Editorial: Bay can still fight as one

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule was disappointed with the result of the amalgamation vote.

The people have spoken - loudly.

There had been a sense that opposition to a merger of our five local councils was growing and this was borne out by the resounding no in yesterday's amalgamation referendum.

Predictably Wairoa and Napier - both fiercely proud of their individual character - voted overwhelmingly against, while the victory margins in Hastings (for) and Central Hawke's Bay (against) were smaller than some expected. Personalities may been a factor in the latter two, as Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule has polarised some of the district's voters, while Mayor Peter Butler does have fierce opponents in his region.

One thing is clear, the model of amalgamation that was proposed has been emphatically rejected.

What must not be forgotten by the no camp is that this vote was not, by default, a ringing endorsement of doing nothing different.

People want change - they just did not want that particular change.

It was good to see Mr Dalton acknowledge that "there's no way it will be status quo going forward" and that co-operation is needed.

The people may have voted against one council, but this does not mean they don't want our leaders speaking with one voice. The division and bitterness of this amalgamation process have to be put aside. Our leaders need to start leading us - together.

We all know this is a great province, but Wairoa, Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke's Bay now need to work together to make it greater.

We need to fight for economic growth, for jobs, for development and for progress - for the whole of Hawke's Bay.