Fran Wilde

Local Government New Zealand wants that change rolled out nationwide.

South Wairarapa Mayor and Chair of LGNZ's Local Government System Reference Group, Dame Fran Wilde, joins us now.

Ata maria, Dame Fran.

How are you? Very well, thanks, John.

At some point in our history, or at some point in our contemporary times we now live in, we needed to address it.

Amalgamation has been on the public agenda in Wellington since 2012, when current Mayor Dame Fran Wilde of South Wairarapa was chair of the Regional Council.

The Lawhut elections, we went out with a referendum question in the October election.

The question was, do you support conversation on amalgamation? It came back 55-45 in favour of having that conversation.

We've got a problem in this country where councils just go and spend huge amounts of money, like you, Fran, on consultants and contractors, and the government has cut the amount we're spending on consultants.

So what would you say to Simeon that people like you, Fran Wilde, and your people, you shouldn't have gone out and spent gazillions?

Well, our council didn't because we didn't have that money.

But probably the biggest impost was on Wellington City Council and the regional council, actually.