Otago regional councillors support Ngāi Tahu having a role in any future change mechanism under the ‘Simplifying Local Government’ reform.

The ORC moved to support iwi in its local government reform submission yesterday, but chair Hilary Calvert was initially cautious about the alignment.

She said while it could be seen that the ORC supported a sense of direction that was being carried out by Ngāi Tahu, it didn’t mean they were totally onboard with it.

ORC said in its submission it valued the long-standing relationship with mana whenua in the region.

Announced by Government late last year, the reform proposes to replace regional councillors by a Combined Territories Board (CTB), made up of mayors across each region. 

Their job will then be to develop Regional Reorganisation Plans (RRPs) to improve service delivery.

The regional council supports RRP’s in principle but strongly recommends that the process be undertaken by an alternative body - like an independent South Island entity.

The ORC considered in its submission that ‘business as usual’ regional council governance functions should remain with regional councillors, who hold a mandate from the community.

There would be conflicts of interest with Mayors being on CTB’s and the regional council decided not to make a comment about Crown Commissioners being brought in as an alternative.

“If we choose that, then you don’t believe in democracy at all. We have seen how it failed,” Cr Michael Laws said.

The regional council does not think the reorganisation process should be constrained by current regional boundaries, and sees the reform to at least give them another opportunity to reset the local government model.

Michael said he had fundamentally changed his view on the reform since the workshop in January, and believes it doesn’t go far enough.

“They have to go much further and make it more radical, “ he said.

He used Auckland as an example of the model they should be following and said the Government’s reform made no sense.

The new legislation will be introduced into Parliament around mid-2027, after a Select Committee process has taken place.

Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact editor@centralapp.nz