to occur across the region, and thirdly meeting the intent of the proposed reforms.
As (current) chair of the Taranaki Mayoral Forum, Craig Williamson believes “both councils (NPDC and TRC) would be working alongside their Stratford and South Taranaki colleagues to bring change that was in the best interest of the region”. He is off to a great start having completed the first part of the process with no input from either of them. As seasoned advocates for their communities I will be surprised and disappointed if they (Neil Volzke and Phil Nixon) take that lying down.