ASSESSMENTS: Napier Mayor Bill Dalton (left) and Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule are on opposite sides of the debate. PHOTO / FILE
The Local Government Commission's final amalgamation proposal includes what it calls a "balanced assessment" of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed new local authority structure.
Producing the assessment as part of its proposal is a requirement under the Local Government Act.
A single Hawke's Bay council
ADVANTAGES
- Recognises and reflects the common interests across Hawke's Bay Region.
- Provides greater scale and capacity to achieve desired outcomes for the people of Hawke's Bay.
- Brings together both regional council and territorial authority responsibilities for better coordinated economic, social and environmental decision making for the region.
- Gives Hawke's Bay one voice when promoting the region's interests with central government and other parties.
DISADVANTAGES
- Reduces the number of councillors across the region from 49 to 18.
- Will result in a period of uncertainty while the new council becomes established.
- Has the potential to impact on council staff employment.
- Creates a risk of losing key council personnel and institutional knowledge.
Five local boards
ADVANTAGES
- Represent the five distinct and different local communities of interest in the region.
- Provide for democratic local decision making with 37 local board members elected to represent subdivisions of each area.
- Make decisions and act for, and on behalf of, their communities to the maximum extent possible.
DISADVANTAGES
- Local board members will be seen as having less powerful roles than councillors.
- Boards have less power than current territorial authorities, for example they cannot directly rate their communities, employ staff, enter into contracts, or acquire, hold or dispose of property.
- There will be administrative costs for servicing local boards including meeting and annual agreements with the governing body.
Participation and access
ADVANTAGES
- The interests of hapu/iwi/Maori groups across the region will be better recognised through one Maori Board for the region, because their rohe don't often correspond with territorial authority boundaries.
- The proposal reflects the proposed Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation relating to Hawke's Bay.
- Rural, primary production and environmental voices will be heard through the Natural Resources Board.
- Area offices will be located in Wairoa, Napier, Hastings and Waipawa to make it easier for people to access services and attend local board meetings.
DISADVANTAGES
- Hapu/iwi/Maori groups may be seen to have a channel to advise and influence the council in a way the rest of the community does not.
- Rural, primary production and environmental groups may be seen to have a channel to advise and influence the council in a way the rest of the community does not.
- The council administrative headquarters will be in Napier which is a significant distance from some communities in the north and the south of the region.
- The level of services provided at area offices will be decided by the new council and may change over time.
Economic impact
ADVANTAGES
- Estimated cost savings of $260 million over 30 years and increased efficiency in local government.
- Simplified planning processes through the integration of regional and district statutory plans and a reduction in the number of plans to be consulted on and adopted.
- Coordinated region-wide planning, prioritising and funding of key infrastructure to support the regional economy.
- One set of regulations, policies and rules relating to land use and activity impacts across Hawke's Bay.
- One consistent approach to economic development and promotion across Hawke's Bay.
DISADVANTAGES
- Uncertainty for ratepayers about future rates after July 2021 (when the new council will adopt a new integrated rating system).
- Additional financial costs, estimated at $19 million, arising from the establishment of a transition body including remuneration for the transition board chairperson and payments for any consultants engaged in this period. These costs will offset savings for the first five years of the new council.
- There may be further unexpected costs as a result of the reorganisation.
Impact on other areas
ADVANTAGES
- The existing Rangitikei and Taupo Districts will remain intact with no disruption to the provision of current council services and activities at the district level.
DISADVANTAGES
- Bay of Plenty and Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Councils will be responsible for new areas they are presently not familiar with.
Changes to responsibilities of local authorities
ADVANTAGES
- There will be one authority (the new council) responsible for the management of the entire Taruarau and Mohaka river catchments and related regional council statutory obligations.
DISADVANTAGES
- Accountability for regional council functions will be more complex in these parts of Taupo and Rangitikei Districts and will require new processes for identifying required levels of service and necessary funding and accountability arrangements.
Paunovic moved to Havelock North with her family from Croatia seven years ago.