Ōpōtiki district residents are being asked to have their say on their council’s online engagement website, Hono Mai, on reforms that will reshape local government.

Ōpōtiki district Mayor David Moore said the reforms represented one of the most significant changes to local government in decades and it was important the community was involved in the discussion from the outset.

“We want to get information out to the community and bring them into the fold,” Moore said.

“This is not a conversation that councils have chosen to have, but it is one we need to engage in. The Government has made it very clear that change is coming and that the status quo is unlikely to remain an option.”

The Government has given local councils until August 9 to submit proposals on how they could work together to deliver both regional and local services.

Last month’s announcement was the latest in the Government’s proposal to Simplify Local Government, which includes disestablishing regional councils at the next local election.

Councils can participate in a voluntary “Head Start” process to develop reorganisation proposals that could lead to the creation of new unitary authorities. Councils that do not progress through this pathway may become part of a compulsory “Backstop” process following the 2028 local elections.

Moore said there were a number of possible models that could emerge for the Bay of Plenty, each with different opportunities and challenges.

These included a single Bay of Plenty-wide unitary authority, a unitary authority focused on the Eastern Bay area, or a larger sub-regional arrangement involving the Eastern Bay and neighbouring districts such as Rotorua.

“At this stage, the council has not made any decisions about a preferred outcome,” Moore said.

Moore said a key consideration was ensuring Ōpōtiki’s interests were represented throughout the process.

“The reality is that these reforms can proceed with or without us,” he said.

“Under the Head Start process, proposals can be submitted by groupings of councils that represent a majority of either the affected councils or the population within a region.

There is a possibility that decisions about future governance arrangements could be driven by larger population centres or by councils whose priorities differ from those of our district.”

Moore said this did not mean outcomes had already been determined, but it highlighted the importance of actively participating in the conversation.

“If we choose not to engage, there is a risk that the future shape of local government is decided for us rather than with us. Our responsibility is to ensure the needs, aspirations and identity of Ōpōtiki are clearly understood and considered as these discussions unfold.”

“What is important is that we understand the implications of each option and hear directly from our communities about what matters most to them.”

He said there was often an assumption that larger councils automatically resulted in lower costs, but he believed the evidence did not support that conclusion.

“Bigger is not necessarily cheaper,” he said.

“If amalgamation was simply about size delivering savings, you would expect the largest councils in the country to have the lowest rates. There is no clear evidence that amalgamation alone results in lower costs for ratepayers.

“Equally important is ensuring smaller communities continue to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them.”

“Whether people support change, oppose change, or simply want more information, we need to hear those views now. The strongest position we can take into any future discussions is one that is informed by our community.”