Merger between Ashley and Waipara postponed

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 2

Merger between Ashley and Waipara postponed

The merger between Ashley and Waipara Counties has been postponed indefinitely while the Government brings down related legislation, which is expected to take some months. The Local Government Commission’s chief executive officer (Mr J. L. O'Sullivan) has told the councils the commission had decided to withhold its decision on the merger until the legislation was amended. The Ashley County Council Chairman (Mr J. S. Bowker), and the Waipara County Council Chairman (Mr C. N. Mackenzie), both agree that the next step was to get together to discuss what to do next. This would probably be as soon after Easter as possible. Mr O’Sullivan said after the change of Government last November, amendments would be made to the Local Government Act 1974, under which the commission operates. “In particular, the Minister of Local Goveram .it (Mr Highet) has often reiterated Government's intention to alter the poll provision in the present legislation. This will require amending legislation and it seems that it could be some months yet before this can be done,” he said.

Norton consortium A $20.77m deal backed by a consortium from Iran, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Birmingham, England, has been proposed for the Wolverhampton motor-cycle plant of Norton-Villiers, the Press Association reported. Mr John Moore, the former general manager of NortonVilliers International, is to manage and chair the new project.—London.

The commission thought it would not be appropriate for it to proceed further at present with any scheme which could be subject to a poll until the legislation was brought down. The commission held a public hearing in Christchurch in December to hear objections to the proposed merger, including those from the Rangiora County Council. as well as from groups and individuals of Waipara and Ashley counties. Normal procedure after such a hearing is to issue a decision on the objections and later announce the scheme. Mr O’Sullivan said: “This should not be taken as indicative of whether the objections will be allowed either in whole or in part or be dismissed: it is simply withholding any decision for the time being.” The commission would issue its decision as soon as the legislative position was settled. Mr Bowker said it was imperative to have enough staff to administer the area satisfactorily. This was what the councils had in mind with the merger, and they considered it could be done at reasonable cost to the ratepayers. “We have built up a very good joint system, but we can not get the full efficiency we can see is there without amalgamation." Earlier in the week, before the commission’s decision was known, the Waipara council called for a report on the relative costs and advantages of amalgamation, to be prepared by the county clerk (Mr A. J. McKendry) and engineer (Mr B. G Dowrick). The report would also look at the establishment of a new joint headquarters at

Amberley, the setting up of a joint staff administration and headquarters at Amberley with the two councils retaining their separate identities, or a return to separate staffing and headquarters in each county. “We can’t go on the way we are too much longer as the staff want to know where they are — and so do we,” said Mr Mackenzie. The councils have already gone some distance to merging their staffs and planning has been going on for a new $300,000 headquarters at Amberley. It has been indicated, however, that some administrative staff would be retained at Waikari so long as the public use of the office justified this. If amalgamation did not take place the two councils could still operate under the one roof, and “that goes for Amuri and Cheviot too if

they wish,” said Mr Mackenzie. If the two councils did not proceed with the new office, Waipara would have the cost of altering its office at Waikari and the problem of separating the staff again. In either case the cost to Waipara would be about the same, but if the other councils came in on a joint administration there would be a saving, said Mr Mackenzie. Combining the staff without full amalgamation would not bring the full economies hoped for as there would be duplication of such work as accounting. If amalgamation did not proceed the council should be assured, before proceeding with a new joint building in Amberlew, that any savings on staff would pay the extra to service the extra loan needed for the new building, he said.