Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Wellington City Council, and South Wairarapa District Council have submitted a joint proposal to central government under the Head Start pathway for local government amalgamation. The proposal is one of two submitted by councils within the wider Wellington region and seeks to establish a single regional unitary council for the Wellington-Wairarapa region.
The proposed model would be supported by community councils to strengthen local community voice and participation. It includes commitments to mana whenua partnership and Māori representation, with proposed features including iwi as Treaty partners at governance level, Māori wards at all levels to support mātāwaka representation, and diverse voices from across the region on all decision-making bodies. Porirua Mayor Anita Baker emphasised the importance of new participative democratic processes, such as citizens assemblies, to further strengthen diverse community voices.
The proposal outlines expectations for a genuinely democratic and proportional governing body, with community council chairs representing communities of similar size to maintain proportionality on the unitary body. Porirua City Council has stated its support for a referendum prior to the detailed design being submitted to Cabinet, ensuring community input on the final model.
Central government will now decide whether to accept the proposal and advise on next steps. Mayor Baker described the detailed design phase, should the proposal be accepted, as the most important phase, requiring partnership with mana whenua, communities, other councils, and government to develop an effective governance model for the region.
Read the full article at Porirua City Council – News →
Source: Porirua City Council – News. This summary was published by Input Ltd via amalgamation.nz, New Zealand’s central resource for local government amalgamation news and council merger updates.
