On August 4, Thames-Coromandel councillors voted 7-4 to abandon political autonomy for the Coromandel Peninsula – all to satisfy a rushed Government plan to simplify local government through district council mergers. Although not required to do anything of the sort — and unlike many other councils across New Zealand — the Council obliged by dutifully agreeing to amalgamate TCDC with two Hauraki Plains councils – signing away the district’s independence for generations in exchange for a minority supporting role in a makeshift new “Waihou-Piako-Coromandel” authority.
Fast forward to last week’s surprise Government announcement putting the whole “Head Start” local government process on hold until 2027. Just as critics of a shotgun council marriage had predicted, the process and timing of local government reform is now far from certain. All council merger bets are off. Other structural reform options are now back on the table.
With strong support from across the political spectrum, carefully managed local government reform is still a virtual certainty. But forced council mergers with no local mandates or evidence of lasting benefits are unlikely to be the only option. As for Thames-Coromandel District, last week’s about-face presents a golden opportunity for all councillors to hit the “restart” button and work together to identify the absolutely best outcome for its residents – to strengthen local democracy and to ensure that local aspirations become local realities.
But while this winter’s brush with local democracy disaster was unfolding, shocked community members were left scratching their heads. They checked the facts, evaluated likely scenarios, and learned about the pitfalls of important decisions made under pressure.
So, to reward the community’s keen interest in local government and put its knowledge of public affairs to the test, The Informer, with the help of commentator Geoffrey Robinson, presents its inaugural….
LOCAL DEMOCRACY QUIZ!
