As the saying goes, better late than never. After seven weeks of virtual silence on the biggest issue to face local government in decades, and while neighbouring councils have been advancing their own agendas, Thames-Coromandel District Council has put forward three options for council amalgamation, asking for public feedback as they work toward a final decision on which plan – if any – to put to the government by a 9 August deadline.
But while TCDC goes through the motions of public engagement, the question of whether any of the three will emerge as a net positive for Coromandel communities depends on the degree to which clear-eyed analysis and raw political skills can be brought to bear in negotiations with potential partners in the coming weeks.
The three options approved last week for further consideration are no surprise:
1) “Greater Waikato”
10-council supercity.
2) “North Bay of Plenty”
Down the east coast to
Tauranga.
3) “East Waikato”
With the three Hauraki Plains districts.
The supercity scenario is little more than a straw man option, included on most councils’ short lists to demonstrate an open mind toward big amalgamations, but completely lacking public and local authority support. If a favoured proposal does eventuate, it will be based on option 2 or 3.
As explained by one member of Council’s working group, defining the borders of a proposed unitary authority is just the starting point.
Whether either proposed grouping is ultimately acceptable to TCDC for submission to the government depends on whether, and to what degree, district interests are met through negotiations with neighbouring councils. The most important question is power apportionment (by population, by rating units, by total capital valuation or otherwise). Further issues include how rural and urban interests are balanced, council structure, local and much more. TCDC negotiator(s) will finalise an extensive list of due diligence items and then enter into discussions shortly with leadership of potential partner councils in both proposed configurations. If a preferred option is negotiated that would provide broad benefits to district communities and mitigate downstream risks, TCDC would put that plan forward.
Going West and South: Problems With Hauraki
The “East Waikato” option comprising Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, South Waikato, and Thames-Coromandel districts is the top choice of HDC and its Mayor Toby Adams and likely to be put forward in some form, with or without the agreement of TCDC. But there will be issues before TCDC signs on – first and foremost being apportionment of power. Thames-Coromandel represents only 27% of the four-council population, but based on rating units the Coromandel represents a commanding 43.6% of the group. Allocation of leadership seats will be subject to negotiation. And what about local decision-making – a big priority on the peninsula? HDC has done away with community boards completely, and Adams has made it clear he has no interest whatsoever in reestablishing them in any new unitary council.
Hauraki goes even further, keeping the “great unwashed” at arm’s length.
Unlike most neighbouring districts, Hauraki council meetings do not include a public forum – considered by many to be the cornerstone of basic public participation. Instead, Adams hosts an annual meeting in each of his three wards, with updates by staff and a Q&A period providing short answers to previously submitted queries on potholes and footpaths (as the minutes attest), plus a few bonus questions allowed from the floor. Adams also hosts a brief annual meet-and-greet for the Whiritoa community. Whether and how the public is afforded the opportunity to participate in a new unitary council will again be subject to negotiation.
An East Coast Unitary: Are There Willing Partners?
As for TCDC’s “North BOP” option, whether a co-sponsor council (either Western Bay of Plenty or Tauranga City) will emerge is again going to depend on negotiations – TCDC cannot submit any plan by itself. Hauraki Mayor Adams, whose district would be partially included (Whiritoa), has already indicated he will actively oppose any plan that would take a bite out of his district (see page 15).
While the Coromandel may be attractive to Bay councils from a rating perspective, it is not part of the natural Tauranga urban catchment.
Back on June 10, TCDC Mayor Peter Revell stunned his Council and peninsula residents with a surprise pilgrimage to Rotorua to attend the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum, a regular meeting of that region’s mayors and regional council CEO. Although his own initial survey of Coromandel residents’ priorities was still three days from completion, the mayor jumped the gun and asked BOP leaders to consider two big amalgamation options – a merger of Thames-Coromandel with the entire Bay of Plenty Region minus Taupo, or a “coastal” grouping extending east through Ōpōtiki.
The Mayor’s embarrassing speed-dating “pitch”, as reported by the Rotorua Daily Post, included a cringeworthy “I Heart BOP” screen slide. Both of Revell’s BOP proposals wound up on the TCDC cutting room floor last week.
Revell leaves this week for a month-long trip overseas. Negotiations during this next critical period will fall to Deputy Mayor John Grant, very likely with strong support from Mercury Bay Cr Flemming Rasmussen.
There’s Always Plan B: A Coromandel Council?
After all is said and done, if the best possible deals with neighbouring councils fail to adequately protect the interests of Coromandel ratepayers and provide tangible benefits, there is still another option for TCDC councillors – do not submit a plan on August 9, roll the dice, and press ministers for a bespoke solution that will meet government simplification objectives and work for the district.
For years, Coromandel residents and many of their representatives have favored a standalone unitary council for the Peninsula. Preliminary analysis has shown a Coromandel Council would be financially viable, providing both district and regional services with the rates available.
In 2025-26, district ratepayers paid more than $19.2 million to Waikato Regional Council, including over $2.5 million for Waihou River catchment management. That would be enough to handle pest control, water quality, civil defense, and harbour management with a few dollars to spare.
Should the government change or the re-organisation process be revised – or TCDC leadership be sufficiently persuasive – a Coromandel unitary council could once again be on the table.
