Opposing views on amalgamation

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33032, 27 September 1972, Page 16

Opposing views on amalgamation

Opposing views on the amalgamation of the Christchurch City Council and Waimairi County Council were given by the two guest speakers at a meeting at the newly formed Women’s Civic Association in Christchurch last evening.

The chairman of the Waimairi County Council (Mi D. B. Rich) spoke in opposition to amalgamation, while Mrs H. L. Garrett, a city councillor, spoke as an individual in favour of amalgamation. The meeting was chaired by Mrs E. Sutherland. Mr Rich said that although opposed to amalgamation of the councils, he believed there was room for local government reform. The Christchurch City Council was the largest local body in New Zealand in terms of population, and Waimairi the eighth largest. Combined, they would extend from Prebbleton to Sumner. “NOT SOUND” “On the New Zealand scale, to reorganise in terms of an amorphous, endless local body would not be sound — inefficiences would come to the fore,” Mr Rich said. People would lose touch with their councillors who would be responsible for larger areas, and the proposed wards would perpetuate- the party politics system.

Advantages in economies and scale did not occur in a large local body such as the Christchurch City Council. Waimairi County had a lower water rate and a fluoridated water supply. The county council had been able to be economic and progressive and had taken the lead in several ways, including the change to paper

bags for refuse collection, Mr Rich said. Mrs Garrett said that the history of amalgamation of local bodies in New Zealand, Canada and Britain had resulted in more efficient services.

Christchurch’s history was one of even greater amalgamation —100 years ago, it took days to communicate between Christchurch and Lyttelton. FRAGMENTATION It was generally agreed that fragmentation was the curse of local government. Progress in amalgamation in New Zealand had been painfully slow, Mrs Garrett said. “There is no harm in party politics entering into local government. It is essential that candidates have a label so that the people know who they are voting for,” Mrs Garrett said.

The larger the local body the greater the public interest in voting, she said. Amalgamation would result in engineering advantages, uniform by-laws, and more efficient use of buildings, plant and staff. Local government would be strengthened, more money would be available, and more could be done in fields such as public health, Mrs Garrett said.