Council seeking community views on the future of local government

Ōpōtiki District Council is encouraging residents to have their say on the future of local government as the Government progresses its nationwide Simplifying Local Government reforms.

The reforms are expected to reshape how local government operates across New Zealand and introduce new pathways for councils to consider future governance arrangements.

Ōpōtiki District Mayor David Moore said the reforms represent one of the most significant changes to local government in decades and it is important that the community is involved in the discussion from the outset.

“We want to get information out to the community and bring them into the fold,” Mayor Moore said. “This is not a conversation that councils have chosen to have, but it is one we need to engage in. The Government has made it very clear that change is coming and that the status quo is unlikely to remain an option.”

Under the Government’s proposed framework, councils can participate in a voluntary “Head Start” process to develop reorganisation proposals that could lead to the creation of new unitary authorities.

Councils that do not progress through this pathway may become part of a compulsory “Backstop” process following the 2028 local elections.

As part of the reforms, regional councils would be disestablished and replaced by new governance arrangements. Mayor Moore said there are a number of possible models that could emerge for the Bay of Plenty, each with different opportunities and challenges.

These include a single Bay of Plenty-wide unitary authority, a unitary authority focused on the Eastern Bay area, or a larger sub-regional arrangement involving the Eastern Bay and neighbouring districts such as Rotorua.

“At this stage, Council has not made any decisions about a preferred outcome,” Mayor Moore said. “What is important is that we understand the implications of each option and hear directly from our communities about what matters most to them.”

Mayor Moore said there is often an assumption that larger councils automatically result in lower costs, but he believes the evidence does not support that conclusion. “Bigger is not necessarily cheaper,” he said.

“If amalgamation was simply about size delivering savings, you would expect the largest councils in the country to have the lowest rates. There is no clear evidence that amalgamation alone results in lower costs for ratepayers.”

He said one of the key issues for residents to consider is the balance between achieving greater scale and maintaining strong local representation.

“There will be different views on these reforms, but people should not assume that structural change automatically delivers cheaper rates. Equally important is ensuring smaller communities continue to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them.”

The Government has indicated that any proposal will need to demonstrate that it can be successfully implemented, simplify local governance arrangements, support the new planning system, achieve efficiencies and economies of scale, and maintain effective local representation.

Mayor Moore said one of the key considerations for Council is ensuring Ōpōtiki’s interests are represented throughout the process. “The reality is that these reforms can proceed with or without us,” he said.

“Under the Headstart pathway process, proposals can be submitted by groupings of councils that represent a majority of either the affected councils or the population within a region.

There is a possibility that decisions about future governance arrangements could be driven by larger population centres or by councils whose priorities differ from those of our district.”

Mayor Moore said this does not mean outcomes have already been determined, but it highlights the importance of actively participating in the conversation.

“If we choose not to engage, there is a risk that the future shape of local government is decided for us rather than with us. Our responsibility is to ensure the needs, aspirations and identity of Ōpōtiki are clearly understood and considered as these discussions unfold.”

“Whether people support change, oppose change, or simply want more information, we need to hear those views now. The strongest position we can take into any future discussions is one that is informed by our community.”

Whatever the future structure looks like, it is important that Ōpōtiki’s interests are understood and reflected. Our first priority is to talk with our community and our iwi and hapū partners,” he said.

“We want to understand what people value, what concerns they have, and what they believe the future of local government should look like in our district.”

To support this conversation, Council has launched a dedicated engagement page on its Hono Mai platform where residents can learn more about the reforms, explore the options available, and provide feedback.

Residents are encouraged to visit Council’s Hono Mai engagement platform and share their views on the future of local government in Ōpōtiki.

“The purpose of this engagement is to ensure Council has a clear understanding of our community’s views as the Government’s reform programme progresses.

The more feedback we receive, the better informed our future discussions and decisions will be.” Mayor Moore said.

More information and opportunities to provide feedback are available atconnect.odc.govt.nz.