In reply to the letter from the Mayor's office which appeared last week (That's democracy, August 22).
I do not intend to itemise all of the errors and misquotes in the letter. Suffice to say the Local Government Commission remains focused on the big picture: how toachieve good local government for Northland.
The Commission held 11 public meetings in 10 centres over five days, and received very positive feedback from residents and ratepayers for our efforts to get out and meet them face to face. People have been appreciative of the independent, fact-based, balanced and credible information they have received from the Commission.
In turn, we have appreciated the forthright and sincere expression of views we have gathered on our travels.
The Commission is well aware of the position of the FNDC and of the other councils in the region. But the reorganisation proposal is now bigger than just one council or one sector group. Everybody in Northland has a stake in this process.
We look forward to continuing to engage with people in this region.
