CR MICHAEL LAWS WELCOMES DUNEDIN’S UNITARY IDEA:

“LONG OVERDUE - LET’S DO THE INVESTIGATION TOGETHER”

Otago regional councillor Michael Laws has today welcomed the commitment of the Dunedin City Council to explore an unitary authority for the district, saying that “the idea is long overdue and that other district councils – including in the Dunstan region – would benefit from being involved too.”

“ I will be moving a motion at the next Otago Regional Council meeting to suggest that the unitary authority idea be independently investigated for all of the Otago region.

“ Dunedin can’t do this in isolation because the effects would be in Queenstown, Central, Clutha and the Waitaki as well. Without Dunedin, the Otago Regional Council would cease to have a constructive purpose.

“ Unitary authorities work brilliantly elsewhere in the country. But I’d like us to commission independent research on the benefits or otherwise, and put those finds to the public. It should be the Otago public’s decision on the local government they want – not vested interests nor council staff nor councillors.”

Cr Laws said that there was “good evidence that the regional council model was insufficiently agile and responsive to the wider interests of the region. The Otago regional council’s past performance is spurring this unitary authority debate.”

“ Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas – councils don’t tend to favour amalgamation. So we need to take the debate to a higher level – let’s do the research, financed by us all, and independently conducted. Then let’s make the correct and informed decision.”

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