John Booth - Mayor
I believe we need to change, but I’m open-minded about whether the change is amalgamation or doing things better under the status quo.
What is your position on the draft proposal and, importantly, why?
I believe we need to change, but I’m open-minded about whether the change is amalgamation or doing things better under the status quo.
We in local government in Wairarapa need to be more collaborative, communicate better and work more effectively together for the good of the whole Wairarapa, especially to improve the economic and social wellbeing of our communities. This is something we struggle to do.
I recognise under the current arrangements for this to happen with 3 district councils we will all need to change our attitudes – that applies to both councillors and Mayors, and senior management. Under the LGC’s proposed model that collaboration, communication and working more effectively will be forced through the structural change.
What is a specific issue (a problem or opportunity) that you believe amalgamation will address and how will it address it?
I see the proposal as mainly being about opportunities. Firstly it will be an opportunity to get some economies of scale. Rather than having three small council we would have one medium sized council which would give us more depth of knowledge and experience in our staff and allow us to do more across the whole Wairarapa.
It will also reduce duplication that, despite shared services opportunities, will free up resources to be redirected into priority areas. For example, going from having 3 Chief Executives to one will free up the equivalent of 2 CE salaries to put into areas like economic development, and/or culture and arts and/or social development.
What tangible benefits could amalgamation bring for ratepayers and how will amalgamation achieve them?
There will be more consistency across the whole Wairarapa for those dealing with the Council. Practices will be aligned, for example building services, planning, etc. There is the opportunity for the new council to adopt the best practice from each of the current councils in the different council activities.
There will also be a region-wide focus on issues that are Wairarapa-wide. For example tourism and economic development. Currently each of us focus on our own communities which I believe limits our opportunities to achieve bigger benefits for the whole Wairarapa.
What are the risks of amalgamation, and if any, how will they be mitigated?
I see two main risks – the effectiveness of the community boards and representation.
The community boards that are proposed are great because they will focus on the local issues– Carterton will have one, as will the other towns. However they need to be given more powers (delegations) and be well supported with Council resources – both budgets and staff. If this happens the risks that local issues will not be effectively managed will be mitigated.
Representation, especially in the rural areas, will be a challenge. I think some changes to the proposal could mitigate the risks to effective representation. An option I favour is setting up community boards in the rural areas as well as the towns.
