Napier fringe change still on agenda

Sir Wira Gardiner met with local councillors.

Bill Dalton's attempt to increase the size of Napier was pushed back onto the agenda at this week's high level local government hui.

Local Government Commission chair Sir Wira Gardiner met with the mayors who said Monday's meeting was an opportunity for the commission to meet with all the Hawke's Bay councillors "and express the commission's willingness to facilitate collaboration", he said.

The idea of the boundary change was first raised by the Napier mayor two months ago who said then the change does three things.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton.

"One is it brings the people back into the town that they call town, secondly it spreads the costs of rural roads and thirdly it makes sense for Wairoa if it ever needs an arm put around it."

Mr Dalton said at the time it was important people knew there would be no intention to force a bad idea on anyone.

Sir Wira also offered the assistance of the Commission in helping the councils address the prospective boundary change issue.

"It was generally agreed that there should be more discussion around finding consensus on a process to determine the appetite for any change," he said.

This was welcomed by Napier Mayor Bill Dalton who said the LGC has agreed to work with us and come up with a scheme that works towards asking the people what they actually want.

"That is exactly what Napier council has been seeking," he said.

"We are not trying to force local government boundary changes on anyone.

"What we are trying to do is to find out exactly what the people north of Napier who pay their rates to Hastings want.

"Sir Wira and the Local Government Commission are quite happy to work with us on that."

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said if the rural community board and the councillors in Hastings were satisfied with a "joined up approach at looking at this: then he was happy to put it forward to council to look at.

"I have said that if everybody is comfortable with that approach then it probably makes sense to do it.

"But we are a wee way off making that decision."