The Buller District Council’s submission on the Simplifying Local Government reform proposal exemplifies why a central government ‘one-solution-to-fit-them-all’ won’t work.
Buller District Council Mayor Chris Russell says: “Any future system must respect the reality that Buller is not only geographically unique but socially and culturally bound by a strong sense of place, resilience, and self-determination.”
Buller does not agree with the Combined Territories Board concept and says it is “untenable” to think that it would be able to accommodate the workload of not only governing all aspects of Regional Council activities but also to enact and enable a Regional Reorganisation Plan while serving as mayors to different districts.
The council supports reform in principle, but not centralisation or dilution of the region’s ‘local voice’. The major issue, not faced by other councils, is the “drastic” geographical distance across the region.
“The West Coast and Buller are different. At face value, it appears logical that the West Coast should be working constructively on unitary and potentially amalgamated council functions, due to population density and volume of residents.
“However, the geographical distances are drastic and if not acknowledged may lead to a weakening of local democratic process. The distance of the top of the West Coast to the bottom is similar from Auckland to Wellington – this requires serious consideration when looking ahead to potential reforms.”
Then there’s is a matter of reform costs. “The idea of reforms might sit easily with large city councils who can absorb costs but the initial outlay and staff time required to recreate a new entity would be prohibitive for us,” Russell says.
Local democracy is in the community’s DNA, says the council in its submission. “One of the core reasons we enjoy living here is our proximity to decision-making, our ability to influence change at a local level and the transparency of our decisions and processes. This must be safeguarded at all costs for our community, and models presented of changes to local government must provide evidence of stronger local democracy.”
When it comes to the stewardship of the Conservation Estate, Buller and the West Coast share the vast majority of our national parks and native forests. “This is a unique attribute that benefits our entire country, however it also constrains our district in ‘rateability’ and should be considered.”
Doing it locally already
Westport (Buller’s largest urban area) has recently developed a council-endorsed, award-winning Masterplan, that outlines what is required for the community to grow and thrive. “We are the only district on the West Coast to have developed such a community-led strategy that guides future growth, development, and resilience,” it says in its submission. “We need to ensure that the work that has been done for Westport does not get lost in the drive for a unitary council. Further to this, insurance, and a high exposure to natural hazards in the district, requires consideration when looking at the context of regional council functions.”
The Buller District, West Coast Territorial Authorities and Maori tribal leaders already work closely together on various elements that affect the West Coast. “While we understand that there is a desire to look at amalgamating the four councils on the West Coast into one unitary council, that may not be the best solution.”
Multiple options will also take time and cost a substantial amount. “We, however, have yet to see evidence that this would work in the best interests of our community – the process must be followed to ensure that we have not merely combined the functions of four councils to no end, or potentially a detrimental end. Other options will require a deeper exploration. For example, our historical context and traditional boundaries with the top of the South Island, and the West Coast-Tasman electoral boundaries are worth bearing in mind.”
The cost of reform
The proposed process, let alone the implementation of any reform, will carry a large financial burden, the council says, and TTPP has already placed a $10 million cost to the West Coast for its District Plan and that cost will continue to grow with appeal mediation and legal battles.
“Beyond this, the Local Water Done Well reform adds a further considerable cost implication on small councils. Due to the small rating base of the district and region we advocate that costs incurred should be at the cost of central rather than local government.”
Combined Territorial Board proposal
The proposal to have mayors sit on the Combined Territorial Board (CTB) creates a conflict of interest, says the BDC in its submission.
“A Mayor’s primary job is to advocate for their district. On a regional board, they must advocate for the region. These often clash. Our submission asks for a clear Legal Framework for Conflicts of Interest if the Government pursues the CTB model for the West Coast.
“Alignment between Local Water Done Well and wider Local Government reform. We also wish to note that there is a distinct relationship between LWDW CCO works underway and the significance of this reform – these are interrelated and deserve due consideration throughout the pending process.”