M.P.s in for busy time on amalgamation row?

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 8

M.P.s in for busy time on amalgamation row?

By

KAY FORRESTER

Christchurch members of Parliament can expect to hear from their electors if the 100 people at last evening’s meeting on amalgamation heed the speakers. All four speakers urged those present to pressure their Parliamentary representatives, in particular Government members, to prevent the planned merger for Christchurch. The Opposition spokesman on local government, Mr Warren Cooper, told them their best action against the proposal was to make Labour politicians aware that forcing amalgamations could lose them next year’s General Election. The Mayor of Riccarton, Mr Richard Harrington, asked them to get in touch with their Government members to tell them how they felt.

The chairman of Heathcote County, Mr Oscar Alpers, repeated that re-

quest. The chairman of Waimairi District, Mrs Margaret Murray, promised them that three Labour politicians could look forward to much more pressure from her council. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Palmer, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Caygill, and the member for Lyttelton, Mrs Hercus, were in a position to do something about the merger plans, she said. The member for Christchurch North, Mr Mike Moore, was also concerned about the effect the issue was having on his support from Papanui residents of Waimairi District. Mrs Murray said she believed Paparua had been left out of the initial Christchurch proposal because of the effect its inclusion might have on the support of the member of Parliament for

Yaldhurst, Mrs Margaret Austin. It was a political issue and one the people had to take to the politicians, Mr Harrington said. The only Parliamentary politician willing to front last evening was Mr Cooper, he said. Mr Cooper recalled for the public meeting his days in local government in Queenstown when the 1972 Labour Government sought mergers. He criticised the poll provisions in the law for judging public reaction to proposals for change. The Labour Government had changed these, making these, be undemocratic he said. He read from a letter from a Heathcote resident in which Mrs Hercus had outlined poll provisions. The letter said she had written to Mrs Hercus because she was concerned about amalgamation without people having a say. Mrs Hercus’ reply was that the present poll pro-

.visions were preferable to earlier ones because they prohibited a minority voting out a ’viable scheme for change. The writer called the letter “non-committal.’’ Mr Cooper called it “mischievous, misleading and almost dishonest” A former Heathcote County chairman, ■Mr John McKenzie, questioned how the commission could insist on amalgamating four Christchurch councils when it had told Wairewa County and Akaroa County that if they merged they would be a viable unit What the councils had to make clear to the commission was that they did not accept amalgamation — no matter with whom — at this time, he said. That comment brought the loudest applause of the evening except for one Christchurch City resident who found himself called on to stand up for the city view.