Upper Hutt’s Mayor responds to LGC proposal

Upper Hutt Mayor, Wayne Guppy, insists the power belongs to the people in determining the future of local governance in the Wellington region.

Upper Hutt, 4 December 2014 - Upper Hutt’s Mayor, Wayne Guppy is realistic in his response to the Local Government Commissions (LGC) proposal to amalgamate the nine council’s within the Wellington region into one Council with eight boards. The proposal comes after a lengthy period of consultation and consideration, but marks the beginning of a process that will challenge residents to think about what is important to them in their own communities.

“The power in this important decision rests entirely with our residents,” says Mayor Guppy, “In Upper Hutt our community stepped up to let their Council know what was important to them and we have done our best to advocate this position in our alternative application to the LGC. They very clearly told us what they wanted; now they must do the same to the LGC. One voice may be strong but many voices cannot be ignored.

“It could be tempting for a person to feel that this is a fait accompli and there is nothing to be done to prevent a ‘super-city’; or that their opinions will not be measured against politicians and there is little point is making a submission. But it is critical that all those who do not want the proposed amalgamation of the councils of the Wellington region make a submission. This is a numbers game and the more who speak out against the proposal, the more likely we are to succeed in retaining the status quo.”

This call for action from Mayor Guppy is an important reminder of the process to restructure local governance. This stage in the process provides the opportunity for individuals to submit their views on the proposal of the LGC. This differs to the previous stage in the process, where the most represented views of a community were submitted by their Council’s in a single application offering alternative solutions to the question of regional governance.

“It is unlikely that the proposal made by the LGC would survive a public referendum, if held today,” says Mayor Guppy “Public sentiment to date has strongly opposed the notion of a ‘super-city’ however; there are some within the region who have much to gain from regional amalgamation who will use this time to gain as much support as possible. If everyone opposed to the proposal made a submission, the collective community support demonstrated may be enough to prevent a referendum even happening, saving a lot of unnecessary work and cost that our residents must foot the bill for.

“Let’s take the emotion and the rhetoric out of the equation. Leave the unsubstantiated claims on the table so that every person in the Wellington region can determine their position based on facts, without being railroaded or manipulated into an idealist model that may not deliver. Auckland has had nearly five years under amalgamation – has this model worked for them? And what can we learn from this experience?

“People of Upper Hutt do not want to be told what to do, nor do they want to lose any capacity for determining their future. I am confident that Upper Hutt residents will be extremely vocal in their opposition to any form of ‘super-city’ and will be successful in retaining their independence.”

Residents of the Wellington region have until 2 March 2015 to make a submission to the LGC. Information about how to make a submission will be posted on the Upper Hutt City Council website www.upperhuttcity.com

About Upper Hutt City Council
Upper Hutt City Council is the steward and custodian of Upper Hutt City, providing governance, infrastructure, and community services and resources, and promoting opportunity in the city for business, recreation, lifestyle, and leisure. Upper Hutt City is located 30 km north-east of Wellington City (41°07'34" S, 175°04'06" E) and boasts 70% of the region’s parks and reserves, along with state-of-the-art entertainment and leisure facilities.

For more information on Upper Hutt City and the City Council, go to www.upperhuttcity.com

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