Will’s Word: The government wants to scrap regional councils, bold idea or stupid?

Let me first say this, off the bat. I know local government reform doesn't sound particularly exciting or sexy, but this week's announcement to scrap regional councils? I'll be honest, I actually think maybe it's not that bad an idea.

Because seriously, what is the point of having two layers of local government doing variations of the same job? We already have city and district councils dealing with things like roads, water, rubbish, parks, planning, all the things we actually interact with. Then you've got this extra tier sitting above them called regional councils.

Hand on heart, can you name one of our regional councillors? Just one. Most people, if they’re living in urban or district areas, think of their mayor before they think of regional representatives, right? It's a total mystery and that's the issue.

We're funding a layer of government most of us don't even understand, don't engage with, and frankly don't see the value of. I'm sorry to say it that harshly. The government reckons decisions are getting tied up between councils arguing over whose job is whose, and that removing that kind of regional tier would lead to clearer accountability and faster action.

That sounds very attractive to me. They've got a point. If something goes wrong with the environment, the water, or the buses, it's a blame-passing exercise between local and regional councils.

But if there's one clear body in charge, you know exactly who to hold to account. Of course, inevitably, there are always going to be questions over environmental management and Māori partnerships.

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We have to make sure local voices aren't drowned out in some mega structure, but duplication for duplication's sake? No, thank you. At a time when everyone's squeezed by rates, the last thing we need is unnecessary bureaucracy.

I hate to even use the word “bureaucracy” because it sounds like some airy-fairy esoteric language that we don't speak every day. But if a layer of government can be removed without hurting core services and actually make them more streamlined, then why keep it? Regional councils have had a good run, but maybe their time's up.

That's Will's Word.