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Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Iwi engagement should have come ‘much earlier'
Southland District Council has proposed that the region's four councils combine into two unitary authorities. PHOTO: APL FILES Southland District Council did not engage with its Treaty partners when formulating a bold new proposal to amalgamate southern councils, a document has revealed. But mayor Rob Scott has defended the process, saying there will still be opportunities for providing feedback. Recently, the Local Government Commission announced it would investigate a potential reorganisation of the region's four councils — Southland District Council, Invercargill City Council, Gore District Council and Environment Southland. The initiative was spearheaded by Mr Scott with a goal of saving money and improving efficiency. A determination document released by the commission showed the council failed to engage with both Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku and Te Ao Mārama Inc — a company which represents the four Southland rūnanga in resource management. The oversight came to light after the commission reached out to Te Ao Mārama to request feedback on the potential reorganisation. Te Ao Mārama told the commission that Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku was not opposed to an investigation, but noted the council did not engage with either party in developing the initiative. The company said the initiative could impact "matters of importance" to the iwi and there was not enough information for them to form an opinion on preferred options. Te Ao Mārama kaiwhakahaere kaupapa taiao Dean Whaanga told Local Democracy Reporting his group would have liked to be engaged "much earlier". Regardless, they supported the commission's investigation and were approaching it with an open mind. Te Ao Mārama looked forward to sharing their mātauranga (knowledge) and insights with the commission on behalf of Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku, he said. "We have a good relationship with the Southland District Council and work constructively together." Mr Scott said he reached out to Ngāi Tahu's chair early in the piece but believed the timing must not have been right for them to respond. The proposal was not in its final stages and both parties would have an opportunity to feed into the final piece of work, he said. "It's not a process that you do every week, but I'm comfortable with the way that we've gone about it." The commission's investigation is expected to take at least 12 months. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Engagement should have come ‘earlier'
Southland District Council has proposed that the region's four councils combine into two unitary authorities. PHOTO: APL FILES Southland District Council did not engage with its Treaty partners when formulating a bold new proposal to amalgamate southern councils, a document has revealed. But mayor Rob Scott has defended the process, saying there will still be opportunities for providing feedback. Last week, the Local Government Commission announced it would investigate a potential reorganisation of the region's four councils — Southland District Council, Invercargill City Council, Gore District Council and Environment Southland. The initiative was spearheaded by Mr Scott with a goal of saving money and improving efficiency. A determination document released by the commission showed the council failed to engage with both Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku and Te Ao Mārama Inc — a company which represents the four Southland rūnanga in resource management. The oversight came to light after the commission reached out to Te Ao Mārama to request feedback on the potential reorganisation. Te Ao Mārama told the commission that Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku was not opposed to an investigation, but noted the council did not engage with either party in developing the initiative. The company said the initiative could impact "matters of importance" to the iwi and there was not enough information for them to form an opinion on preferred options. Te Ao Mārama kaiwhakahaere kaupapa taiao Dean Whaanga told Local Democracy Reporting his group would have liked to be engaged "much earlier". Regardless, they supported the commission's investigation and were approaching it with an open mind. Te Ao Mārama looked forward to sharing their mātauranga and insights with the commission on behalf of Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku, he said. "We have a good relationship with the Southland District Council and work constructively together." Mr Scott said he reached out to Ngāi Tahu's chair early in the piece but believed the timing must not have been right for them to respond. The proposal was not in its final stages and both parties would have an opportunity to feed into the final piece of work, he said. "It's not a process that you do every week, but I'm comfortable with the way that we've gone about it." The commission's investigation is expected to take at least 12 months. ■LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
18-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Council Should Have Engaged Māori Stakeholders ‘Much Earlier'
Southland District Council did not engage with its Treaty partners when formulating a bold new proposal to amalgamate southern councils, a document has revealed. But mayor Rob Scott has defended the process, saying there will still be opportunities for providing feedback. Last week, the Local Government Commission announced it would investigate a potential reorganisation of the region's four councils — Southland District Council, Invercargill City Council, Gore District Council and Environment Southland. The initiative was spearheaded by Scott with a goal of saving money and improving efficiency. A determination document released by the commission showed the council failed to engage with both Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku and Te Ao Mārama Inc — a company which represents the four Southland rūnanga in resource management. The oversight came to light after the commission reached out to Te Ao Mārama to request feedback on the potential reorganisation. Te Ao Mārama told the commission that Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku was not opposed to an investigation, but noted the council did not engage with either party in developing the initiative. The company said the initiative could impact 'matters of importance' to the iwi and there was not enough information for them to form an opinion on preferred options. Te Ao Mārama kaiwhakahaere kaupapa taiao Dean Whaanga told Local Democracy Reporting his group would have liked to have be engaged 'much earlier'. Regardless, they supported the commission's investigation and were approaching it with an open mind. Te Ao Mārama looked forward to sharing their mātauranga and insights with the commission on behalf of Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku, he said. 'We have a good relationship with the Southland District Council and work constructively together.' Mayor Scott said he reached out to Ngāi Tahu's chair early in the piece but believed the timing must not have been right for them to respond. The proposal was not in its final stages and both parties would have an opportunity to feed into the final piece of work, he said. 'It's not a process that you do every week, but I'm comfortable with the way that we've gone about it. I'm comfortable with the thoroughness of it. And I'm also comfortable with the potential outcomes,' Scott said. The commission's investigation is expected to take at least 12 months.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Leaders open to council merger
Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson. Photo: Grey District Council A "mega merger" of the West Coast's four councils into a unitary structure is not off the cards, local government leaders say. Southland District Mayor Rob Scott has just backed a full-scale merger in the Deep South. On the West Coast, an attempt in 2015 to merge the four councils through a citizens-initiated referendum resulted in the Local Government Commission ordering a combined district plan instead — Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP). Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson said the region's leaders were always talking about ways of working more closely but much of that had yet to move beyond discussion. "I'm not opposed to it ... it has to come as far as I'm concerned, and it will come eventually." However, merging councils could also effectively mean "throwing out the baby with the bath water" and ending in "bureaucratic excess," Mrs Gibson said. Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine said he did not believe the current government had an appetite to impose amalgamations on the West Coast, "but I wouldn't be surprised". "I honestly think Local Water Done Well will be a bit of a test as to how councils work together," he said. Buller, Grey and Westland district councils are considering forming a joint company or CCO (council-controlled organisation) to take over three waters (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater) functions throughout the region. West Coast Regional Council chairman Peter Haddock said he believed a restructure had to come, based on the need for "rates affordability". It would have to be on the basis of "fair representation" across the whole region. He could foresee that, bringing about at least a two-council unitary authority structure that absorbed the current environmental functions of the regional council and combined with the current Westland and Grey district councils into a southern West Coast unitary council. "There's got to be a way forward in the future. That's a question for the new council. "However, the one plan [TTPP] is the key to it," Cr Haddock said. The TTPP provided a model for collaboration by implementing a regime "run by the same set of planning rules" regardless of local authority boundaries in the region. "That will be the founding document for it going forward. "[But] I still believe there has to be some form of service centre in Buller, Grey and Westland." Mr Cleine said he could definitely see a merger coming but he did not sense any real groundswell yet to formally instigate it. "There isn't an appetite I don't think for a full governance merger-type scenario — just because of our geography." He had "no fixed views" on the possibility, apart from not wanting Buller district swallowed up by a mega council administering the whole region. "We shouldn't rule out some form of closer working together on the West Coast ... apart from not having one structure." He agreed the Local Water Done Well reform was an important step and a tangible foretaste for wider restructure. The joint CCO proposal was a "no-brainer to access cheaper capital" for asset provision, given the Westland, Grey and Buller councils faced a combined bill of $250 million to upgrade three-waters infrastructure. If that got runs on the board it might give more impetus to other efforts to come together, Mr Cleine said. "Seeing how that lands and getting that up and running could be a good vehicle to look at other areas." Westland Mayor Helen Lash was not available for comment. — Greymouth Star
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Environment Southland backs council merger idea
Invercargill City Council Building on Esk St, Invercargill. Photo: ODT / Abbey Palmer Environment Southland, Southland's regional council, has backed an investigation that could result in local authorities merging. Last year, Southland's mayor called for the four existing Southland councils to merge into two unitary authorities and requested the Local Government Commission look into it further. The commission asked other local councils whether they would be open to governance changes being explored. Southland's regional council chairman, Nicol Horrell, said councillors supported looking at all the options including shared services or reorganisation. "It's important that we retain local governance while achieving cost savings for our communities," he said. "There hasn't been significant change in local council representation in 40 years, and we know our community is looking for this. Southland could lead the way." The council agreed to ask the commission not to delay the investigation until after this year's local government elections. The commission was expected to decide on whether to investigate the proposal next month. The entire process would likely take three to five years. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
