Photo: LDR / SunLive / John Borren
Regional councils own assets worth billions of dollars, but what could happen to them with plans to scrap regional councillors? The government wants to install district and city mayors as Combined Territories Boards instead of regional councillors, with two years to propose a longer-term structure.
But the Government has made little mention of the very large assets owned by the regional councils and what will happen to them if regional councils are eventually bundled into unitary authorities like the Auckland Council. One of the most notable examples is the Port of Tauranga - a $2 billion asset majority owned by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Doug Leeder has just finished a 12-year stint as chair of that council and Hilary Calvert is the new chair of the Otago Regional Council.
