Each council will hold public meetings in the coming weeks.
Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson is urging people to have their say on any local government amalgamations.
His call comes as Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei district councils scramble to arrange public meetings after the Government this month asked councils to submit fast-track proposals for local government reform by August.
Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop said councils had to make proposals that would “simplify and strengthen local government in their regions” before the deadline of August 9.
If councils did not submit credible proposals, the Government would step in and make the decisions.
Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei councils are planning public meetings to hear from their residents and discuss proposals.
Watson said the deadline did not allow enough time to properly consider such a significant reform.
“Like many of my colleagues across local government, I am surprised by the speed of the ‘Head Start’ process,” Watson said.
“There are important and valuable conversations to be had about how local government can work better. It is fair to ask whether the current system is giving people the best results, and I believe many would support practical, well-considered improvements.
“But decisions of this scale should not be rushed.”
Watson said decisions must be supported by “robust information, open discussions and enough time” for people to understand what is being proposed.
“Councils across New Zealand are already managing major change with Local Water Done Well, resource management reform, and rising costs across all operational areas,” he said.
“Adding a fast-tracked amalgamation process on top places more pressure on an already stretched sector.”
Watson said that despite the short timeframe and inconvenient process, his council would “not allow decisions to be made about our future without having a seat at the table”.
“I urge you to have your say,” he said.
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said it was important for the community to hear, understand and voice their opinions on “arguably the biggest change for local government since 1989″.
“We need to move slowly, but with haste; in other words, we need to work fast but also in a really structured and thoughtful way,” Tripe said.
“We don’t want to rush to solution-mode. We need to work through a process, making sure the community feels like they are engaged, stakeholders are feeling like they are involved and that we are making a good decision without rushing to the solution.”
Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton said the meetings aim to explain to the public what the council understands, what the council is doing to better understand the possible options available, and hear directly from the communities.
“There are still many unknowns at this stage, but the potential changes being discussed are significant and will shape the future governance, representation, services, infrastructure, and boundaries of our district for many years to come,” Kirton said.
Kirton said it was important to take a proactive approach and ensure Ruapehu had a strong voice in any future discussions.
“We don’t believe it is in Ruapehu’s best interests to simply sit back and wait to see what happens. We need to understand our options and make sure our communities are part of the conversation from the beginning,” he said.
“Ruapehu potentially has a number of pathways open to it, and we need to carefully assess the opportunities, risks, and impacts of each.”
Kirton said while Ruapehu was currently working with Whanganui on a future water services entity, that did not automatically determine any future amalgamation arrangements.
Tripe said he sympathised with Watson and Kirton on the short timeframe, but said a “perfect solution” is not required by then.
“The timeline is what it is, we’ll just need to work towards that,” he said.
“We don’t need to have the detail by the [deadline], so I think we have got sufficient time to be able to do that.”
Tripe said the Whanganui District Council would arrange meetings in the coming weeks to discuss proposals, Local Water Done Well, rates capping, increased costs and the Resource Management Act (RMA).
For the Ruapehu District Council, a public meeting was to be held in Ohakune yesterday at the Council Chambers on Ayr St.
Another meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 26, in Taumarunui in the Miriama Hall, on Miriama St, at 5pm.
The Rangitīkei District Council will hold meetings across the district from June and an online survey will be opened with details to be released later this week.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.