Matt Hollyer is Queenstown’s second ever Otago Regional Council (ORC) councillor, but there’s a good chance he’ll be our last.
The government last week signalled regional councils are heading for the scrap heap, to stop local government duplication.
They’re to be replaced, at least in the short term, by ‘combined territories boards’, including regions’ mayors and, possibly, Crown commissioners.
Hollyer, who was only elected in October, after Alexa Forbes, Queenstown’s first ORC councillor, stepped down, says being our last rep is “not the honour I was looking for”.
He admits to being confused why the government should first eliminate councillors before the functions of councils are determined by promised reforms to the Resource Management Act.
“That seems a bit illogical to me.
“I would have thought it would make more sense to release [those reforms] first and go, ‘this is the direction we’re going in terms of the regulatory environment, and therefore we propose reforming the councils so they can deliver on this effectively and efficiently’.”
To avoid the process being undemocratic, he’d link it to the electoral cycle.
He also thinks it’s unfair for mayors, elected to handle local issues, to have to take on regional governance.
“They’ll be involved in region-wide issues that will divert their focus, which I think is unfortunate.”