Waitomo and Ōtorohanga have unanimously voted to push for a King Country Council.
The Head Start proposal would see the two district councils amalgamate into a single unitary authority, should the Government accept.
Ōtorohanga District Mayor Rodney Dow told Local Democracy Reporting the vote was not a final decision, but rather an indication of where Ōtorohanga and Waitomo want to be in the future.
“It’s just the beginning and there’s a lot of work to do,” Dow said.
“We think it’s the right way forward for our people.”
A shared heritage
Waitomo District Mayor John Robertson said his district shared a strong and unique identity with Ōtorohanga.
“Our communities already live, work, learn and play across district boundaries,” he said.
“We share a strong King Country identity, and this proposal reflects that while also recognising the importance of protecting local representation and local decision-making.”
The name King Country (Te Rohe Potae) and its boundaries date back to the New Zealand Wars.
Tāwhiao, the second Māori King, fled there when his capital, Ngāruawāhia, was invaded by colonial forces.
Tāwhiao declared an aukati [border] on the Pūniu River near Kihikihi and Pirongia, meaning any Pākehā crossing the border would risk a fate reserved for invaders.
In 1884, Tāwhiao declared that the state of war between the Kīngitanga and the Crown was over.
Since then, the King Country has become famous for sport, farming and shearing.
Waitomo and Ōtorohanga are no strangers to amalgamation, with the topic having been discussed since at least 2004.
In March this year, almost two months before the Government’s ultimatum, Robertson had already obtained approval from his council to begin work on a King Country Council.
If the Government approves this proposal, the new unitary authority will only have a population of 20,000.
Robertson told Local Democracy Reporting his council did not want to be part of the Western Unitary Authority, because they believed Waikato needs a separate metro council and several smaller rural unitary councils.
“We want local government for local decisions to be made,” he said.
Robertson said one of the smaller rural councils should be a King Country Council.
“We would be 20% of the area of the Waikato. And while our population’s small, we’re very, very large.”
Both mayors expressed concern that if King Country were to amalgamate with a large urban centre like Hamilton, their smaller rural voice would be lost.
“We don’t want to be part of a super city,” Dow said.
However, it remains to be seen whether the Government will approve the King Country Council.
Central Government has yet to advise what will happen to councils that have put forward proposals they don’t endorse.
Being at the table vs being on the menu
But Waitomo isn’t the only council that would like to amalgamate with Ōtorohanga.
Last week, South Waikato District Council voted to join the Western Unitary Authority, which, in theory, comprises Hamilton City, Waikato District, Waipa District, Waitomo, Ōtorohanga and Taupō.
However, the two King Country Councils and Taupō have already said they did not want to join this kind of unitary authority.
In July, it appeared that Taupō and Rotorua were going to amalgamate with South Waikato.
But when Taupō voted not to put forward a Head Start proposal, it triggered a domino effect and South Waikato no longer found Rotorua to be a feasible amalgamation partner.
In a statement, South Waikato mayor Gary Petley said the whole amalgamation debate was complex and messy, and left councils and residents wanting for information.
“We are of the view that the Western Waikato Unitary presents the best alignment and opportunities for the South Waikato,” Petley said.
He also told Local Democracy Reporting that submitting a Head Start proposal to Wellington meant South Waikato would be “at the table, instead of on the menu”.
