Vexed merger issues reach crossroads

Any one of the districts involved can muster a relatively small number of ratepayers' signatures and force a referendum of ratepayers.

A DECISION which has the potential to change the face of Wairarapa was made this week when the Local Government Commission came out with its draft recommendation on how we should be governed in future.

Much has been written for many months in the lead-up to the commission's finding and no doubt much more is in the pipeline before things eventually settle down.

In a nutshell, the commission wants us to join forces with a cluster of councils on the other side of the hill to form a Greater Wellington Council. It's a plan favoured by some of our elected councillors here in Wairarapa who fear unless we do we will lose out financially, and ardently opposed by others.

Those opposed mostly favoured a Wairarapa Unitary Authority - a merged arrangement under which we could take care of our own affairs. The irony is with the rules the way they are this expensive exercise - said to have cost Wairarapa ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars already - may end up being all for nothing.

Any one of the districts involved can muster a relatively small number of ratepayers' signatures and force a referendum of ratepayers.

Regardless of the final make-up of that recommendation, a majority "no" vote would mean the status quo would remain.

Nothing would change, at least until such time as another campaign was mounted to try and alter our governance.

Looking back on this whole business to date I couldn't help but reflect on the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But equally, I had to ask myself "is it broke?"

In my work, I cover the affairs of Masterton District Council and other reporters cover the Carterton and South Wairarapa councils. All seems to be largely in order, at least from what we glean from the papers, reports and discussions.

That view would be reinforced if councils made a conscious effort to put business in front of their ratepayers, to reduce closed door business to a bare minimum. In other words, to trust themselves to make the right decisions and show they have nothing to hide.

That way I am sure ratepayers gain confidence in their councils and support them.