Monday October 8 marked the first anniversary of this local government triennium – 12 months since our three Wairarapa Councils were elected.
The last election delivered many new councillors, and the learning curve has been steep. They have not only had to come to grips with the duties, pressures, and unprecedented workload of being a councillor in 2023, but also the realisation that effecting change is limited due to the requirements of legislation, finances, or the separation of powers between management and governance.
One key factor affecting our roles is the degree to which councils are influenced by central government’s ongoing and increasing propensity to change or add to council functions without any consideration of cost, let alone providing revenue to pay for them. Add to this the raft of compulsory reforms being foisted upon councils, the size and scale of which we haven’t seen since 1989.
And the list grows – the challenges of multiple extreme weather events, and a raft of imposed strategic planning requirements in areas such as speed management, climate change, future development, economic development, youth, positive ageing, and waste minimisation. I have never seen councils and ratepayers so seriously under the pump.
But there have been some wins. Emergency funding covering 91 per cent of the cost of storm damage on Te Wharau and rural roads, the $1.75 million funding from Kanoa for the Waingawa Water Project, and the financial support for cyclone recovery efforts are very much appreciated. But it is not enough. With the schedule of meetings, hearings and consultation hui happening across the Wairarapa and Greater Wellington area, I struggle to understand how councillors with jobs, children and families can keep on top of everything.
It is easy to get swamped and bogged down. In short, you can’t always see the wood for the trees.
So, what’s my perspective? I see councils performing tasks that did not exist when I was last mayor in 2010. I see councils having to respond to more complex proposals from better-resourced Regional and Central Government, without the appropriate resources.
I see Wairarapa councils struggling to source the additional expertise required, often resulting in engaging out-of-town consultants. I see standards, goals, targets, and policies being imposed upon Wairarapa. I see centralisation by government removing power and decision-making from us locally; substantively altering the functions we were originally organised to perform to the extent that our form and structure no longer fits our function.
I see well-meaning attempts to share services to reduce costs and gain efficiencies across Wairarapa which are too hard to manage as separate entities. I see over-stretched staff who are time-poor, and yet we have triplication across many functions and elected members to govern a population similar to Upper Hutt District.
Carterton is in the strongest position of the Wairarapa Councils. Our wastewater and water infrastructure is first class and future-proofed to 2050. We have $17 million of investments and cash reserves, and 92 per cent equity. We kept services in-house when others chose to outsource. We are arguably the last of the Wairarapa Councils who on paper need to merge.
But we have a clear understanding of what is holding us back and why we struggle to keep pace. We know that whilst Wairarapa’s population is similar to Upper Hutt, we cover an area 10 times greater and the projected rates increases are unsustainable. We believe we could do so much better if we operated as one Wairarapa council.
Wellington Mayors and CEs are already talking of combining, and we know what that will mean. As an elected Wairarapa leader I must put aside my love of being of mayor of Carterton and do what is necessary to preserve and protect the quality of governance in Wairarapa and secure Carterton’s future. The window of opportunity and choice for Wairarapa is fast closing.
This is why the elected representatives of Carterton believe we must start the process of reorganising Wairarapa now.
