On Wednesday this week (29 July) Mackenzie’s Councillors and Chief Executive met with elected members, mayors and chief executives from Ashburton, Timaru, Waimate and Waitaki District Councils.
The meeting at Fraser Park in Timaru was a facilitated discussion on options for a potential joint Head Start proposal and opportunities to strengthen collaboration across the region.
The meeting brought together local government leaders to explore how councils could work together under the Government's Head Start pathway, which provides an opportunity for councils to develop locally-led proposals for future governance and service delivery arrangements.
Discussions focused on identifying areas of shared interest, understanding the opportunities and challenges facing the region, and considering how councils might work collectively to develop a proposal that reflects local priorities and delivers long-term benefits for communities.
Today, 31 July, at an Extraordinary Meeting, Mackenzie’s Councillors considered the feedback received from public consultation, including public meetings. The consultation had presented five options for local reorganization under the Head Start process.
Council voted to proceed with Option C, a five-tier model made up of Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate, Waitaki and Ashburton District Councils, as its preferred option, subject to Ashburton District Council's decision which is due to be made at their meeting on 5 August. This is in line with the majority of the submissions received from the public.
Council’s second preference was for Option B, the four-tier model including Mackenzie, Timaru, Waimate and Waitaki District Councils.
The final configuration will now depend on Ashburton District Council’s decision. Ashburton District Council will consider the matter at its meeting on 5 August and has indicated it will take the time needed to reach a decision before the 9 August deadline. Once that decision has been made, the Mayor and Chief Executive will work with the neighbouring councils to finalise the draft outline proposal for submission.