Wellington Mayor Andrew Little throws support behind amalgamation, hits back over Government deadline
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little has hit out at the Beehive’s imposed local government shake-up, saying he won’t “surrender to a model imposed from on high” decided on by “MPs who don’t live here”.
Speaking to a room of the region’s local government leaders this morning, Little gave his tentative support to merging the region’s metro councils, but warned it wouldn’t mean lower rates bills.
Amalgamation bells had been ringing in the capital for some time, with momentum growing last year as more political leaders publicly backed a merger.
The Government announced plans in November that would nudge councils to amalgamate, before last month giving a three-month deadline for bodies to come up with reorganisation plans or risk the Government doing it for them.
The region’s four metropolitan councils, Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, and Porirua City Council, have been working together behind the scenes on an amalgamation plan, alongside Greater Wellington Regional Council.
The South Wairarapa, Carterton, and Masterton District councils have been having their own conversations, while the Kāpiti Coast District Council and Horowhenua District Council have been observing.
Little said the councils had already been getting on with it, taking issue with the new August 9 deadline, saying “We can’t have this conversation properly in 10 weeks.”
“The creation of Auckland Council followed a Royal Commission that ran for years, the public was deeply engaged, the result was something Aucklanders could understand and respond to,” he said.
“My distaste for the Government’s deadline is not a reason to surrender to a model imposed from on high with no community say, no mana whenua representation, and no regard for what makes this place special.”
Little levelled criticism at the mandated reforms.
“I’ve heard the arguments about ignoring the Government’s deadline, I’ve heard that the Government has provided no funding, that it’s an election year and that a new Government might stop it, and that the policy is unworkable or unserious.”
However, he said that residents across the region are “cautiously open to a conversation about change,” and he would therefore comply in working towards the deadline.
Any merger would have to meaningfully reflect the region’s unique communities, but allow for scale and coordination that is not currently achieved, he said.
“I firmly oppose maintaining existing boundaries unified under a single logo,” he said.
Benefits of amalgamation would be in having unified structure and ability to speak with one voice, he said, but he stressed a merger would be unlikely to bring rates down.
A 2022 Infrastructure Commission report found council size had no bearing on cost efficiency, with larger councils no more efficient than smaller ones in delivering these services.
Two of the region’s councils have already had a say on amalgamation in a non-binding referendum posed as part of the recent local elections.
A majority of Lower Hutt voters supported their council exploring amalgamation with the other metro councils, with 17,429 in support, while 14,283 were opposed.
In Porirua, the only other council to pose the question, 9581 said yes while 7399 said no.
Another referendum for the whole region was his preference, Little said, something he admitted could prove a sticking point between the mayors, as Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban and Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said it was not needed as they already had the mandate to amalgamate.
Upper Hutt Mayor Peri Zee, who was not present at the event this morning, has previously expressed concerns over amalgamation, questioning whether the benefits outweigh the costs for Upper Hutt.
Little wouldn’t be pushed on when a potential referendum or subsequent reform would take place, saying the Government wants change by 2028, but the public must first have a chance to have their say, and it shouldn’t be rushed.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.