Southland councils have been scrambling to finalise their Head Start proposals before the August 9 deadline, with the Gore District hedging their bets across two.
Invercargill City councillors voted today (August 6) to move ahead with their unitary authority model proposal for Southland, including Gore.
But it wasn’t without some strong opposition, including from Cr Andrea de Vries who believes the process is rushed, undemocratic, unlegislated and had kept her awake at night.
…”we are making a decision that future generations cannot undo.”
Gore District Council voted earlier this week on supporting both Invercargill and the Southland District Council’s separate Head Start proposal, and have asked Government for an August 11 extension.
“All we know is that on the 9th of August, Gore will be attached to both,” ICC chief executive Michael Day said.
There was some discussion around whether that would be accepted by Government, and that it was an unusual request.
GDC’s support for Invercargill City’s Head Start proposal was subject to 15 conditions, relating to roading funding, spatial planning and Long Term Plans.
Deputy Mayor Grant Dermody acknowledged the opposition from councillors regarding the Head Start process, and agreed it had been something that was forced upon them.
He thanked the work of the council staff involved, especially with short time frames, and said while it may feel like a flawed process, “we need to put our position forward.”
Strategy, policy and engagement manager Rhiannon Suter said the Local Government Commission process is still the statutory process and will continue irrespective of the decision that council makes, on whether to continue to participate in the Head Start proposal or not.
The Southland District Council has also agreed to work alongside GDC on a joint Southland-focused Head Start proposal.
The two councils would combine to form a rural unitary authority, while Invercargill City Council would continue as a separate city unitary.
Southland district mayor Rob Scott said the model aimed to simplify local government, reduce duplication, and maintain strong local representation through community boards and local decision-making.
Representatives from all of the Southland councils have been meeting regularly over the past six weeks as part of a working group to discuss the proposals.
The draft ICC proposal was produced with input from Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku and Environment Southland.