MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 10th August, 2009

Freepost petition being distributed from Saturday

From Saturday (August 15th) Nelson and Tasman residents will be able to sign and then mail freepost their own petition for a review into Council amalgamation options for the region.

Aldo Miccio launched the petition on Friday 24th July, 2009, seeking the signatures of 10% of Nelson and 10% of Tasman registered voters (6 600), in accordance with the Local Government Act (2002). If these signatures are achieved, the Local Government Commission would investigate and then could embark on a consultation process, at no cost to rate payers, for a draft reorganisation scheme for the region. People would then be able to vote on the Commission’s recommended scheme, or the status quo, at a poll.

Aldo Miccio says he has been contacted by many people keen to sign the petition but who are not able to get to the signing locations around the region, so freepost mailable petitions will be distributed from this weekend.

“We have the petition in more than 50 locations regionally, but many people are not able to get to these sites,” he says. “So, we have created a ‘mini’ petition, OK’d by the Local Government Commission, that people can sign and mail back freepost.

The freepost mailable petition will be distributed in the Nelson Mail on Saturday 15th August, The Leader’s regional editions on Thursday 20th August, and others will be distributed as requested.

Meanwhile, Cr Miccio is thrilled at the ground level support of the many volunteers who are helping to collect signatures.

“I’d like to thank the volunteers who have been helping to collect signatures for the petition since it was launched,” Miccio says. “The response has been overwhelming, showing that people approve of the independent and consultative nature of the Local Government Commission review process.

“I am being contacted every day by people I have never met before; people who want to help make this review happen,” he says. “The response so far has been fantastic and the volunteers are helping to keep up the momentum. We already have 2 000 signatures out of our three month target of 8 000.

Cr Miccio concludes that it is important to remember that this petition is not a yes/no for Council amalgamation, but that it is seeking a review of amalgamation options by the independent Local Government Commission.

“The independent and consultative nature of this process makes it the best way to ensure everyone in the region gets their say and has a choice about the best governance model for our region, once and for all,” he says.

ENDS

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