Hastings District Council has confirmed it will join with neighbouring councils Napier and Central Hawke’s Bay in lodging an outline proposal to the Government under its Simplifying Local Government (SLG) Head Start pathway, subject to decisions to proceed being made by the other two councils this week.
The unanimous vote was taken at a Hastings District Council meeting today, with councillors confirming their support for the three-council SLG proposal, based on a model that would bring the functions of those councils and the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council under a single unitary authority.
Leading up to the decision, there were two rounds of community engagement, discussions with mana whenua, Council workshops and collaboration between councils, which tested possible governance options and explored what matters most to communities.
Hastings Mayor, Wendy Schollum said today’s decision was about ensuring Hastings continued to have a strong voice in shaping any future changes, and that a proposal was put forward that worked best for Hawke’s Bay as a region.
“Today’s decision keeps Hawke’s Bay’s hand on the pen. It gives us the opportunity to help design one voice where it makes sense, while protecting local voice where it matters,” she said.
“Walking away would not stop change; it would reduce our ability, and our communities’ ability, to influence what comes next.”
The Mayor stressed the decision did not create a new council or lock Hastings into any final outcome.
“This is the next step, not the final decision. If Cabinet supports the outline proposal in principle, there will still be detailed financial modelling, genuine community consultation and further decisions by the councils before any final proposal is submitted.”
“We have also been clear that Government must help make the transition affordable. We are asking it to: prevent councils spending ratepayer money on future planning and representation work that may have to be re-done under a new system, to provide specialist support through the transition, and to protect communities from sudden funding changes.
“Put simply, Hawke’s Bay ratepayers should not have to pay twice for the same reform.”
The proposal recommends a single unitary authority covering Hastings, Napier and Central Hawke’s Bay with a regionally elected Mayor, a governing body of about 12 to 16 members that is yet to be designed, and provision for a second tier of local governance such as elected local boards or other locally appropriate arrangements, also yet to be designed or confirmed. Existing agreements and relationships with mana whenua would also continue.
As well as taking into account community views, it has also been developed around the Government’s criteria for reform, including simpler governance, stronger regional planning, maintaining local voice, achieving efficiencies and being capable of being delivered.
Mayor Schollum said community feedback had consistently highlighted that while people wanted councils to be more efficient and affordable, they also wanted local communities to retain a genuine say in decisions affecting them.
“Bringing councils together must not leave communities feeling further away from the decisions that affect them. People should still know who represents them, where to get help and how to make their voice heard, without recreating the complexity we are trying to fix.”
“That is exactly what the next stage of detailed design is for. We will work alongside our communities to make sure the new system is simpler, without becoming more distant.”
Any final proposal will still depend on full public consultation, financial modelling confirming the benefits of any changes, and agreement on Māori representation and Treaty settlement arrangements.
The proposal will now be submitted to the Government by the 9 August deadline, subject to corresponding decisions by Napier City Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council this week.
If the proposal receives in-principle support from Cabinet, a detailed design phase will run through to March 2027 before councils decide whether to submit a final proposal.
