Make Wellington a super city too, says Dunne

Peter Dunne says the Royal Commission on Auckland becoming a super city could be applied to the capital. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ohariu MP Peter Dunne is calling for the capital to follow in Auckland's footsteps and amalgamate its various regional bodies into one large city.

A Royal Commission has recommended Auckland become a super city, with one central council overarching six local councils.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide says no decisions have been made yet, but he sees merit in the plan.

He says having a single organisation to manage assets like water and wastewater makes a lot of sense and the Government will be looking closely at the recommendations to see whether the proposals provide enough community representation.

Mr Dunne believes larger cities are a better way to pool regional resources. He says Wellington is about the third of the size of Auckland, yet still has six councils and a regional council.

Mr Dunne says it is time to supersize the Wellington region, following the model proposed for Auckland.

He believes the Commission's report on Auckland is so thorough its recommendations could be easily adapted to a plan for Wellington.

- NEWSTALK ZB