“What does a supercity mean for Kāpiti?” This issue will be addressed next week by a panel of four prominent local body politicians at a public meeting in Waikanae.
The meeting has been organised by the Waikanae Branch of the Labour Party to give the people of Kāpiti the opportunity to be informed about local government reform proposals and to facilitate democratic participation.
The advertised topic for the meeting is “local government amalgamation: yes or no for Kāpiti?” The speakers are Jenny Rowan, (Mayor of Kāpiti Coast), Nick Leggett (Mayor of Porirua), Ken Douglas (chair of the local government Working Party) and Nigel Wilson (Greater Wellington Regional Council).
The meeting will be on Thursday 21 March at the Presbyterian Church hall in Ngaio Road, Waikanae, starting at 7.30pm. Bruce Taylor, the chair of the Waikanae Branch of the Labour Party, stressed that there will be plenty of time for discussion and questions and that everyone is welcome.
Mr Taylor said that each speaker will initially have 10 minutes to explain and comment on the two options for change recommended by the Working Party. They will also be asked to explain the default option of the status quo, he said. “There is also the over riding issue of what amalgamation would mean for the people of Kāpiti, which we are all keen to learn more about”, Bruce Taylor said.
The two options or models for a single city for the Wellington region recommended by the Working Party are, firstly, a single tier unitary council which may or may not have community boards and, secondly, a two tier unitary council with local boards. Wairarapa may be included or not depending on their community’s views and the Hutt Valley is included in both options.
The local government Working Party of Kāpiti Coast District, Porirua City, Wellington City and Greater Wellington Regional Council was set up in December 2012 to develop a single city proposal for the Wellington region.
