Editorial: Mayors should be more open

Our Mayor Steve Chadwick

The country's mayors are at odds over the future of local government.

A meeting of mayors and representatives from North Island councils held near Taupo yesterday highlighted the division.

Not all mayors were invited. Notably, the head of Local Government New Zealand, Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule, was left off the guest list. As was our mayor Steve Chadwick.

The issue? Amalgamation.

As Hawke's Bay's councils head down the road towards a potential merger, other city leaders are worried about what it all means for them.

The meeting to discuss concerns over amalgamation proposals from the Local Government Commission was first reported on Saturday as a "secret" meeting.

Considering Mr Yule is a strong advocate of amalgamation in Hawke's Bay, this group may have seen no other option but to sneak away to discuss its opposition.

In a statement last night the group said: "Local Government NZ's neutral stance on the amalgamation issue has had the effect of shutting down discussion among councils".

It said: "We oppose forced amalgamation on communities who do not want it. We oppose any re-organisation of local councils where residents of each affected area cannot separately opt in or out."

No matter the rationale for yesterday's talks, it was not a good look to do it behind closed doors.

Mrs Chadwick's reaction to news of the meeting was spot on.

This week's Local Government New Zealand conference would have been the best forum for such discussion. It would involve all parties, not just a few, and at least proper debate can take place.

Now, given yesterday's meeting, battle lines will have already been drawn. There is a reasonable discussion to be had, not only on local body amalgamation but shared services and the like. Let's hope one outcome of this week's conference is an all-round common sense approach to the future of local government.