A resolution passed by the council yesterday was clear staff had been requested to produce a high-level report relating to preliminary discussion of a possible unitary authority for Otago and that this should be completed by the end of this year.
What else the report might contain was unclear.
A unitary authority for Otago — merging up to six councils, including the Otago Regional Council — would be a profound shift from the status quo and the resolution made no mention of other possible models, such as a Dunedin-only unitary authority.
However, the councillor who drafted the resolution, Kevin Gilbert, said his intent was for "any and all governance options" to be considered.
This might include mergers, co-operative arrangements or some other structure, he said.
Cr Gilbert said the main point was to get a discussion started about the best arrangement for local government in the city and the region.
"I’m just asking for a conversation," he said.
Cr Gilbert expected the report to be brief, opening a pathway for potential change.
The resolution was passed 10-4.
Carmen Houlahan, Christine Garey, David Benson-Pope and Marie Laufiso were the councillors against.
Cr Lee Vandervis said he was worried about the resolution’s lack of focus, but voted for it.
He expected staff would have at least a brief look at what might be done to reduce "duplication, division and waste".
Cr Vandervis had in 2017 pushed for investigation of the pros and cons of a Dunedin-only unitary authority.
The resolution was passed unanimously, but chief executive at the time Sue Bidrose then "essentially sat on it for more than two years", he said.
Cr Vandervis said claims staff had been too busy to put the council’s resolution into effect were absurd.
The resolution was rescinded in 2019 amid considerable acrimony.
Cr Jim O’Malley described the scene of an attempted reversal of the 2017 resolution as one of the worst meetings he had witnessed.
"I was ready to speak at the time and it was shut down, so I’m glad to see it come back to the table," Cr O’Malley said.
Cr Houlahan said exploring an Otago-wide unitary authority would be ridiculous.
The list of possible avenues Cr Gilbert wanted covered could involve a lot of work for staff even if they applied a light touch, she said.
Cr Garey said staff were exceptionally busy in the lead-up to the 2025-34 draft long-term plan and "here we are looking to place yet another report" on them.
Cr Benson-Pope said the timing was appalling.
He also recounted how Dunedin representatives had toured the province ahead of the 1989 sweeping reorganisation of local government and they secured almost complete support for a unitary authority.
The initiative "died the death of Queenstown’s selfishness", he said.
Cr Laufiso said she had talked to Pasifika and tangata whenua representatives in Auckland since a unitary authority was set up there.
The unitary council had "munted" their community development, she said.
Cr Brent Weatherall said elected representatives might be nervous about the resolution, but the public would back it.
"Progress will be slow — there is going to be pushback — but let’s just start the process of common sense."
