Not in Wellington
THERE won’t be an Auckland-style supercity here, avers Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon.
“One of the things that differentiates Auckland from Wellington is that our mayors talk.”
McKinnon says that one of the reasons a supercity was imposed in Auckland was because the mayors there didn’t consult enough.
This comes after a Wellington group – the Federation of Wellington Progressive and Residents Association (FWPRA) led by long-time council critic Jim Candiliotis – announced it was setting up a regional citizens’ forum.
“There are many issues that people have strong feelings about and need to voice, yet where is the forum to do this?” asks Candiliotis.
FWPRA says that forums held by the mayors and CEOs in the Wellington region look primarily at the best ways to take the region forward but do not include public input.
However Ian McKinnon says consultation on a range of regional issues is already sought.
“We have an obligation to take into account the community’s opinions. Before we go ahead with plans, we have to send them through a special consultative procedure”.
He says examples include “when we looked at changing speed limits, or when we looked at imposing a citywide liquor ban”.
He notes that if there are conflicting viewpoints the council has to make a decision. And after feedback is considered the council doesn’t always go ahead.
“Recently we put an encroachment policy out for public consultation even though we were not required to. [And] there was a proposal to get rid of some green recycle bins, however we found the public liked [them]”.
McKinnon says that if anything relevant to the papers on the [Mayoral Regional Meetings] agenda is discussed, then the mayor will tell council about the viewpoint.
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy agrees the public is actively consulted when it comes to regional matters.
“There is nothing secretive about regional meetings,” he says. “The community will be well informed. We want that to happen”.
“One of the things that differentiates Auckland from Wellington is that our mayors talk.”
McKinnon says that one of the reasons a supercity was imposed in Auckland was because the mayors there didn’t consult enough.
This comes after a Wellington group – the Federation of Wellington Progressive and Residents Association (FWPRA) led by long-time council critic Jim Candiliotis – announced it was setting up a regional citizens’ forum.
“There are many issues that people have strong feelings about and need to voice, yet where is the forum to do this?” asks Candiliotis.
FWPRA says that forums held by the mayors and CEOs in the Wellington region look primarily at the best ways to take the region forward but do not include public input.
However Ian McKinnon says consultation on a range of regional issues is already sought.
“We have an obligation to take into account the community’s opinions. Before we go ahead with plans, we have to send them through a special consultative procedure”.
He says examples include “when we looked at changing speed limits, or when we looked at imposing a citywide liquor ban”.
He notes that if there are conflicting viewpoints the council has to make a decision. And after feedback is considered the council doesn’t always go ahead.
“Recently we put an encroachment policy out for public consultation even though we were not required to. [And] there was a proposal to get rid of some green recycle bins, however we found the public liked [them]”.
McKinnon says that if anything relevant to the papers on the [Mayoral Regional Meetings] agenda is discussed, then the mayor will tell council about the viewpoint.
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy agrees the public is actively consulted when it comes to regional matters.
“There is nothing secretive about regional meetings,” he says. “The community will be well informed. We want that to happen”.
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