With the announcement that former regional council chairwoman Fran Wilde will step down from her council position before next year's local body elections, it prompts a reflection on the "interesting times" - as Carterton mayor John Booth put it - with her ride on the super-city governance issue.
Ms Wilde's resignation is prudent, as it avoids an obvious conflict of interest with her new role, chairing the Remuneration Authority, the outfit that sets salaries for councillors. But it seems that she is moving for one of the oldest reasons in the world: there's a better job to be had than the one she's doing now.
I'm not saying Ms Wilde had the charisma of a David Lange or Norman Kirk or Michael Savage in bringing about significant policy change, but I can't deny she believed completely in the super-city concept and effectively became the champion for it. I admire champions who push for the big picture. They are more than just campaigners. They have a vision and will put their integrity behind it. The fact that it didn't come off doesn't diminish the integrity behind it.
I sometimes wonder whether the "status quo" outcome of the super-city demise means a no-vote based on weighing up the pros and cons of a one-council authority, or did it simply mean a stick-in-the-mud attitude where ill-informed emotion won out against serious consideration. I know enough people, particularly the mayors, did their homework and drew informed conclusions. But I don't think the majority did. Perhaps the difficulty was we didn't really have enough idea of how this was truly going to work.
I see the collapse of the amalgamation in Hawke's Bay as well and I wonder what it takes to bring about inspired change in this extended region. It takes more than just reports and tables and submissions. It takes leaders. Our leaders elected not to back the super-city and that is fine. It wasn't the right fit. What I would hope, one day, is that when the right fit does come along, we continue to have leaders who can, like Fran Wilde, commit to a concept and be champions for it. I'm sure our three mayors would be up for it - if the right idea comes along for our region.
