HEAD START ON HOLD FOR ALL LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

Waitomo and Ōtorohanga District Council’s “Our King Country Future” Head Start amalgamation proposal has been shelved for future consideration.

The decision, released by Cabinet today, means that it’s business as usual for both councils.

In a statement, Minister of Local Government Hon Simon Watts said after careful consideration Cabinet has decided that it will not be making decisions on any individual Head Start proposals at this time.

“While the overall quality of proposals were high, the assessment process identified several common issues that required further consideration,” he said.

“None came with the unanimous view of the region, and some needed further analysis before they can progress. Rather than asking councils to commit further time and resources to finalise proposals now, the Government’s priority is to ensure those common design issues are resolved up front. This will enable a smoother, more efficient reorganisation process for councils in future.”

Waitomo Mayor John Robertson said that while disappointed the amalgamation of the two Councils did not get a quick tick, he is not surprised that Ministers have effectively kicked for touch.

“All is not lost.  A King Country Council makes complete sense.  I expect it to eventually get there, but we are going to have to wait now for the general elections to take place and the new government to make the call.”

John said it was evident from the amount of community feedback received on the proposal that the formation of a King Country Council is widely supported.

“My sincere thanks goes to all the staff who worked on the proposal, and to our communities who showed us they are passionate about Te Rohe Pōtae.”

Ōtorohanga Mayor Rodney Dow said while this isn’t the certainty we might have expected at this point, it does give us clarity about where things sit.

“A huge amount of work has gone into this from both councils, and none of that is wasted. For us now, it’s about getting on with the job in front of us, continuing to work closely with Waitomo, and making sure the King Country has a strong voice in whatever comes next.”

For more information on the Government’s decision and what it means, visit: https://ourkingcountryfuture.nz/