That is not a headline I ever thought I would be writing when I became Mayor late last year. But it is a question we now need to ask ourselves.

Our council and other councils across the country have been given a three-month deadline by Central Government to think about possible amalgamation options. That could mean looking at whether we should merge together with other councils, whether our district’s boundaries should change, or whether parts of our district should align with different neighbouring areas.

I want to be upfront with you. Since becoming Mayor, I have been vocal about my personal views regarding amalgamation. But this conversation cannot be about me, our councillors, or Council alone.

It belongs to the people who live here, raise families here, run businesses here, farm here, and call the Tararua District home.

At this stage, there are a number of options that we would like to discuss with you. These include:

• becoming part of a larger council covering the Horizons region
• merging with Hawke’s Bay councils under one larger council
• creating one larger council with Wairarapa councils, and potentially even Wellington councils
• different parts of our district aligning with different neighbouring areas, meaning our district could effectively be split up
• choosing not to participate in reform discussions, which may mean that Central Government decides the future structure for us
• or if any of these options are unacceptable to our community, we could choose to publicly to fight the current proposals.

Behind every one of these options sits a much bigger conversation about who we are as a district and where we want to go next. These are examples of important questions we need to think through together.

Would a larger council bring more efficiencies? Possibly. Could bigger structures also mean decisions being made further away from our communities? Possibly.

Would our voice as a rural district become weaker? Would our local identity be protected? Would services improve, stay the same, or move further away from the people who rely on them?

These are not simple questions. And there are no simple answers. What I do know is this: Your council cannot navigate this alone.

We will be travelling across our district to meet with you face-to-face:

• Monday 18 May, 5:30pm – Pahiatua, Town Hall
• Tuesday 19 May, 5:30pm – Woodville, Sports Stadium
• Wednesday 20 May, 5:30pm – Dannevirke, The Hub
• Friday 22 May, 5:30pm – Eketāhuna, Community Centre
• Saturday 23 May, 10:00am – Herbertville, Herbertville Inn
• Saturday 23 May, 1:30pm – Ākitio, Community Centre
• Saturday 23 May, 5:30pm – Pongaroa, Pongaroa Pub
• Monday 25 May, 5:30pm – Norsewood, War Memorial Hall

We will be coming to your towns to explain what is happening, answer questions, listen to your concerns, and hear directly from you.

I would like to encourage you to ask questions and share your thoughts. Openly. Honestly. Respectfully.

This is a crossroads moment for the Tararua District and together, we need to decide where to from here.

Ngā mihi,

Mayor Scott Gilmore