Wellington region review panel terms of reference announced

Draft Terms of Reference have been released for the Independent Panel on Local Government in the Wellington region.

Porirua City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council are jointly setting up the Panel which is to assess possible local government options for the region and identify an optimal approach, which may or may not include structural and/or functional changes.

The Terms of Reference will be before the two Councils on Wednesday 23 May for final approval and membership of the Panel will also be agreed then.

Although the panel will be able to consider whatever it wants, the Terms of Reference include 16 items that the Panel will need to explicitly consider in coming to its conclusions.

Mayor Nick Leggett and Chair Fran Wilde said that their councils wanted to see an outcome that would enhance both neighbourhood decision making and public engagement in wider regional policy decisions.

“The Terms of Reference reflect the importance of community democracy and we anticipate that, whatever the outcome of the exercise, local government in the region will gain some valuable ideas about enhancing citizen engagement,” they said.

“We will also be asking the Panel to consider a number of other issues, ranging from the impact of demographic changes through to achieving more integrated planning and improving alignment of local government with central government, the private sector and the community sector.”

The Panel will be required to undertake a process of public engagement that will encourage individuals and groups to express their views.

The Panel will be supported by Reference Groups and Technical Working Groups, which will be set up in consultation with the Panel.

Fran Wilde said that the fundamental concept underlying the Terms of Reference was the “clean page” approach.

“The Panel is being invited to move round the region and identify issues of concern, then formulate an approach to local government arrangements that will provide the best outcome for the region as a whole,” she said.

“Importantly, they are not being told to at look at any particular structure and, indeed, we would expect any recommendations on structural change would emerge from their investigations of issues.”

Nick Leggett said that although the Government had made it clear that status quo was not an option for local government, the community needed to be able to think about the implications of change before being asked about specific options.

”The Panel will have the opportunity to conduct a public opinion survey if they wish, but we wouldn’t expect them to rush into this while people still have many questions to ask. This is not a political game. The future of the region is at stake and the exercise must be serious and considered,” Nick Leggett said.