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Unitary Authority

Should the council investigate establishing a unitary authority that covers the Wanganui district and assumes the functions of the Horizons Regional Council?

Horizons Regional Council's boundaries (left) and Wanganui District Council's boundaries.
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Why does the council consider this issue important?

• There could be efficiency gains in having a 'one-stop-shop' (with one rates bill, one set of plans and one set of offices). Council also wants to make sure that decisions made for our district best reflect the needs of our district.
• There is a perception that people who don't live in Wanganui are making decisions about and for Wanganui. A unitary authority would see local decisions made by local people.

What is a unitary authority?

• A unitary authority is a single body that combines the functions of both a district council and a regional council in the governing of one geographic area.

What have we done so far?

• Council has carried out some initial investigations into the costs and benefits of establishing itself as a unitary authority.
• These investigations were done in partnership with Ruapehu District Council. Although we worked together on the report, it didn't look at amalgamating the two councils. Options were identified, some of which involved Ruapehu and Wanganui partnering through joint management and shared services agreements. This report is available on this page (PDF, 2.68MB).

What did the initial research reveal?

• Gains in efficiency, provision of services and community representation could exist. Research also found that financial impacts, specialist services, boundary/catchment issues and the correct legal mechanism to make the change would need further investigation.
• The decision to establish a unitary authority is a very important one with far reaching and long-term implications.

What do regional councils do?

• Regional councils are concerned with the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. They concentrate on matters like flood control, land use, pest management, biosecurity and the coastal environment.

What does Horizons do?

• Horizons is the consenting authority for the cleanliness of land, air and water in our region. It has 12 councillors, with two representing the Wanganui district.
• Work in the Wanganui district includes riverbank enhancement, Whangaehu-Mangawhero flood prevention works, the Matarawa flood protection scheme, consents for water takes and water quality testing. Horizons has specialist staff to undertake this work.
• The Horizons region is large. It includes Rangitikei, Manawatu, Palmerston North, Tararua, Horowhenua and Ruapehu. Unlike other regional councils in New Zealand, there is not a distinct community of interest in the Horizons region; for example, as there is in the Hawke's Bay or Taranaki regions.
• It is probable that Horizons would continue to act as the regional authority for the other councils in our region – Rangitikei, Manawatu, Palmerston North, Tararua, Horowhenua and Ruapehu (although Ruapehu is also investigating the establishment of a unitary authority).
• A unitary authority would combine Wanganui District Council's existing services and functions with the responsibility that Horizons has in our district. However, we would have to decide which of Horizons' responsibilities we want to take on, which ones we need to take on and which ones we could do without.

Does a unitary authority exist anywhere else?

• Yes – Gisborne District, Marlborough District, Tasman District and Nelson City all operate as unitary authorities. Chatham Islands Council is also technically a unitary authority as it is a district council with regional council functions but it doesn't have as many responsibilities as the others.
• Other councils are also considering whether they should become unitary authorities; for example, Ruapehu and the three councils in Northland (Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara).

What are the potential advantages?

• Benefits could include local responses to local issues (we would not need to subsidise work in other districts and would be able to prioritise our own needs), efficiency gains, simpler processes, removal of a layer of bureaucracy, elimination of 'double-ups' in regional and district council work, better co-ordination, more integrated environmental management and the ability to be proactive rather than reactive. We may also get a pro rata share of Horizons' assets (for example, a share of the Napier port sale). People would be able to see where their rates were going and what they were getting for them.

What are the potential disadvantages?

• Disadvantages could include a decreasing rate pool which may make it difficult to fund services, not receiving the benefits of being part of a bigger region (for example, in times of emergency when costs can be spread throughout the region and when services are delivered cheaply because they are subsidised by other districts), difficulty in attracting specialist staff, fewer 'checks and balances' through loss of an independent consenting body and problems sustaining the additional workload.

What needs to be investigated?

• How much it will cost our community and whether we could really do a better job. We will need to get more detailed financial and staffing information from Horizons, work out which functions are essential for our district, decide what level of service we would want to deliver, and work out the likely costs of making the change.
• Although initial investigations indicated a funding shortfall, the report also found that more work needed to be done and did not include potential gains from the transfer of Horizons' assets.

What are the next steps?

• At this stage no decisions have been made. Council wants to know whether the community is interested in a unitary authority proposal. If the community supports further investigations, then the council would need to confirm the next steps towards reorganisation. For example, how we would seek the transfer of pro rata assets and whether a Parliamentary Bill is the best approach to take.

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