regional council is to disappear under the Government\u2019s plans<\/a>, with its functions combined as amalgamation plays out for Northland\u2019s three current district councils.<\/p>\nThe quick, mostly multi-choice surveys aim to gather data for a meeting of the Northland local government reform elected member steering group later this month, ahead of developing the region\u2019s amalgamation proposal, which is due to be submitted to the Government by August 9.<\/p>\n
The Government will design the region\u2019s restructure if Northland doesn\u2019t submit a proposal for consideration.<\/p>\n
Regional steering group chair and Whang\u0101rei Mayor Ken Couper said taking the opportunity to create a local amalgamation proposal would ensure Northland communities shape their own future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about taking a \u2018by Northland, for Northland\u2019 approach,\u201d Couper said.<\/p>\n
Each district council\u2019s survey asks respondents for their views on several amalgamation options.<\/p>\n
A single council would merge WDC, FNDC, KDC and NRC \u2013 the top-listed option in WDC\u2019s survey.<\/p>\n
WDC next lists a Far North unitary council and a combined WDC\/KDC unitary council. <\/p>\n
Its third option is a Whang\u0101rei unitary council and a combined FNDC\/KDC unitary council. Both would incorporate NRC functions.<\/p>\n
In contrast, the Kaipara council survey lists four options, topped by KDC going solo with regional council functions as its first choice.<\/p>\n
![\"Dargaville\u2019s]()
Dargaville\u2019s combined Kaipara District Council\/Northland Regional Council building. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n
The survey then lists a combined KDC and WDC unitary council with NRC functions, followed by a combined KDC and FNDC council with NRC functions.<\/p>\n
The solo FNDC unitary council with NRC functions tops the Far North council survey\u2019s list of four options.<\/p>\n
The survey then lists an FNDC and WDC unitary council with NRC functions, followed by an FNDC and KDC council with NRC functions.<\/p>\n
The four-council merger appears last.<\/p>\n
Depending on each council\u2019s slightly different survey wording, respondents are asked for feedback on concerns about fewer councils, how community voice should be protected, which council services should be prioritised and the benefits of amalgamation.<\/p>\n
Concerns include rates, loss of local voice and decision-making, reduced access to councillors and staff, smaller communities being overlooked, less responsive services, disruption during amalgamation, weakened environmental outcomes, poorer service delivery and doubts about cost savings.<\/p>\n
The surveys ask how local voice should be protected \u2013 through local or community boards, sufficient local representation, issues-based engagement, options like catchment care groups, M\u0101ori\/iwi representation and mechanisms such as citizens\u2019 assemblies.<\/p>\n
People are also asked to identify benefits they see from fewer councils in Northland \u2013 including simpler systems, lower costs, better value for money and rates, stronger regional planning, greater financial capacity, better representation of local communities, improved emergency response, stronger management of growth and infrastructure and enduring iwi and hap\u016b relationships grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.<\/p>\n
KDC\u2019s survey asks what should be prioritised to ensure successful change \u2013 including how Northland\u2019s new local government structure will look, ensuring services aren\u2019t disrupted during transition, clear communication with communities, aligning policies and processes across the region and retaining the staff\u2019s local knowledge.<\/p>\n
It also asks what must stay the same in Kaipara \u2013 including local voice and decision-making, local access to services, retaining council offices and local presence, protecting rural and remote communities, affordable rates and reliable core services.<\/p>\n
The FNDC survey also asks whether people think council services such as dog control, rubbish and recycling, libraries, pools, community facilities, town centre improvements and stormwater and drainage should be centralised.<\/p>\n
It also asks people to choose whether they are more motivated by the possibility of reduced costs through regionally co-ordinated services or by maintaining a strong local voice \u2013 even if that costs more.<\/p>\n
More than 550 people responded to an initial FNDC survey that closed on May 3, which the council called a \u201chuge\u201d response.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard that while people have mixed views about reform, there is strong agreement on what matters most \u2013 affordable rates, retaining a strong, local voice, reliable services and making sure smaller rural communities are not overlooked,\u201d the new FNDC survey said.<\/p>\n
\u25a0 LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FNDC and KDC have also topped their surveys with another option \u2013 each remaining standalone while taking on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[23562,3017,6326,5205,7558,45688,9060,305,130,111,43,139,1536,11225,69,1118,17159,20877,662,242208,131,125511,698,686,49632],"class_list":["post-482056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-23562","tag-ahead","tag-biggest","tag-council","tag-councils","tag-deadline","tag-decades","tag-have","tag-more","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-next","tag-northlanders","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-proposal","tag-restructure","tag-shakeup","tag-surveyed","tag-than","tag-tokeraus","tag-until","tag-week","tag-weigh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}