West Coast leaders reaffirm commitment to regional local government reform

The Mayors, Chairs and Iwi Forum (MCIF) has reaffirmed its commitment to progressing the West Coast Head Start local government reform proposal, following decisions made by the region's councils this week. 

On Monday, Grey and Westland District Councils unanimously resolved to support the submission of the West Coast Head Start proposal to the Government. Buller District Council did not endorse the proposal following a tied vote. Participation in Head Start is optional, and Buller's decision does not affect the proposal's eligibility — it remains eligible for submission under the Government's Head Start criteria and will now go forward for Government consideration. 
The proposal has been developed over recent months through collaboration between the three district councils, West Coast Regional Council, Poutini Ngāi Tahu and MCIF, informed by technical work and community conversations held across the West Coast. 

MCIF said the submission is an important milestone but stressed that it is not a decision to establish a new council. Instead, it seeks Government support to undertake an independent, detailed design phase to determine whether a single West Coast unitary authority could provide better long-term outcomes for the region than the current local government arrangements. 

If the proposal is accepted, the design phase will examine governance and representation, financial sustainability, service delivery, organisational design, funding arrangements and implementation options before any future decisions are made. Any proposed model will be subject to further public consultation before councils consider any structural change. 

The Government has confirmed that councils not progressing through Head Start will instead transition through the compulsory backstop process following the 2028 local elections. MCIF said that if approved by Government, the detailed design work undertaken by Grey and Westland District Councils would consider the future of local government across the entire West Coast — including Buller — recognising that local government reform will continue through the Government's wider programme regardless of individual council participation. 

MCIF said: "The challenges and opportunities facing local government are regional. Infrastructure, planning, resilience, environmental management, economic development and community services do not stop at district boundaries. The work undertaken through Head Start will consider what arrangements are best for the West Coast as a whole." 

"The participating partners will continue working together to undertake this analysis should the proposal be accepted. While Buller District Council has chosen not to participate in the voluntary design phase, the work will still consider future local government arrangements for the whole region." 

The proposal will now be submitted to Government for assessment, with decisions on successful proposals expected later this year. If accepted, there will be further opportunities for communities across the West Coast to participate in the detailed design process before any decisions are made on the future structure of local government.

-ENDS-

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.