Don't do it. Don't make the mistake we made in Auckland by amalgamating Wellington's City and District Councils and Regional Council. Here's a few reasons. Some you'll know. Some you might not....
1) Auckland's amalgamation was primarily about enabling Central Government to exert more control over Auckland's development. This was achieved by building into legislation the requirement for Auckland's infrastructure program to give effect to Central Government's economic growth program. Any financial support from Central Government for local infrastructure projects in Auckland is now heavily conditional on those projects being seen by Central Government as delivering Government strategy. In other words amalgamation has seriously undermined the ability of local government to act according to any mandate it might receive locally. Auckland local government is now heavily bound into Central Government's idea of what constitutes economic development.
2) The costs of amalgamation are still not finally quantified. These are massive and include almost a billion dollars worth of new computer systems - when the previous systems could have been made to do an adequate job. The costs to Auckland also include the loss of many experienced staff. Costs of new buildings and new administrative systems, costs due to reduced productivity that ensures from re-organisations are significant. The crude benefit costs assessments of amalgamation used to justify super city changes in Auckland must be taken with a grain of salt. Treat any such efforts in Wellington with doubt as being self-serving and partial.
3) Super sizing local government delivers ungovernable mass. What we are seeing in Auckland is a massive loss of effective local governance. The scale of planning and budgets, and the associated complexity, has not been matched by a similar up-sizing of the ability of elected representatives to cope, and to make good, considered and representative decisions. This is not a criticism of councillors. It is a criticism of the loss of local power, and the concentration of central power. What has been upsized in the super city is the ability and power of Chief Executive and General Managers. These people have been carefully selected and appointed and effectively run the Auckland Council now, driven by super city legislation made by Central Government. This effect might have been counter-balanced by the establishment of genuinely powerful Local Boards - but these have been set up to be part of Auckland Council, rather than independent from, Auckland Council. The combination of legislation, amalgamation, and loss of separate local government has disempowered Auckland Councillors, and disconnected local communities from decision-making.
4) Central to the Auckland amalgamation process was the establishment of separate "Council Controlled Organisations" which are not controlled by Council - apart from the hands-off statements of corporate intent and board appointments. The most unaccountable of these is Watercare whose lobbying forced the disintegration of integrated planning around three waters. Watercare only wanted services that could be metered - water and wastewater - not stormwater. They also wanted the ability to issue a separate water rates bill. Despite the rhetoric that "one council would lead to one bill...." I understand also that legislation is being further changed to allow all Transport Planning to be done by the Auckland Transport CCO - undermining the ability of Auckland Council to manage integrated planning of land use and transport.
5) Amalgamation has broken many local community projects which are where innovation and new ideas have started and developed. For example projects around recycling and reduction of waste streams. Particularly composting and green waste reduction projects. Auckland had a number of communities where Councils and Community Boards had been able to support and encourage experiment which can and has led to regionwide adoption. Auckland council has embarked on a massive program to harmonise and make uniform all sorts of systems and services across Auckland. Killing and stifling local initiatives.
Don't do it Celia. There's more I could share....
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