Local government reform

Greater Wellington Regional Council, Carterton, Masterton and South Wairarapa district councils have been discussing options for future governance in Wairarapa with the Local Government Commission.

Copies of the draft proposal and submission form are available at www.lgc.govt.nz, in council offices and libraries.

Submissions are invited by 3 May 2017 and can be made in four ways:

• email to: submissions@lgc.govt.nz
• via email form on the Local Government Commission website
• via Freepost submission form distributed to homes throughout the Wairarapa
• in writing to: The Chief Executive Officer, Local Government Commission, PO Box 5362, Wellington 6140

Submissions, minus personal information such as addresses, contact details or email addresses, will be made publicly available.

Local Government Commission proposed timeline

15 March 2017
Draft proposal, submissions open

3 May 2017
Closing date for submissions

23 May 2017
Hearings begin

July-November 2017
Commission decides, based on submissions, whether or not to release a final proposal.

November 2017-April 2018
Possible final proposal, possible poll

Early 2018:
If a poll endorses any final proposal, or a poll is not called for, a Transition Body would be formed. This would include representatives of the three current Wairarapa councils

October 2018-October 2019:
Possible election of a new council. If the new council were elected in October 2018, it would have an initial four-year term to bring it back into line with the three-yearly election cycle