A private member's bill which Napier MP Stuart Nash hopes will change the course of voting in local government referendums is still waiting to be heard in Parliament and is unlikely to affect the Hawke's Bay amalgamation vote over the next two months.
The Local Government Act 2002 (Greater LocalDemocracy) Amendment Bill was drawn in a ballot last month and is currently "about No6" on the list for first hearing, Labour caucus member Mr Nash said yesterday.
He predicts it may be several weeks before his bill is heard and in the meantime he is continuing to muster support from mayors throughout the country, from parliamentary political parties and from MPs for the votes needed to out-vote the government coalition-leading National Party, which he expects will not support the bill.
The bill seeks to restore district-by-district polling for local government reorganisation referendums - in which any existing council district could veto an amalgamation proposal - as opposed to the single region-wide vote, which will be made in a postal ballot opening on August 24 and closing at midday on September 15.
Mr Nash said "a lot of the mayors" had already replied with their support and he would be contacting those who had not responded as he prepared to introduce the bill in the House.
He is expecting voting support from New Zealand First and the Green Party, and is lobbying other parties for their support.
Meanwhile, about 111,000 people are expected to be eligible to vote in the Hawke's Bay local government reorganisation poll, including more than 53,000 in the Hastings District and almost 43,000 in Napier.
