Wellington supercity debate surfacing
BY COLIN WILLIAMS - UPPER HUTT LEADER
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Upper Hutt Leader
Detailed terms of reference for an overhaul of the way Wellington region is governed will be looked at in detail by Upper Hutt's city councillors at a specially convened workshop early this year.
A recent mayoral forum with representation from all the region's councils approved the draft of the terms of reference, Upper Hutt chief executive Max Pedersen says.
"[The terms] were referred from the forum to the individual councils for consideration".
"It is intended to hold a workshop to consider the matter in the new year," a report to the council's last policy committee meeting in 2009 says.
"The recent moves to establish an Auckland unitary authority has provided the context for the Wellington region to look at its governance and to review the future needs to ensure the best outcomes for the Wellington region," the terms of reference paper says.
The process to review current issues in Wellington's governance "and possible solutions" would not start with any presumption of structural change, it says.
"The purpose of the review is solely issue identification."
Its proposed timeline would see any changes in response to the issues identified considered after the next round of local authority elections in October.
A formal paper on the future of the region's governance, resulting from the review, would be considered by the incoming mayoral forum.
"Any changes of governance arrangements could be prepared in time for the 2013 local government elections," the report says.
"Therefore, there is a period of approximately two years available for thinking about the future governance of Wellington before any changes would need to be committed."
The review paper says the forum is seen as the "chief decision-making body, with direct channels of communication to the separate councils and the chief executives' forum".
"It is recognised not all local authorities in the region are resourced equally to undertake the review. It is suggested the regional chief executives' forum allocate resources to ensure the burden is shared equally in proportion to size and capabilities."
DISCUSSION
The review will specifically include work on:
* Governance and representation arrangements.
* The relationship with the new Auckland unitary authority.
* Social and economic pressures faced by communities across the region.
* The allocation of regional and local responsibilities - for service delivery and holding and managing infrastructure assets.
* Planning and consultation requirements.
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Nine councils for a population of only 450,000. The Wellington region is an over governed basket case. Local government has been used as a well paid gravy train for years with ratepayers picking up the tab. I say get rid of these overpaid hangers on and get rid of all these councils. Local govt is well overdue for radical restructuring.
No thanks. Just take a look at the mess thats happering in AUCKLAND we cant aford to pay 23 idoits to run it or perhaps J Bans can come down hear a wreck Wellington as well along with Auks MP you no who
hehe a Wellington Supercity, It will still have 1 million people less than Auckland as greater Wellington has only about 300-400 thousand people while Auckland has 1.4 million people. I
I wouldnt call it a supercity, Chch already is clumped together so Wellington will just be another Chch if Wellington goes into amalgamation.
However I love your city waterfront though, its people freindly, unlike ours!!!
I thought the whole point of the Wellington Regional Council was to add a total regional layer to the local governance processes. So why on earth would we need another one?
A Wellington "super-city" wouldn't be very "super". It would just be like Christchurch but with fewer people.
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Kia ora,
My name is Jevan,
I am 21 and will be standing for the Lambton Ward,
I think we need to give Auckland a couple of years to watch it fail and either we can learn from their mistake or not bother at all. Definitely needs to be consultation with the people who live in Wellington thou, which means axing Rodney Hide.
I would also like to say that after seeing what half the current city councilors are doing for the amount they are cashing in every year, I am very dissappointed.
It is basically daylight robbery in my opinion. I would support two new ideas with the way the current council works.
Number 1: City Councilors can only stand and be relected two times in a row, or at all, which ever one the public prefers. By doing this we eliminate what we all know so well in politics as "Time Servers" and we are consistently rejuvenating the Council with fresh blood and fresh ideas. As at the moment I am sorry to say there are to many time servers and people who need to retire in the current council.
Number 2: After seeing the lack of work elected representatives are doing, and considering the representation across the wards are not happening lets make everybody work a little bit harder. For example, in the Lambton Ward instead of voting in 3 people, lets only vote in 2 people, will make the people running and those elected that little bit ore proactive.
Ofcourse I am open to everybodies Ideas and Views !
jevanmanagement@gmail.com
Thanks
Jevan - Lambton Ward - 2010