Unitary Authority Model

Yeah, it's uh yeah, it's interesting, Jamie. I could write a book on it. Um we now find ourselves in a kaleidoscope of bureaucratic bulimia, I would call it, because they've thrown up a three unpalatable options of a 19% or a 27% or a 45% rise, with only the latter having the outcome of balancing the books. So actually, um, well done to the council current councillors for um saddling up and fronting up and and and understanding that you know that they've been honest with it. They've gone to the cupboard and the cupboard is bare. And so I don't know, um, you know, we obviously need a a a full audit or or an autopsy on what water has gone on, but looking forward, um, we actually need to need to shape up. I mean, we've been buggering around to the last three years, talking about a district plan and and hitting private property rates, like you know, in terms of um sorry, rights in terms of what they're doing in down in Gore. And um, and we've missed the big picture. We have Victorian um water system under our under our feet in the town, um, m like most towns, and the red tape has been um overwhelming that has been thrown at these councils from from the Crown. And you know, like it's interesting, you know, just to put the cat among amongst the pigeons called Shane Jones, Captain Underpants and is and his band of not so merry men have um have also said at the same time, of course we've got the the RMA changes, but also that we need to either amalgamate or or look at ways of of changing things in terms of working together, and I I would suggest an amalgamation is is the only way to go. Um, and I'm not against that. I I really like the idea of unitary authorities, even though bigger isn't necessarily better. But what Shane Jones and Winston have conveniently forgotten is when they anointed Jacinda Rella and the Greens back in 2017, in 2018 they put four well-beings into the regulation. So we it actually put more focus on social um environment and culture, and they seem to have forgotten the fourth pillar, which is um economic Jamie. And of course, at the same time we had David Parker punishing farmers with a you know not fit for purpose environmental regime. So that all of those costs and distractions, and that's what they were, was thrown on councils, and they actually forgot the basic job. So the three R's reticulation, um, roading, uh, rubbish, and and all of those things have fallen by the wayside, and just we find ourselves in an untenable um position, Jamie.