The three Eastern Bay district councils have now agreed to support a joint proposal for an Eastern Bay of Plenty Unitary Council to Central Government through the Government's Head Start pathway, marking a significant milestone in the region's consideration of local government reform.
Kawerau District Council today joined Whakatāne District Council and Ōpōtiki District Council in endorsing the proposal, which will now be sent to Government ahead of the 9 August deadline for outline Head Start proposals.
The proposal outlines a potential future governance arrangement that would bring together the functions of the three district councils and relevant regional council responsibilities within a single Eastern Bay Council.
Kawerau District Mayor Faylene Tunui said:
"We appreciate the community, iwi, industry and businesses who responded so quickly to our call for feedback. With the status quo off the table, community engagement strongly supports an Eastern Bay Council as the next best option to protect what matters most to Kawerau: its local voice, its iwi and tangata whenua relationships, and the special place of sustainable jobs and industries. If the government approves our proposal, we’re committed to designing future arrangements that best serve the current and future generations who do and will call Kawerau home.”
Ōpōtiki District Mayor David Moore said:
“This wasn’t a decision that our Council wanted to have to make. However, the Government has made it clear that local government reform is progressing, and our responsibility is to ensure the people of Ōpōtiki have the strongest possible voice in shaping what comes next. Our community has consistently told us they want decisions that affect them to be made locally. An Eastern Bay model gives us the best opportunity to protect the voice of Ōpōtiki and ensure our rural, coastal and urban communities continue to have strong local representation. This is about shaping a future that reflects the aspirations of our communities, rather than having change imposed on us.”
Whakatāne District Mayor Nándor Tánczos said:
“The focus of all the mayors and councillors has been to get the best outcomes for our communities, given that the Government has made it clear that change is happening one way or another. The strong relationships that already exist across the Eastern Bay and our ability to talk openly and honestly has been key to reaching agreement. Mayors across the whole Bay of Plenty and the regional council chair have been meeting regularly as well to make sure that we don't lose sight of the regional perspective.
We have been given an opportunity to shape our own future rather than just get done to by Wellington and we are seizing it.”
The proposal is the result of work undertaken by the three councils over recent weeks, supported by technical analysis, community engagement, and discussions with iwi and a range of stakeholders. The councils identified an Eastern Bay-focused unitary authority as the preferred option of Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne and Kawerau communities, for progressing through the Government's Head Start process.
The Head Start pathway was established as part of the Government's wider Simplifying Local Government reform programme and provides councils with an opportunity to put forward locally developed proposals, rather than waiting for future reform options to be considered through the Government's Back Stop process.
Submission of the proposal does not determine the future structure of local government in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Rather, it represents the first stage of a Government-led process to assess whether the proposal should proceed to a more detailed design and evaluation phase.
The Government has indicated that outline proposals will be considered by Cabinet later this year in September. Should the proposal receive in-principle support from Cabinet, further work would be required before any final decisions are made, including detailed consideration of governance arrangements, representation, service delivery, financial implications, iwi relationships, and community engagement.
The councils acknowledge that local government reform discussions are occurring across the wider Bay of Plenty and elsewhere in New Zealand. The Eastern Bay proposal reflects the view of the three councils that a locally focused unitary authority warrants consideration as part of that broader reform process.
For further information, including the proposal document head to our Simplifying Local Government page on Connect | Hono Mai.
