Survey shows Wairarapa would rather go it alone

Almost nine out of 10 Wairarapa residents would back a single Wairarapa council if the local governance structure had to change.

A survey on the options for future governance in the Wellington region, undertaken by Colmar Brunton, shows Wairarapa would want little to do with the rest of the region under a reformed structure.

In a telephone survey commissioned by the region's councils, 400 people were surveyed in each of the eight council areas, with additional questions asked of Wairarapa respondents.

Residents were asked which option they preferred, if a decision by Wellington councils and the government meant the councils were reorganised.

Two options were presented: a Wairarapa council with 12 elected representatives, one mayor and several local community boards; or a Wellington council with one elected Wairarapa councillor and one local Wairarapa board with some decision-making power.

The large majority, of respondents, said they would prefer a Wairarapa council, while only 8 per cent agreed with the second option. Of the rest, 2 per cent answered "neither", 1 per cent "other"' and 1 per cent "don't know".

The survey showed if given the option to keep the status quo, 45 per cent preferred no change or increased shared services, and 41 per cent were in favour of a single Wairarapa council.

A joint statement by South Wairarapa Mayor Adrienne Staples, Carterton Mayor Ron Mark and Masterton Mayor Garry Daniell said the survey provided a large amount of information that would help the decision-making process for Wairarapa's future governance.

"It provides a good indication of what people are thinking and what is important to them, and is consistent across Wairarapa."

In the Wellington region as a whole, 58 per cent of respondents preferred to keep the same boundaries but share more services between councils.

Wairarapa's views:

* 88 per cent in favour of a single Wairarapa council, if governance has to change

* 41 per cent of people would be in favour of a single Wairarapa council, if retaining the status quo was still an option

* Only 5 per cent of respondents want to be part of a Wellington supercity

* Of the Wairarapa residents who want things to remain the same, 22 per cent said it was because they didn't want to be part of a single Wellington regional authority

* 46 per cent of respondents want council boundaries to change

* 56 per cent thought elected councillors were very important for a well-functioning local democracy

* 37 per cent of participants thought local community boards were very important

* Only 18 per cent of people thought Maori advisory boards were very important, while 19 per cent thought they were not important at all