Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

Lots of people are getting excited about the prospect of local government reform.

There are changes in the wind for resource management and local government legislation – the perceived failure of some councils to hold costs in the face of expanding responsibilities and manage resources such as water and will certainly lead to stronger direction from central government. The Minister of Local Government is keen on unitary authorities because he believes they are more cost effective and deliver better outcomes. He has signalled he is a fan for further amalgamations, but that he will not force any change – this should come from the community themselves.

So we are seeing a lot in the media about what people think might be desirable change to local government structure in their patch. Some seem keen to rush headlong into a change that may offer them solutions to their own particular problem. However, I have always believed that change should be carefully considered and not rushed. There is nothing less productive than change for change's sake. It should only be undertaken once all the information about the current situation is understood, what are influencing factors to be considered, what are the desired outcomes, what do the community want, what the options are and what the implications may be. We have yet to see how successful the Auckland Super City amalgamation has been, but I believe we have only seen a fraction of the associated costs of the change. I want to be sure that after all the upheaval, the desired outcomes are being achieved and that they have been worth the cost.

There is a saying that structure should follow strategy and form should follow function. This is the discussion that needs to be had before we discuss whether the status quo or one or two unitary authorities may be the best for the Bay of Plenty. We need to talk about what outcomes we want to achieve – and we need to do this without patch protection, back-stabbing or self-interest. We should have the best interest of all regional communities at heart and have frank discussions about strategy and function, and how to do a better job for our community at the least cost to all.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please contact me on [email protected] or ring me on 07 579-5150. Or you can check out my website at www.janenees.co.nz