Opinion by Ian Powell
On 22 November, the Government announced its dramatic decision to replace elected regional councillors with what are to be called Combined Territories Boards (CTBs) made up of city and district mayors (potentially also Government-appointed representatives). Legislation will be necessary to give legal effect to this decision.
These new boards will be required to produce detailed ‘regional reorganisation plans’ covering essential functions such as the delivery of transport, flood protection and environmental regulation. Particularly alarming is that these ‘plans’ would require the Local Government minister’s approval.
No prior engagement with local government
This immediately raises serious concerns. To begin there was no prior engagement with regional, city and district councils over the merits of this restructuring. This includes the mayors who unexpectedly find themselves burdened with extra duties and responsibilities.
If central government doesn’t proactively engage with those who are doing the actual jobs in local government, there is a high likelihood of poor decision-making.
No tangible evidence
Second, there is no tangible evidence provided to justify the restructuring. Instead all we have are soundbites, such as removing duplication. But replacing elected regional councils with local mayors doesn’t remove duplication. Instead it introduces accountability confusion and dysfunction.
In addition to increased workloads, mayors would have to juggle their existing accountability to the local populations who elected them with those who they now will have to report to centrally.
Shift from localism to total government control
Third, and most alarming, is that under the proposed restructuring, the new CTBs would be subject to total government control through the local government minister. This would represent the end of localism.
It means the abandonment of the principle of subsidiarity which has underpinned the relationship between local and central government for well over a century. This principle in essence is that decisions are best made locally unless it makes more sense to make them centrally.
This principle was abandoned by the previous Labour government when, in 2022, it replaced district health boards with a new national bureaucracy, Health New Zealand. And we all know how that has worked out!
Now throw a KCDC pickle into the mix
Although the overwhelming response to the restructuring from within local government has largely ranged from muted grimaces to being critical, a ‘cheerleader’ for the Government quickly appeared in the form of Kris Pervan, Group Manager of Growth and Strategy at the Kāpiti Coast District Council. This is a second-tier position reporting directly to the chief executive.
On LinkedIn (26 November) she asserted that:
“Colour me impressed:- if you read the proposal rather than the media headline, the government is proposing a change that empowers local district and city councils, and importantly, our communities to reorganise local governance arrangements in a way that makes sense at the coalface … national government, you’ve turned my head … smart pre-election move, this will be a money saver and enable more effective local governance and voice.“
This is political spin that disregards reality. Further, it is opposite to the position of Mayor Janet Holborrow. In response to a Facebook post the following day she described the restructuring applauded by Kris Pervan as “The latest in Central Government’s concerted efforts to undermine local democracy.”
The conflicting positions is not just that the Mayor got it right and her senior manager got it wrong. It also raises the question of who calls the shots in KCDC – the elected council or the appointed senior management. Time will tell but hopefully the former.
It is surprising nevertheless that a senior manager would make such a public comment in social media about such a politically sensitive and controversial matter without the knowledge and approval of her chief executive.
If this wasn’t the case then surely the chief executive will need to have firm words with her. If it was the case then surely the mayor will need to have firm words with her chief executive.
The Government and Kris Pervan might want to reflect on the following quote attributed to a satirical senator of ancient Rome, Gaius Petronius Aribiter:
We trained hard—but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up
into teams we were reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to
meet any new situation by reorganising, and what a wonderful method it can
be for creating the illusion of progress while actually producing confusion,
inefficiency, and demoralisation.
This is an opinion piece by Ian Powell – Kāpiti based freelance writer on Health Systems and Policies