Head Start fails to get out of the blocks

Greater Wellington Chair Daran Ponter says the Government's decision not to progress any Head Start proposals ahead of the General Election is a disappointing retreat from much-needed local government reform.

“The Government forced a hastily scrambled Head Start process on the local government sector, excluding regional councils in the making. Even so, councils across the country got on with the job. In our region, significant effort was put into the process, and a comprehensive proposal was submitted to the Government.

“Despite this great work, no proposals progressed before the election beggar's belief. Put simply, Head Start has failed to get out of the starting blocks.

“That is deeply disappointing for councils and communities that engaged in the process in good faith and invested significant time, money and effort in considering what local government should look like in the future.”

While the Government has signaled it is still committed to reform in the Minister of Local Government's letter to Council Chairs, Mayors and Chief Executives, Ponter said they were at danger of joining successive governments who had failed to show the leadership needed to drive meaningful change.

“Whether people supported a particular proposal or not, the Head Start process acknowledged that the status quo is not sustainable in the long term.  That does not mean imposing a one-size-fits-all solution, but it does mean being willing to ask hard questions about whether our current arrangements are delivering the best outcomes for residents and ratepayers.

"It's disappointing for communities to have spent months debating reform only to conclude Head Start is a no goer because the Government has its head in the sand.”

Chair Ponter also took aim at the Minister’s letter, which noted: "Regional councillors will not be elected at the 2028 local elections".

"This is another undemocratic dog whistle from the Government. You can't abandon and delay local government reform on one hand and then dictate the future without due process and realistic timeframes on the other hand.

With Wellington's councils having shown a willingness to engage in difficult conversations about governance, representation and service delivery, Chair Ponter said the Greater Wellington will plough on.

“The next Government needs to approach local government reform with greater ambition, greater clarity and greater bravery than we have seen to date.

“New Zealand cannot continue kicking this issue down the road. Greater Wellington will use the Government’s delay to reconsider how regional council’s roles can be enhanced to deliver issues at scale for their respective regions and we will continue to work with other councils and our Mana Whenua partners to continue momentum on reform. Communities deserve a local government system that is efficient, accountable and fit for the future,” adds Chair Ponter.