Surprises likely in reform proposals

Press, 6 October 1988, Page 2

Surprises likely in reform proposals

By

KAY FORRESTER

Today’s announcement of local government reform proposals for Nelson, Marlborough and Westland may hold surprises.

The top of the South Island will likely have the two regions most people expect but rather than a combined Nelson-Marl-borough and a separate Westland region Nelson might be coupled with Westland and Marlborough be left independent. Representatives of the areas will be told in Nelson of the Local Government Commission’s indicative proposal for the regions. Marlborough representatives have been vocal advocates of an inde-

pendent region for the existing Marlborough and Kaikoura counties. The commission may well have listened to their submissions. When it set the northern boundary of the Canterbury region, announced in Christchurch on Tuesday, it left the bulk of Kaikoura, including Kaikoura township, north of the boundary. An independent Marlborough would need the present Kaikoura County. The Kaikoura County Chairman, Mr Percy Ac-ton-Adams, said on Tues-

day he was disappointed Kaikoura’s wish to join a North Canterbury authority had been over-ruled. Blenheim is the obvious headquarters for a Marlborough region with district headquarters at at least Picton and Kaikoura. Combining Nelson with the West Coast may be seen as a means of strengthening the Westland area. A possible name for a new district west of the Southern Alps, from Mount Aspiring to the top of the island just east of Delaware Bay,

could be Tasman District. Nelson would be the probable regional headquarters with separate district, councils for the Nelson Bays and West Coast areas. If two regions are announced today that will take the number of regions in the South Island to five. The chairman of the Local Government Commission, Mr Brian Elwood, will make today’s announcement with at least four other commissioners in attendance.