I returned last week from four weeks overseas to find our Council at the pointy end of one of the most important decisions of this term. On Tuesday we resolved to join with Hauraki and Matamata-Piako District Councils in a Head Start proposal to Government for a new unitary authority covering our three districts. The jointly signed proposal was submitted to Ministers by the end of the week.
The decision was carried seven votes to four. On an issue this big, total consensus was never realistic, and healthy debate around the council table is exactly what our communities elect us for. Every councillor tested the case hard and made their call on the best information we could gather, and that rigour gives me confidence in the decision we reached.
That included what you told us. From the initial survey with over 500 responses, through information evenings across Coromandel, Thames, Whitianga, Tairua, Pāuanui, and Whangamata, to the final survey, more than 1600 people engaged directly, alongside our residents and ratepayers associations.
So why did we vote to join with our neighbours? The heart of it is financial strength. On our own, each council faces ageing infrastructure, rising costs and a limited ratepayer base. Together, the three districts would serve around 93,500 people with combined revenue of over $320 million and net assets of $3.7 billion. That scale means far greater capacity to renew and build the assets our communities rely on, and a credible pathway to resolving our water services challenge.
Just as important is what we keep. The new authority would have a single mayor and governing council for the combined area, making the big region wide decisions. But local voice is built in through directly elected local boards, with powers protected in legislation, deciding on local facilities, priorities and services for their own communities. Decisions stay close to the people they affect.
It would also create a unitary council, combining the roles of district and regional councils, as Auckland, Marlborough, Nelson and Gisborne have done successfully for years. One council, one plan, one point of accountability, with rates raised here spent here.
Tuesday’s decision commits us to the next stage, not the final destination. Extensive planning, engagement and due diligence will follow to confirm this is the best pathway, and if serious concerns emerge, protections for our ratepayers can be negotiated.
We chose to shape our own future rather than have one shaped for us. I’m confident it is the right direction, and you will be kept updated as we take the next steps.
