So, Wellington has formally said it will support Wairarapa in its bid to become a single unitary authority. It seems Wellington likes the idea of a "metro" authority, encapsulating Kapiti, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt.
Which I guess is tough luck for the two Hutt Valley councils, who hadwanted to join as a unitary authority on their own.
Not going to happen, is my prediction on that.
I guess Wairarapa will take what support it can get, but I half wonder if there isn't a slight insult in keeping Wairarapa clear of a shiny new metro city.
According to Masterton councillor Lyn Patterson, who attended Wednesday's meeting in Wellington, there was a reference made that Wellington could be seen as a "colonising" power if it took on Wairarapa as well. Perhaps keeping things in proportion is the best way to look at it.
I believe Wellington has balked at the idea of Wairarapa being part of a super-city because the concept is simply out of proportion. It's off the scale. Amalgamation and colonisation have been a fact of life for New Zealand ever since the country was part of New South Wales.
You only have to look at early Wellington, with mayors in Wainuiomata, Tawa and Onslow. Our society and city has outgrown those little parishes and counties, just as we have outgrown the concept of Carterton, South Wairarapa and Masterton as separate governing entities.
Amalgamation is needed in Wellington too, but there is definitely a ceiling, and including Wairarapa is a concept too far.
I know perfectly well Greater Wellington will grind its teeth over the region's seeming inability to embrace the dramatic move to a super-city like Auckland's two-tier model.
It is fair to point out people tend to resist change rather than embrace it. But right now we have a population of about half a million. Maybe one day when the Wellington region has 1.4 million people, like Auckland, the pressure for an overall governance will be higher.
Until then, people are keeping a sense of proportion - and keeping to their own.
