Ngāmotu kicks for touch on council reform

New Plymouth has postponed making a choice on reshaping councils in Taranaki and will instead go to the Government with a range of options by the deadline next month.

The Government has ordered councils to amalgamate, aiming to make local government simpler and cheaper.

It offered councils a Head Start pathway to come up with ideas for reform by August 9.

On Wednesday New Plymouth District Councillors instead voted to “identify multiple draft options” in what they called a “pathfinder proposal” to meet the deadline.

NPDC had no choice but to kick for touch: Head Start bids must come from at least two district councils, and Stratford and South Taranaki don’t want to team up with New Plymouth and be outmuscled.

Mayor Max Brough dangled a hook-up with Waitomo while his deputy Moria George said delay was prudent.

Mayor Max Brough dangled a lifeline, telling the extraordinary council meeting he’d been talking with Waitomo District that morning.

Brough said the Waitomo Mayor “indicated that they would be open to having discussions in the future as well, should their proposal not get as far as they hope.”

Councillor David Bublitz said it made sense to choose a final proposal by Wellington’s next deadline in March, as recommended by council officers.

“Trying to force a decision on us when we don’t have any information is irresponsible by the Government.”

Deputy Mayor Moria George said delaying was prudent due to a lack of facts, including on how the regional council’s duties would be split if Taranaki had two councils.

“The two-unitary option has not been well considered.

“There's a huge gap of what happens to the shared services, what happens to the assets that are owned?”

Last week iwi said they should have been involved as partners but had been shut out of reform talks.

The council voted unanimously not to pick a preferred option until engagement with iwi and the community, and data-gathering and analysis of options.

nā Craig Ashworth craig@tekorimako.co.nz

LDR is local body journalism hosted by Te Korimako o Taranaki and funded by Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa and Irirangi te Motu