It’s off to the races at TCDC toward a cascade of decisions that will fundamentally change the shape and function of Coromandel local government for decades to come.
At its ordinary meeting last Tuesday, Council approved a five-member Simplifying Local Government Working Group of elected members which, together with several outside consultants and senior staff, will narrow down options for re-organising as a unitary council by a government-mandated deadline of August 9.
Less Councils and new boundaries
Ministers on 5 May announced their intention to end two-tier local government in New Zealand, effective with the 2028 local body elections. The announcement requested high-level amalgamation proposals for new local authorities that will combine the current functions of district or city councils and regional councils. Proposed council boundaries are to reflect basic geography, as well as natural economic, social and cultural “communities of interest”. The proposals will be evaluated by Government against various criteria, with successful plans being advanced later this year for further development, analysis, and public consultation.
For the next 10 weeks, TCDC councillors will be evaluating options ranging from “going it alone” to several potential groupings with all or parts of neighbouring Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, and Western Bay of Plenty districts. The idea of an amalgamated all-Waikato unitary “supercity” council trotted out by Waikato Regional Council (WRC) early last month appears to be dead in the water. The status quo is not an option.
Are Elected Members In the Driver’s Seat?
As TCDC accelerates the process of identifying a preferred option, or options, for amalgamation, Coromandel communities will want clarity on the decision-making process and the criteria against which options will be assessed.
On Tuesday, five elected Council members were named by Mayor Peter Revell to a Simplifying Local Government Working Group – the Mayor (himself), Deputy Mayor John Grant, and Crs Flemming Rasmussen, John Freer, and Robyn Sinclair. They will be supported by senior council staff and an independent team of consultants.
Strategic Advisor and Independent Facilitator appointed
Discussion followed a 14-page report with soup-to-nuts decision recommendations for councillors on terms of reference, schedule, and a decision tree authored, according to the original meeting agenda, by “Strategic Advisor” Vaughan Payne. Payne was onboarded as a contractor to TCDC in January as “Storm Recovery Lead” to liaise with government and advocate for long-term roading resilience funding. According to council CEO Aileen Lawrie, Payne’s remit has since been extended to supporting staff on simplifying local government. He is best known to Coromandel residents as CEO of WRC from late 2013 to 2020, including the period when WRC was actively opposing efforts by TCDC to form a unitary eastern Waikato council. Since March 2024, Payne has been managing director of Kāhu Manawa, a consultancy providing management services to local government and other statutory bodies.
Also named in the original strategy report as key Working Group support is Ohope and Tauranga-based local government consultant Ian Morton. Morton was Bay of Plenty Regional Council manager of science and strategy from 2015 to 2018 before striking out as “M Consulting”. He is listed professionally as a programme manager working in various sectors including defense and telecommunications, and more recently local government. It is expected Morton will have a significant role as an “independent facilitator”. According to CEO Lawrie, the Working Group will also be assisted by contractor Elizabeth Hughes, a recent part-time communications hire with extensive background in local government messaging and public engagement.
Council’s consultants bring considerable Waikato and Bay of Plenty local government experience and industry connections to the TCDC Working Group table. But that experience and those connections raise the question of who will be steering the ship. Who will set the agenda and determine direction? Who will talk to whom when it comes to negotiations with neighbouring councils? Who will direct the discussion and determine priorities? And, ultimately, who will frame the decisions to be made on amalgamation options? When the dust settles, outside consultants will move on to their next assignments. Coromandel Peninsula councillors and communities will live with the outcome.
Expanding Council Borders: A Democracy Tradeoff?
As of last week, the Local Government Working Group has officially started exploring which neighbouring council areas might fit best when it comes to purported efficiency and local democracy – two objectives that are generally at odds.
The council already shares services with Hauraki District notably in waste management and economic development, and hundreds of Hauraki residents commute daily to work in Thames and Kopu. The Coromandel Range spans from Moehau in the north to Te Aroha (Matamata-Piako District) in the south. The Waihou River (formerly the Thames River) runs past Te Aroha and Paeroa to the Firth near Thames. On the eastern seaboard, Waihi Beach (Western Bay of Plenty District) is a natural fit. Logical options for unitary council borders in the eastern Waikato clearly exist.
In the western Waikato SH1 corridor, similar choices are being faced, and in Hamilton as on the Coromandel, size matters. Hamilton City Council (HCC) is currently considering combining with Waikato District (and possibly one or two others) or alternatively; joining with Waikato and Waipa districts (and possibly one or two others). An HCC staff report summed it up well, noting that each option carries trade-offs between scale, local representation, and the ability to address diverse needs. The report noted a bigger grouping “may deliver greater economies of scale, simplified governance, and improved infrastructure coordination, but risks diluting local priorities.”
Back on the Coromandel, communities have been asking for years to bring back more local decision-making from Hamilton and give greater voice and control to local communities – from infrastructure investments to economic development spending, to public transport and harbour management.
Their priorities so far have been clear. While efficiency needs to be increased and costs constantly contained, local control and local decision-making once gone are lost forever.
