by the Far North District Council. Cutting local government costs in the region would also reduce the rating requirement of councils.

What will happen to assets currently administered by the Northland Regional Council, such as Northland Port shares and land holdings in Whangarei, if that council is abolished?

A Far North Unitary Authority would seek its fair share of Northland Regional Council assets. The Bill that is before Parliament gives councils affected by a reorganisation proposal powers to decide how assets and liabilities should be apportioned. Councils may also ask the Local Government Commission to decide how these should be distributed if they can’t agree between themselves. A Far North Unitary Authority wouldn’t necessarily sell its port shares (and would need to undertake a community consultation exercise if it did), but it would want a greater infl uence over the Port and its income.

What will happen to Kaipara’s debt of $85 million if local government in Northland is restructured?

Some councils that have amalgamated have ‘ring-fenced’ debt so it remained with the Council that incurred this debt. It remains to be seen how Kaipara’s debt would be dealt with under a merger. However, it is likely that the Far North could expect to gain a share of this if the Government decided to amalgamate Northland’s four councils. We also cannot rule out the possibility of the Government merging Kaipara District Council with Auckland Council since it has postponed local elections in Kaipara until 2015.

Who would regulate the Far North Unitary Authority?

The working group recognises the potential for a confl ict of interest under a unitary authority arrangement where the authority may be responsible for granting and monitoring a consent for one of its activities. A Far North Unitary Authority would use independent commissioners to hear notifi ed resource consents and support any plans to empower the Environmental Protection Agency to oversee the monitoring and enforcement that unitary authorities undertake. It is important to remember that there are already six unitary authorities in NZ, including Auckland Council. What we are proposing isn’t a risky and untested form of government or environmental management.

How would a Far North Unitary Authority improve water quality in our harbours and rivers and reduce sewerage costs?

It would work with land users and community groups to identify major causes of pollution in catchments, then establish what private and public funds were available to mitigate these. It would also help dairy farmers comply with the Regional Water and Soil Plan by working with them to fi nd practical solutions to effl uent disposal problems. Improving consultation with communities before applying for resource consents to upgrade public sewerage schemes would also help to reduce litigation costs and result in more cost-effective sewerage. This is something the Far North District Council already does. It saved about $350,000 when it upgraded its Kaeo sewage treatment plant by working with the community and tangata whenua to fi nd a treatment system that reduced costs, met resource consent conditions and met community approval. A Far North Unitary Authority would be able to involve Iwi/Maori in the monitoring of resource consents. Having Maori Wards would also make it easier for the unitary authority to obtain Iwi/Maori input when it needed to obtain new resource consents.

A message from the Better Local Government in the Far North Working GroupA message from the Better Local Government in the Far North Working GroupA message from the Better Local Government in the Far North Working GroupA message from the Better Local Government in the Far North Working GroupThe Far North District Council and Te Taitokerau Iwi Leaders Forum have completed a series of public meetings where Mayor Wayne Brown, Rangitane Marsden (Te Hiku) and Pita Tipene (Te Runanga o Ngati Hine) have explained the Council and Forum’s proposal to replace Northland’s four councils with two unitary authorities. Most people who have attended the meetings have supported the idea of not being governed by a council in Whangarei. However, some people have asked for more information. Answers to commonly-asked questions are provided below:

What is the difference between a district council and a regional council?

One of the reasons we want the Far North District Council to become a unitary authority is that there is a lot of confusion in the community about the responsibilities of district and regional councils. Regional councils are mainly responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of the natural environment. They do this by developing regional resource management plans (which regulate the use of soil, water, air and the coast) and issuing and monitoring resource consents to control the impact of human activities on these resources. Other regional council responsibilities include prioritising roading projects in the region, managing rivers to reduce fl ood risks, coordinating Civil Defence activities and working with landowners to control plant and animal pests. District councils provide infrastructure, such as water, sewerage, storm-water drains and roads. They are also responsible for planning and managing the sustainable development of the natural and built environment. They do this by maintaining a district plan and issuing and monitoring land use and building consents. Other district council responsibilities include maintaining parks, reserves and cemeteries, ensuring that animals such as dogs and livestock aren’t a danger to the public, coordinating Civil Defence activities in the District, and monitoring hygiene standards at food outlets. A unitary authority combines the functions of a district and regional council.

What is wrong with having a district and regional council?

We believe that it is confusing for the public having two councils with jurisdictions in the same area. For instance, under the current planning framework, the Northland Regional Council produces a Regional Policy Statement for Northland. It also administers regional plans for the coast, water, soil, air and pest management. The Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara District Councils also produce a District Plan which must give effect to the Regional Policy Statement and not confl ict with regional plans for the coast, soil, air and pest management. This results in a complicated and bureaucratic approach to resource management. Having to get resource consents from the regional and district council for major building projects is also an unnecessary handbrake on economic growth. Having a single consenting authority in the Far North would remove jurisdictional overlaps and remove confusion about regulatory responsibilities by laying responsibility for everything with the Far North Unitary Authority. It would also allow the district’s infrastructure and the environment to be managed without jurisdictional boundaries restricting options.

You say that a reorganisation of local government in Northland is on the Government’s agenda whether we like it or not? What evidence do you have to support this statement?

The Government has indicated that it wants a more cost-effective local government sector before the October 2013 local elections. It believes there is potential to achieve effi ciencies and better decision making by amalgamating councils. That is why the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill before Parliament includes measures to make it easier for the Local Government Commission to investigate re-organisation proposals that have community support. Prime Minister John Key said in July that the Government would not force councils to amalgamate and that it was up to communities and councils to decide what form of representation and organisation best met their needs. However, that was before the Local Government Minister replaced elected members at the debt-laden Kaipara District Council with commissioners and postponed elections there until 2015. There has already been talk of merging some Kaipara District Council services with those at the Whangarei District Council to reduce Kaipara’s costs, so it is likely that the Minister will consider some form of council restructuring in Northland as part of a solution to the Kaipara District Council’s problems.

Does the Whangarei District Council support the Far North District Council’s proposal?

The Whangarei District Council was in favour of replacing Northland’s four councils with two unitary authorities in 2010. The current council hasn’t pursued this with the same vigour. However, recent developments at the Kaipara District Council have put local government restructuring back on the Whangarei District Council’s agenda. It is developing a community discussion document on the subject and will publicise this next month. Finance and Support Committee Chairman Warwick Syers says the Whangarei District Council stalled plans to become a unitary authority because of concerns about the Kaipara District Council’s debt. Mr Syers says the Government’s decision to appoint commissioners to run the Kaipara District Council until 2015 means the Whangarei District Council is now free to consider its own future. He says most Whangarei District Councillors support the Far North District Council’s proposal to replace the region’s four councils with two unitary authorities.

Where does the Northland Regional Council stand on the issue?

The Northland Regional Council has said that it isn’t interested in becoming a unitary authority. It is proposing to establish eight new constituencies in Northland to provide its constituents with more localised representation. This proposal, if it is adopted, would give the Far North District four regional councillors instead of the current three and each of these councillors would represent one constituency. None of the current regional councillors lives in the Far North’s fastest growing area, the Bay of Islands, so this is an improvement on the current system. However, it will still only give the Far North four votes on a nine-member regional council which will still be dominated by Whangarei politicians with Whangarei agendas. The Northland Regional Council’s proposal also fails to address the fact that Maori are under-represented on that council and not fully involved in its decision-making. The Far North District Council’s proposal to introduce iwi/Maori seats will help to create a strategic partnership between iwi/Maori and Non-Maori that will deliver benefi ts for all people in the district.

Why aren’t you looking at a range of governance options instead of just two unitary authorities?

Public management consultants McKinlay Douglas Ltd investigated local government options for Northland on behalf of the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara District Councils in 2010. They said that tweaking the current governance structure wasn’t practical, given the history of council relationships and complexity of issues involved. They recommended replacing Northland’s four councils with two or one unitary authorities. Commissioners Sir Peter Trapski and Dr Don Brash, who later heard public submissions on the subject, couldn’t agree on whether one or two unitary authorities would provide ‘fi t for purpose’ government. The Far North District Council and Te Taitokerau Iwi Leaders Forum agree with Dr Brash that two unitary authorities would provide a balance between effi ciency, effectiveness and connectedness. We believe that regional councils represent a costly and unnecessary layer of local government that results in too many rules, plans and general confusion for ratepayers who struggle to understand what regional and district councils are responsible for. Think about this for a minute: if you had to establish local government in Northland from scratch and you wanted a system that was logical, simple, cost-effective and user-friendly, would you really create a two-tier system or would you want people to be served by one council?

Doesn’t Northland sometimes need to speak with one voice?

What we are proposing doesn’t preclude a regional approach to issues. The Far North District Council has a good working relationship with the Whangarei District Council and both councils are committed to working together to advance regional interests as unitary authorities. However, we also need to project a distinct Far North voice in Wellington. The Government likes to lump our issues with Whangarei’s but we are a very different district with different infrastructure challenges. For example, 60% of people in the Whangarei District live in the Whangarei urban area, whereas only 27% of people in the Far North District live in its three largest towns. The Far North District is also more than twice the size of Whangarei and has a bigger roading network, more

harbours and a longer coastline than that district. People in the Far North would not be well served if a unitary authority based in Whangarei represented its interests.

Wouldn’t it be simpler and cheaper to replace the four councils with one unitary authority?

Central government might like to deal with Northland’s issues by talking to a council in Whangarei, but we believe the main determinant of local government structures should be what meets the needs of residents and ratepayers, not what is convenient for offi cials in Wellington. There has been almost unanimous opposition to the idea of a Northland-wide unitary authority at the public meetings. Most people understand that Northland is too big to be governed by one council, especially one based at its southern end. They also agree that Whangarei politicians and offi cials don’t understand our problems or give them the priority they deserve. Replacing the four councils with one council based in Whangarei would centralise more power in that city because the Bill that is currently before Parliament doesn’t allow councils to create Auckland-style local boards. The Far North District Council also stands a greater chance of inheriting a share of Kaipara’s debt if it is part of a Northland-wide unitary authority.

You say that replacing Northland’s four councils with two unitary authorities will reduce local government costs in the region. What evidence do you have to support this statement?

Having two councils provide services in the Far North creates unnecessary duplication and costs that ratepayers ultimately have to bear. A range of functions from Civil Defence to drainage are carried out by the Far North District Council and the Northland Regional Council. This is confusing for ratepayers and results in cost duplication and disjointed services. Each council also has administrative overheads and costs associated with providing governance and strategic planning ser-vices. The Northland Regional Council has allocated $3.7 million in its 2011/2012 Annual Plan for democracy, corporate services, regional information and community engagement. The Far North District Council has similar overheads which could be rationalised under a unitary authority structure. Accounting fi rm Deloitte estimated in 2010 that a unitary authority based on the current Far North District Council would generate net savings of $11.2 million in planning, regulatory and overhead costs. The Far North District Council will be able to provide a more up to date estimate of expected cost savings when staff have completed a business plan to support the Council’s reorganisation application.

Why haven’t you developed a business plan for your proposal?

The Local Government Commission only requires us to demonstrate that our proposal would improve local government in the Far North and that it has signifi cant community support. Far North District Council staff are, however, developing a business plan to support the Council’s reorganisation proposal. Councillors will consider this before the Council lodges its application with the Commission when the local government reform Bill becomes law. The Far North District Council acknowledges that it would incur extra costs if it became a unitary authority. However, these would be for the provision of services that are already budgeted for by the Northland Regional Council. A Far North Unitary Authority would expect to gain its fair share of Northland Regional Council funds and would share specialist services with a Whangarei Unitary Authority if it wasn’t cost-effective to provide these separately.

How would the proposal affect my rates?

Perhaps the fi rst point to make is that you would be clear where your rates were going. Under the current system, district councils collect rates on behalf of regional councils. Many ratepayers in the Far North overlook the regional rates information when they get their annual rates assessment and blame the Far North District Council if there has been a big increase in their rates bill. The second point to make is that the Northland Regional Council hasn’t kept rate increases in line with national levels. Average rate increases levied by the Northland Regional Council from 2002-2010 averaged 17%, the highest in the country and well above the national average of 7%. By contrast, the Far North District Council levied average rate increases of 9% in the same period. While regional rates account for a relatively small portion of a rates bill, the contrasting fi gures possibly suggest a more cost-conscious stance

Te Kaunihera o Tai Tokerau Ki Te Raki

News

Find out more

The Better Local Government in

The Far North Working Group is

made up of representatives of

the Far North District Council and

Te Taitokerau Iwi Leaders Forum.

Go to www.fndc.govt.nz for more

information about the group’s

reorganisation proposal for local

government in Northland.