"The commission's proposal would give major decision-making powers over millions of dollars of community assets in Northland, from improving water supply and sewage infrastructure to whether to hold on to port company shares, to just 10 people - nine councillors and a mayor.
"That's much less democratic than the status quo, because it would concentrate power in the hands of a few."
Rod Brown, representing Vision Kerikeri, said a unitary authority for Northland could be more efficient, effective and permanent than the status quo, provided the new structure included local boards, which could not be disestablished, with significant statutory powers (including funding) and working to a three-year plan.
Far North District councillor Willow-Jean Prime said last November the new council voted against the commission's draft proposal, adding that a significant level of co-operation was already developing between the existing councils.
The proposal offered very little that was new to facilitate or encourage tangata whenua engagement with local government, she said.
Meanwhile, Mr Clendon questioned whether there was a structural problem with local government, suggesting instead that dysfunctional relationships within and between councils had been at the heart of many of the problems.
"This is not the time to embark on an expensive, risky and disruptive structural change," he said.
"Let's give our newly-elected representatives a chance to demonstrate that co-operation, collaboration and consensus-seeking can provide effective and efficient governance that will produce the social, economic and environmental outcomes we all want."
Mr Clendon, who chaired the meeting, said there was very significant common ground between those who supported a unitary authority and those who were opposed.
The support of the former was conditional on local boards having significant power, and agreeing with the McKinley Douglas report's view that a unitary authority should have a strong second tier of local councils exercising most of the powers that district councils currently held.
Those against saw the need for modification/improvement of the status quo via much improved co-operation and integration between councils, as well as enhancement of existing community boards' role.
"Standing back from it all, there seemed to be very little difference between the two schools of thought at the meeting," he said.
"The problem is, as Eugenie Sage, who is on the select committee for local government in Parliament, pointed out, the Government is most unlikely to allow the local boards to have more power because of the precedent it would set, particularly for Auckland.
"Both the pro- and anti-UA camps agreed that this proposal should wait until after the new Local Government Amendment Bill is enacted, with the majority saying that a 'no' vote would be their preferred option," Mr Clendon said.
He urged everyone, regardless of their views, to make submission to the LGC before February 21.
