Waimairi to stay out of talks

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 8

Waimairi to stay out of talks

By

JOAN BEGG

An attempt to get Waimairi District councillors back immediately into negotiations on amalgamation with other Christchurch councils was thwarted last evening. Instead, the Waimairi District Council opted, by seven votes to six, to wait until the negotiations with the Riccarton Borough Council for a two-city proposal were complete before resuming full negotiations with the rest of greater Christchurch. That does not leave Waimairi much time. The Local Government Commission has given Christchurch councils until May 1 to settle details for a one-city proposal. Cr Des King, whose amendment was passed, expected it would be a week before Riccarton Borough and Waimairi came to an agreement on the two-city proposal. Cr lan Calvert, who seconded the amendment, suggested the process might take up to two weeks. The amendment overturned Cr John Darby’s recommendation that negotiations with the Christchurch City, Riccarton Borough, and Heathcote County councils resume immediately.

Cr Darby moved that present negotiations with Riccarton on the two-city proposal continue. It was in the interests of Waimairi’s ratepayers, residents and staff, however, that they be represented in full negotiations should a one-city structure be imposed by the Local Government Commission. Waimairi withdrew from the full negotiations after last month’s stormy council meeting. At that meeting seven councillors passed a vote of no-con-fidence in their chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray. They claimed that by continuing negotiations on the one-city concept with other councils she was “throwing in the towel” on amalgamation. As a result, Waimairi was now out of the discussion on amalgamation between Christchurch City, Heathcote, and Riccarton, said Mrs Murray yesterday. Waimairi had almost run out of time, she said. It had to get back into discussion with the City if it wanted any input on the proposed future of the district. Present negotiations with Riccarton had resulted in the outline of a working plan, which still had to be finalised, Mrs Murray said.

However, the council had to convince Christchurch City as well as the public on the benefits of the two-city proposal if it wanted to get anywhere with it. At present, half the meetings with Riccarton were spent finding out what was said in negotiation with Heathcote and the City, said Mrs Murray. If Waimairi had no input in the submissions presented to the Local Government Commission by May 1, it would be assumed that either the council was totally in favour of one city or uninterested enough to let Christchurch City decide its own future. If the council did not join in the negotiations “how can we say with any credibility that we don’t like what you have negotiated?” The council must adopt the unanimous approach and resume full negotiations, Mrs Murray said. Mrs Murray, Crs Brian Shackel, Martin Hobby, Philip Carter, John Darby, and John Hanafin voted against the amendment. Flood relief The council has given $lOOO to the Aorangi flood relief fund. Its offer of staff assistance was not taken up, the council was told.