The Government wants councils to rapidly redesign local government structures – but Waikato District Mayor Aksel Bech says communities risk losing local voice if reforms become too centralised.
Speaking in a wide-ranging radio interview this week, Mayor Aksel described the pace of reform as “kind of nutty”, saying councils have effectively been given just 12 weeks to come up with merger proposals – or risk having a structure imposed on them by central government.
“The announcement was made that there was a three-month period… to come up with a complete redesign, or as the minister put it, ‘we will do it for you,’” he said.
Mayor Aksel Bech said councils were effectively being told they could “jump in the driver’s seat of the truck, or be the roadkill.”
The reforms could potentially lead to a single Waikato-wide “super council” combining district and regional council functions, although other regional groupings are also being explored based on what Aksel called “communities of interest”.
Throughout the interview, Aksel repeatedly returned to one core concern – balancing efficiency and regional coordination with preserving genuine local representation and community “voice”.
“The simpler it gets, the more centralised it gets, the harder it is to distinguish between communities,” he said.
Where does Raglan fit?
Much of the discussion focused on Raglan’s identity and where the town fits within the wider Waikato region. Aksel said Raglan has strong ties to Hamilton for services, schooling and sport, while also maintaining a distinct west coast culture and identity.
“You live in Raglan by choice,” he said.
Aksel acknowledged there are no simple answers, saying some council issues may be better solved at a regional level, while others are best handled locally at district or community scale.
He said there are clear benefits in councils sharing more services and reducing duplication across the region, and confirmed Waikato District Council has already initiated discussions with neighbouring mayors around combining some functions where it could save money.
At one point, Aksel even floated the possibility of retaining much of the existing district structure while operating under a single regional chief executive model.
However, he stressed that preserving community voice must remain central to any future structure.
Fear smaller communities could lose influence
Aksel said protecting local decision-making is now one of his biggest priorities.
He pointed to recent changes already made within Waikato District Council that have given more delegated powers to community boards, including the Raglan Community Board.
“Community boards used to be advisory only… we now have delegations and decision-making power to community boards,” he said.
However, he warned that larger governance structures can weaken genuine local influence, even where local boards or community boards still exist.
He used Auckland’s local board structure as an example, saying many decisions remain heavily centralised despite local boards technically controlling large budgets.
Aksel said he is now trying to push as much decision-making power as possible down to communities before any future reforms take effect.
“My guerrilla warfare is to protect communities by delegation, by empowerment,” he said.
He also raised concerns about smaller communities inheriting debt from larger urban centres, while population-based representation models could see urban areas dominate future decision-making.
Getting feedback from locals
The reforms are landing at the same time councils are already managing annual plans, long-term plans and day-to-day operations.
Aksel said Waikato District Council is trying to avoid relying heavily on outside consultants and instead complete much of the work internally.
“We know our communities better than some Queen Street consultant coming down from Auckland,” he said.
The Mayor confirmed Waikato District Council plans to begin community engagement during June through community boards, marae, rural engagement groups and the council’s Community Voice Panel.
Rather than asking communities to start from scratch, council is expected to present several possible options and seek feedback on them.
Initial proposals are due back to Government by early August.
How Mayor plans to employ locals
The conversation also moved into local contracting and concerns around whether local businesses can continue competing for council work under larger procurement systems.
Aksel said Waikato District Council recently split large district-wide maintenance contracts into smaller packages specifically to create more opportunities for local operators.
“It was a bid for localism,” he said.
Previously, large bundled contracts covering everything from cemeteries to sports fields were effectively only accessible to major national companies.
The issue has particular relevance in Raglan, where community concerns have previously been raised around how local contractors and businesses, like Raglan Lawns, fit within larger council procurement systems.
Mayor Aksel Bech acknowledged concerns around the current Raglan Lawns situation, but said he could not comment further as the procurement process was “still a live process”.
WSL event praised despite short notice
The interview also touched on the successful staging of the inaugural Corona Cero New Zealand Pro presented by Bonsoy at Manu Bay.
Aksel revealed council had only three months to prepare after the event was confirmed by Government and the WSL, creating major pressure around traffic management, licensing and logistics.
Despite early concerns, he described the event as a major success for Raglan.
“The whole buzz, the vibe was amazing. It was a joyous event,” he said.
Aksel said further work is now underway to better understand the economic impact the event had on local businesses and tourism.
While no return event has yet been confirmed, he said both the Government and WSL appeared enthusiastic about the possibility of bringing the event back to Raglan in future.