Capital super-city possible

ROB KITCHIN/Dominion Post

SUPER CAPITAL: Wellington mayors say it is now inevitable that local government in the region will have to change, but are promising to consult widely before deciding whether to take the same route as Auckland.

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Ratepayers in the Wellington region will be asked whether there should be a single council after Auckland was transformed into a super-city of 1.4 million people.

Wellington mayors say it is now inevitable that local government in the region will have to change, but are promising to consult widely before deciding whether to take the same route as Auckland.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide says he will let local communities take the lead.

"If there was an area where everyone was agreed and everyone said, `Let's do this,' I'm sure the Government would say `We'll assist you,' but we wouldn't be providing the leadership like we are in Auckland."

No further mergers would occur before the next general election as the Government wanted to see how the new Auckland worked, Mr Hide said.

Legislation setting up a single authority passed by 64 to 58 votes yesterday, creating a city that will have a third of New Zealand's population and wield huge political and economic power.

Fears have been raised that the Wellington region which has a combined population of about 450,000 spread across eight local authorities and other centres will be swamped by Auckland and left behind.

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said governance changes in the Wellington region were now inevitable, though they would develop more slowly than in Auckland.

"We would rather have the consultation with our community and then take a proposal to the prime minister and say, `This is what our community wants, would you enact legislation and make it happen?"'

Any changes could take effect at the 2013 local body elections, she said.

Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash agreed the region needed to find ways to work together better, but said that did not necessarily mean a single city.

Changes could include keeping existing boundaries but introducing a uniform district plan and combined funding for regional facilities and attractions.

Ohariu MP Peter Dunne said Wellington would be left behind if it did not move towards greater unity. However, he believed the Government would at some point have to take the lead.

"If we can do it through the mayors and get an agreed position, that would be great, but I'm just a wee bit skeptical because I think at some point it's inevitable people will start to see it from a parochial interest. You need to be able to stand above that."

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