A United Napier City Council Responds to the Amalgamation Debate

Napier City Councillors have met informally to discuss the presentation on amalgamation from Mayor Yule and the results of the poll he conducted of Napier residents released last week.

The poll results continue to show that a majority of Napier residents remained opposed to amalgamation. The Napier City Council wants to reassure the residents of Napier, that it remains focused on the best interests of Napier’s residents.

We believe the problems that Mayor Yule identified to us of regional high unemployment, low wages and poor population growth are not solved by amalgamation of local authorities. Napier and Hastings Councils should continue their work on shared services which has the potential to maximise efficiencies, reduce costs, deliver best services and maintain choice. The debate should focus on strengthening these initiatives between the two cities.

Hawke’s Bay has a unique advantage (in New Zealand) with the twin vibrant cities of Napier and Hastings which both enjoy distinct and different identities. Variety and choice have been identified as significant economic strengths which should be exploited in our region, rather than ‘dumbed down’ to no real choice.

The Government is not seeking or promoting amalgamation of local authorities outside of Auckland. Successive Governments recognised problems in Auckland and following a Royal Commission Enquiry the amalgamation process was initiated. The success or not of Auckland’s amalgamation is being monitored and will take some time to measure. Hasty decisions by other regions could well back-fire.

Given the experience of this region in the proposed amalgamation of 1997/98, the Napier City Council is very concerned that this proposed drive for amalgamation from the Mayor of Hastings risks a polarisation and fragmentation of opinion, and will cause unnecessary distress and uncertainty for both the Napier and Hastings communities. This would be a very negative step in a difficult economic climate and would encourage conflict which both Councils and communities have worked extremely hard to avoid during the last decade.

The Council unanimously agree that there seems to be little to gain and much to lose by introducing the question of amalgamation at this time.