Locals strive to be heard

FUTURE: Local Government Commission Chairman Basil Morrison.

A group of Carterton citizens have created a working party called Carterton Voice to address the Local Government Commission's (LGC) recommendations on local governance reform, now expected in June.

The group is made up of Carterton people who are meeting regularly to figure out the intricacies of any recommendation from the Local Government Commission.

The recommendation will more than likely include either of the following two options:

For an integrated super-city style Wellington council, which will include Masterton, Carterton, South Wairarapa, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt City, Wellington City, Porirua and Kapiti - made up of local boards; or a Wairarapa Unitary Authority made up of South Wairarapa District Council, Carterton District Council, and Masterton District Council.

Member of Carterton Voice Jill Greathead said Carterton Voice prefers the latter option.

She said they are in favour of maintaining smaller-scale local governance, which is what the Wairarapa Unitary Authority represents.

"Carterton District Council can make decisions quickly with their own funding and for their own local communities."

She said Carterton's rural values will be lost if a super-city style Wellington council is adopted and decisions will be taken away from local people.

Carterton Voice members are focusing their energies on getting 10 per cent of their voters to request a poll once the LGC recommendation comes out.

If a 10 per cent partition vote in Carterton or any other affected region is achieved, there will be a region-wide poll on whether to adopt the local government commission's recommendation or to keep the status quo. If the poll fails to get 50 per cent of the vote in the affected region, the status quo will remain.

Mrs Greathead said Carterton Voice aims to educate people about the Governance issue with household leaflets, a website, Facebook page and public meetings, and are encouraging other communities to get involved.

The opposite side of the debate on local governance in Wairarapa is spearheaded by Better Wairarapa. The website advocates for the option of Wairarapa remaining part of the Wellington region with the whole area being divided up into local boards.

"The groups behind Better Wairarapa have come together to support a two-tier Wellington-wide council that includes the Wairarapa. We believe that sticking with Wellington provides the best long-term future for the people of the Wairarapa."

It advocates for connections between Wellington and Wairarapa that they believe will bring benefits to both regions. "This brings our region enormous flow-on benefits, from tourism, transport, infrastructure, access to export markets, and great social and cultural benefits."