Ruapehu Waitomo merger mooted

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 586, 16 May 1995, Page 1

Ruapehu Waitomo merger mooted

Amalgamation of the Ruapehu District Council with Waitomo would not be rejected out-of-hand but would have to be considered carefully along with any other possible options, Ruapehu mayor Garrick Workman said yesterday. Mr Workman was replying to questions raised by a Waikato Times article regarding Waitomo District Council' s (WDC) efforts to woo an amalgamation partner. Waitomo, based in Te Kuiti and with a population of about 10,000, is seeking to amalgamate for efficiency gains. They have approached and been rejected by Taupo and are planning to negotiate with Otorohanga. The mayor said no approach, either informal or formal had been made from the WDC and that comments of his reported in the W aikato Times were in response to reporter Kerry Williamson's questions. He said there had been no "back-room negotiations" held. Ruapehu CEO Cliff Houston said the issue, in relation to Ruapehu, was little more than media hype. "I can't imagine much interest in the south in amalgamating with Waitomo." He said if there were advantages in amalgamating then Ruapehu would have to look at other options also, such as Taupo or the south. "My personal opinion, based on perceptions I have aboutthe way people feel about the amalgamation that has already happened, is that Taupo would be better — that's from the Waimarino perspective." He said a central plateau district based on the mountains and the lake would be logical, gi ven in the increased things in common since the growth of industries such as tourism. While Ruapehu is technically large enough, under the Local Government rules, there could be advantages in the future of amalgamation, said Mr Workman. He said Ruapehu has a small rating base for its size, given that 40 per cent of its land area is in national parks and there are large areas of non-rateable Maori land. Also, central government is devolving more and more Turn to Page 2