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Friday 10 July 2020
Local board debate about to begin
Members of the Golden Bay Local Board Working Group. From left, Laurie Healy, Averill Grant, Tony Lawton, Roland Toder. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
On Monday morning, the Local Government Commission (LGC) officially opened the first phase of public consultation on the option of a Golden Bay local board. At the same time, the Commission published its consultation document – posting a copy on the LGC website and sending out hard copies to all Tasman District mailboxes. The 14-page document explains what a local board is, the positive reasons for establishing one, what it might do, and what it might cost, including who would pay for it. The contents will form the basis of what could prove to be a crucial community conversation about the future governance of Golden Bay. That discussion begins in earnest next week
with public meetings being held in Takaka and Collingwood. The document explains, in some detail, the pros and cons of establishing a local board in Golden Bay, but the argument really boils down to whether Tasman District Council and Golden Bay ratepayers are prepared to pay for improved local democracy, better local decision-making and more responsive governance. The Golden Bay Local Board Working Group (GBLBWG), who applied to the LGC in 2018 to investigate the establishment of a local board, are following developments closely. Working Group secretary and spokesman Tony Lawton says the group’s first reaction was that the document “represents a good
basis for the upcoming discussions with the Golden Bay community about communitylevel democracy”. He hopes that public debate will improve on what he says is already a good proposal. “Even as it stands, it would represent a significant improvement in local government decisionmaking for this remote and wonderful community. However, we see a number of opportunities to deliver even greater benefits to the Golden Bay community.” One of the key advantages of a local board is its increased autonomy achieved by reallocating non-regulatory functions and responsibilities from council to the community. While the Commission recommends that a local board is made responsible for many of
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Golden Bay’s community assets, it proposes only an advocacy role for others – specifically commercial assets such as Port Tarakohe, Takaka Aerodrome and the two campgrounds. Tony says a local board should have, at minimum, a shared responsibility for these facilities rather than a “remote” advisory role. “We believe integration of these assets into a Golden Bay Local Board’s Three-Year Plan is vital for ensuring efficient, sustainable development whilst respecting the Bay’s unique and special culture and environment.” Regarding regulatory responsibilities, the GBLBWG is concerned that success of the LGC’s proposed collaborative approach with Tasman District Council, will be heavily dependent on the latter’s goodwill. Continued on page 3
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