KEY POINTS:
A plan to move Environment Bay of Plenty's headquarters from Whakatane to Tauranga could be scaled back - but that is not enough for opponents, who want it dropped.
A new version of the plan was presented to the regional council yesterday as it deliberated on submissions about the move.
Of 742 submissions received, 556 opposed to the plan.
Environment Bay of Plenty says the shift to Tauranga - the region's largest and fastest-growing centre - is necessary to fulfil leadership obligations under the Local Government Act and respond to growth in the western Bay.
In a report to the councillors, chief executive Bill Bayfield said despite submissions that leadership was not location-dependent, he believed strong reasons still existed to proceed with the move.
"The difficulties of understanding from Whakatane the significant issues that exist in the western Bay of Plenty sub-region will continue to be a barrier for us to fulfil our leadership potential," he said.
A "leaner" head office in Tauranga would enable Environment Bay of Plenty to achieve its goals for the next 10 years while reducing the original proposal's negative economic and social effects on the eastern Bay.
Environment Bay of Plenty was planning to move 130 staff to Tauranga and retain 50 in Whakatane, but Mr Bayfield is now proposing to shift 100 and keep more in Whakatane.
But Jacqui Hughes, who chairs a regional focus group opposing the move, told the Whakatane Beacon: "It's like they are saying, 'We were going to cut off your arms and your legs, but now we are only going to cut off your legs, so be grateful'."
At hearings last week, she and other eastern Bay residents, including local mayors, said the reason for moving was flawed. The move would have a hugely detrimental effect on the district's economy, and was likely to cost more than the council had budgeted.
Whakatane Mayor Colin Holmes said the cost of moving staff was likely to top $40,000 for each of the 130 employees, totalling $5.2 million.
The regional council had said staff relocation would cost $1.5 million and redundancies $2 million.
A council-commissioned report estimated the move would cost the eastern Bay economy $4.3 million annually.
Mr Holmes and Mr Campbell made a joint submission with Opotiki Mayor John Forbes.
Auckland local government lawyer Linda O'Reilly, acting for the three eastern Bay councils, said the regional council had not complied with the Local Government Act requirement to properly consult the community over the plan.
