Anti-unitary voice rejected for Wairarapa review

Jonathan Hooker

An attempt to appoint a councillor who does not favour a unitary authority to the Wairarapa Governance Review Group as one of three Masterton District Council representatives failed this week.

District councillors settled on Jonathan Hooker as the third appointee, joining mayor Lyn Patterson and her deputy Graham McClymont after a bid to install Brent Goodwin in the position failed to get sufficient votes.

Councillor Hooker had been the original nominee, but his appointment had been challenged at a policy and finance committee on the grounds all three representatives on the review group were unitary authority supporters and that it could be more appropriate to have one on board who does not support a unitary authority.

At full council on Wednesday Mrs Patterson nominated Mr Hooker, who was seconded by Mr McClymont, but as it was about to be put to the vote for ratification Mr Goodwin intervened asking for a debate.

" It is a very important subject for us.

"At the beginning of the governance review process a poll found 90 per cent of people supported a unitary authority, last year this had fallen to 60 per cent and as I cast my eye around this table I think either 45 per cent or 54 per cent of councillors support it, so the tide of public opinion is moving very firmly against a unitary authority," he said.

Mr McClymont said while he respected Mr Goodwin's views "we have moved on".

He said the combined vote of the three district councils involved - Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa - supported a unitary authority and Mr Hooker had a proven track record to accurately represent the views of council.

Councillor Gary Caffell nominated Mr Goodwin, seconded by councillor David Holmes, saying many people - especially rural people - did not see a unitary authority as the "best fit" for Masterton District Council.

Mr Hooker was appointed on a 7-4 vote.