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APRIL 11, 2024
All together now? By Roy Pilott
The head of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce wants to spark a debate on the 35-year-old local government boundaries in the province. The last local government reforms introduced a regional tier, male-dominated borough and county councils disappeared and Waikato was populated with a city council and a host of district councils. It brought neighbours like Te Awamutu and Cambridge together, but left Ōtorohanga and Te Kuiti separate. In a memo in the latest chamber newsletter Don Good poses the
question: has the time for the amalgamation of the Waikato’s territorial authorities arrived? “We have a cost of living crisis, people will struggle to meet the forecast rise in rates – and businesses are frustrated by the artificial lines we have pencilled across our region,” he said. “Most Waikato councils are close to their debt ceiling and experiencing a downgrade in their viability. They are also facing really big costs to ensure their core services and infrastructure do not break.” Debt ceilings are an issue discussed on page 13 in Peter Nicholl’s regular column. Greater Waikato is
governed by its regional council, Hamilton City Council and 10 district councils – Franklin, Hauraki, Thames-Coromandel, Waikato, Waipā, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, Matamata-Piako, South Waikato and Taupō. Good brings that number to 13 by including the Rotorua district because part of that council’s area takes in land to the west of the Mamaku range which feeds into the Waikato River. It’s no secret that some Waikato and King Country councils are already looking at the logistics of amalgamating. Waitomo mayor John Robertson in a column in
the King Country News last month said of his council and neighbour Ōtorohanga “we are substantially the King Country, Maniapoto… so why are we governed by two councils?” He said amalgamating was considered 20 years ago – “it is surely time to consider this option once again”. Time has also caught up with some boundaries – part of Hamilton is in the Waipā district. When a governmentcommissioned Future for Local Government review panel presented a restructure plan in the middle of last year it was tipped to be a general election issue. It wasn’t and
has barely rated a media mention since. But as councils roll out long term plans with huge rate rises over the next three years, the debates are likely to occur. Good says the chamber is hardly the biggest fan of centralisation, but adds there needs to be some rationalisation across the Waikato to get costs down. Saying “bollocks” as one old Waikato leader did has not worked. The rate rises are proof of that. It is time for a change.” He said voters were frustrated by a duplication of bureaucracy, the differences in rules, the lack of efficiency
Don Good
and speed in delivering services and the number of “dumb initiatives that annoy voters, such as the raised roads at intersections”. “It is time to look at how amalgamation can be implemented.”
Dennis takes farmer crown
Piarere’s Dennis Main was crowned Waikato-Bay of Plenty FMG Young Farmer of the Year on Saturday, following two days of competition at the Kerepehi Domain. The 30-year-old will take on six other regional finalists in July’s final – when a successor to 2023 Young Farmer of the Year, Pirongia’s Emma Poole, will be crowned in Hamilton. Also on Saturday Summer Korkie and Luke Pease from Te Awamutu College won the Waikato Bay of Plenty FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year title for 2024 –
heading off James Hill and Ben Ede from Cambridge High School. Main has not competed in the event before though has been an active member of Piarere Young Farmers. “I didn’t know what to expect, so to come away with the win was a real surprise,” he said. Main grew up on the family dairy farm, and after leaving school studied engineering. He spent four years back on the family farm and has now turned his hand to building.
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