Single council best Wilde

Greater Wellington Regional Council chairwoman Fran Wilde believes Wairarapa would have to overcome "major challenges" to stand on its own as a unitary authority.

This week the regional council will decide whether or not to lodge an application for a single council with local boards for the Wellington region, including Wairarapa.

If successful, this would create a new Wellington council, replacing nine existing councils.

The council would have 22 members, a mayor elected at large and councillors elected on a ward basis.

There would be eight local boards, with up to nine members each.

Ms Wilde and council chief executive David Benham have recommended in their report that council agrees that local government reorganisation is required to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of local government in the Wellington region, and that a single council with local boards is the best structure for local government in the Wellington region.

"The application to the Local Government Commission is about the future of Wellington," Ms Wilde said.

She said the single council model with local boards was considered to be the most appropriate model because it aligned well with the communities' expectations around representation and local democracy with the Wellington regional community.

She argues the model is flexible enough to respond to local conditions while, at the same time, allowing for regional decision-making on strategic matters relevant to the wider regional community.

"We believe a Wairarapa unitary would have to overcome major challenges, both in terms of the funding infrastructure and services, and the specialist staff required to carry out the functions," she said.

"Such factors suggest that Wairarapa's future may be negatively impacted if it were governed by a small unitary authority rather than being included as part of a single unitary council for the wider region."

The Regional Council will meet to discuss the report and draft application on Wednesday, June 12.