Who needs amalgamation, Napier is on a roll!

I attended three functions yesterday and enjoyed them all. And at every stop I received congratulations on the progress we are making at the Napier City Council. Our Wave Garden project in particular has struck a real chord with people and the support for that undertaking is amazing. I do caution however, that there is a lot of work to be undertaken before that project becomes a done deal. Rest assured we will do everything possible to make it happen.

In the amalgamation debate, we often hear about cities or towns losing their identity. That’s just silly. If we do end up with amalgamation being forced upon us (perish the thought), Napier will still be Napier and Hastings will still be Hastings. In fact amalgamation is such a divisive issue I believe people will become even more protective of their patch. What we will lose is the ability to focus on what is good for each community of interest and therefore Hawke's Bay.

Napier has always been the gateway to the Bay. That is indisputable. Napier is home to the port, the airport and over 70% of the tourist beds in Hawke's Bay. Under our current governance structure, the Napier City Council is able to focus on its role of providing tourist infrastructure assets in the interests of the whole of Hawke's Bay. The proposed Wave Garden project is a good example of that focus.
What chance do you think this project would have of getting off the ground (or in the ground) if we were amalgamated? The answer is none. There is no way that a Hawke's Bay Council would approve this project once they had taken on the combined debt of the district. And please don’t tell me that debt will be ring fenced. It will not be. Whilst clause 17.1 of the reorganisation proposal says debt should be ring fenced, clause 17.2 gives any council a big out and basically says that debt will not be ring fenced.

I am genuinely excited about the prospects for a stronger, more vibrant, more prosperous Hawkes Bay if each community of interest is allowed to get on with doing what it does well. Certainly here in Napier we have a number of exciting new projects in the pipeline, all of which would add growth and jobs to our economy and colour and enjoyment to our lives.

I am in absolutely no doubt that if amalgamation is allowed to happen, and the ability of each community of interest to focus on what it does well is removed, Hawkes Bay will be the poorer.