The joining of three councils in the Waikato could mean significant cost savings, and give residents more say in local body politics.
The Waikato branch of the Property Council has released a proposed submission to amalgamate Hamilton City Council, with Matamata-Piako, Waikato and Waipa district councils and parts of Otorohanga, South Waikato and Waitomo districts. The plans were explained at a presentation in Hamilton last week.
Former Hamilton Mayor Margaret Evans said there are issues with the current system, such as disengagement of the community; councils don't listen, and the people in towns around the Waikato feel excluded.
"If you take Waipa and Waikato districts, they have more than one town, the council is not related to a specific town."
"There has been some criticism that the Property Council has got their own interest, one could say the councils have the greatest conflict of interest. It takes a very strong person to stand up and say I want to make myself redundant."
The united council would have one regional mayor with 16 councillors to represent seven wards, with 11 community boards - made up of 53 members of the community, and specific Maori and rural representatives.
Chairperson of the Property Council's local government subcommittee, Thomas Gibbons said change is coming and it is better to put the idea out there now than to wait for that to be imposed.
"The key reasons are that some sort of change is coming, we know from what has come out of Auckland that there is likely to be some sort of change in the Waikato at some point, that is likely to come out of central government unless something comes out of the Waikato."
"This is not a new issue; this is something people have been arguing about for years."
The new government legislation means anyone can submit a proposed change to local government if the idea would promote good local government (as defined in the Act), and the application has community support in the district of each affected territorial authority.
Four serious initiatives have emerged since the legislation was passed, and all proposals are for a joint council - the amalgamation of territorial authorities into a single council.
Mr Gibbons said the amalgamation would mean a greater say in parliament by presenting a united front.
He said not everyone would agree with the map, but to not let that take away from the idea.
"This [presentation] was about taking the proposed submission to our members and getting their feedback, there needs to be a public conversation happen.
"We wanted to get through this first and get some member feedback; we are planning another subcommittee meeting to work out what the next steps are. It is very useful that gets discussed and debated."
The idea is to improve efficiency by putting decision back in the hands of elected members, and bringing together rural and urban, but not to create a super city.
Waikato Regional Council rates have increase by 42 percent since 2007, from $53.5 million to $76 million, along with an 80 percent increase in staff from 271 to 488, and costs are up 62 percent from $22 million to $35.7 million, but the population has only grown by 6 percent since 2006. Hamilton City Council rates are up by 50 percent since 2007, from $85.8 million to $129 million, and 30 percent since 2010, increasing from $108 million to $140.5 million, with population growth at 9.6 percent since 2006.
Ms Evans said people there needs to be a system to get people involved.
"It is figures like that, that are motivating people to say we haven't got it right yet. With more and more people have given up, they have disengaged and that is not healthy for democracy.
"Whatever we do we need to have a structure that brings people back, and that is where I am absolutely convinced a community board concept, with real powers, is a way to."
Professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University said there could be advantages to moving to a different model.
"Basically most arrangements we have today were developed at a time when our populations were youthful and growing, and largely rurally based."
Professor Jackson said the Waikato has more elderly than it does children; an age driven population meaning more people leaving the work force than joining it. She said we also have more people moving from rural areas into the city.
"I'm not ignoring the various changes to local government acts along the way, but the old provinces, for example, were established when people couldn't get from A to B very readily, then the TAs (Territorial Local Authority Area such as Waipa and Hamilton city) grew out of those regions. "Underlying age composition and what it does to growth (or decline) has never played a role, but it needs to."