Major questions remain over how councils with different representation systems and referendum results could be combined under the Government’s local government reforms.
An interview with Whāingaroa ward councillor Lisa Thomson also raised unresolved questions about Māori representation.
Waikato District and neighbouring councils have reached different decisions on Māori wards, while Waikato Regional Council has had Māori constituencies for more than a decade. Those constituencies would need to be incorporated into any new authority.
Councils across the country are developing proposals under the Government’s Head Start programme, which could result in a single Waikato-wide unitary council or smaller mergers of two or more councils.
Community feedback closes on 10 July. Councils must then decide which other councils they want to merge with and submit their proposals to the Government by 9 August.
Lisa said the uncertainty had left councils trying to develop their own options rather than risk having a structure imposed through the Government’s backstop process.
She questioned whether genuine local participation was possible within the compressed timetable.
“It’s hard to get local voice when you’re actually breaking local voice up and you’re not resourcing it.”
Ministers have indicated they are open to smaller amalgamations rather than insisting on one region-wide authority, but it remains unclear how the different plans would fit together.
“It is very much in the air,” Lisa said.
Māori Ward confusion
The Māori ward issue illustrates the practical difficulty of combining councils operating under different rules.
Waikato District’s 2025 referendum produced a narrow vote against retaining Māori wards, while Whāingaroa was the only general ward in the district to vote in favour.
Lisa said public opinion had shifted significantly since 2017, when she and Aksel Bech were the only district councillors in the Waikato to support establishing Māori wards.
“It’s been a significant shift in less than a decade.”
Other councils within the Waikato region reached different decisions, while the regional council’s Māori constituencies are governed under separate, long-standing arrangements.
It is not yet clear which representation system would apply if those authorities became part of the same council. Some arrangements reflect the results of binding referendums, while the regional council’s Māori constituencies are established under separate legislation.
Lisa said the uncertainty sat alongside other legislative changes affecting local government, including proposals to remove voting rights from unelected council committee members and the unfinished replacement of the Resource Management Act.
Local voice meaningless without power and funding
Amalgamation also raises questions about how small communities would retain influence within a larger council.
Community boards currently have limited budgets and few delegated powers. Other places rely on community committees or have no formal local body.
The western districts on the other side of Whāingaroa Harbour, for example, has an active community spread across a large area but no community board or community committee.
Lisa said any new model should consider whether more authority could be transferred to properly supported community councils or strengthened local boards.
“Do we devolve the power right back to the communities and actually resource our communities to have community councils?”
She said local representation would achieve little if those bodies lacked the authority and money to act.
“If we were to go with any model, it needs to be resourced, and that resourcing can’t come from the current rates model.”
Lisa said councils needed a broader funding base if communities were to be given more responsibility. During the interview, she agreed that options such as returning GST collected on rates and requiring central government to pay rates on its properties should form part of that discussion.
She also supported considering fairer development contributions and a greater central government contribution towards infrastructure.
Council merger process remains uncertain
Lisa said the reform process differed from normal council consultation because the framework and deadlines had been set by central government.
“It feels very much like a top-down push, although we are responding more from our flax roots community level.”
Councillors and staff were connecting with neighbouring authorities and Mayor Aksel Bech has been travelling throughout the district to hear directly from communities.
Lisa said the process had provided a useful reminder that elected members needed to spend more time engaging outside formal consultation procedures.
“I think it’s a really good wake-up call for us as elected representatives for communities to actually get out in the communities and engage.”
However, she questioned whether the short timeframe allowed the level of public involvement the Government said it wanted.
Despite the uncertainty, Lisa said councils should participate rather than leave the final structure entirely to central government.
“Rather than waiting for someone else to tell us what to do, we take action.”
Forum to gather community views this Sunday
Lisa helped organise Sunday’s Community Forum at Raglan Town Hall with Raglan Naturally Community Trust.
Aksel and former Auckland deputy mayor Penny Hulse will speak, followed by questions and opportunities for residents to provide feedback.
Waikato regional councillor Noel Smith and other elected representatives are also expected to attend.
Information about the possible reform models will be displayed around the room, with paper and online feedback forms available.
Lisa said the discussion should extend beyond council boundaries and consider what representation and decision-making should look like in the future.
“What suits our community? What suits Aotearoa New Zealand? What does that look like?”
She also encouraged younger people to enrol and vote as the future of local representation was debated.
“Democracy only works if we all participate.”
The Strengthening Our Voice in Local Government Community Forum will be held at Raglan Town Hall on Sunday from 2pm to 4pm.