One that made me think escaped on 21st. May 2009 and was entitled, "Rodney to
Investigate Unitary Authority Option." Whilst the title is not up there with "Birth of a Nation" or even "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", it's contents are worth a read.

Council ‘investigated four options’ for considering the future boundaries of the Auckland
Region as they relate to Rodney District. Wait! Wait! It does get readable: it's all to do with the Auckland Super City.

The first option considered was for Rodney to become part of an Auckland Super City.
Well, I can think of one advantage: we can all vote against John Banks. And that's about the only one I can think of. I didn't mind the new motorway bringing us closer to Auckland, but I wasn't so sure about Auckland being closer to us.

The second option was for Rodney District to be divided and for part of the district to form part of the Auckland Super City and the northern part of the district to be part of the Northland Region. That would get us in Warkworth and Puhoi, away from both Auckland and the RDC. Things would be looking up!

The third option was for the whole of Rodney to become part of the Northland Region. Same comment as before regarding us at the northern end, although there's the danger that we might take the senior council staff with us.

The fourth option was that the council investigate becoming a unitary council, which would involve the council carrying out the functions of both a territorial local authority and a regional council within Rodney District.

The first three options would involve the decimation of the councillors and staff, so no prizes for guessing which one was approved. I don't think I'd get a prize for guessing that council staff recommended that one, too; although it doesn't say.

But note that the first three options were for something to happen to the RDC. Bang! Just like that, no investigation, no ifs, no buts, no maybes. The fourth was for an investigation. So perhaps, between the lines, it does say what the recommendation was.

Advantages? Well, the mayor, CEO and senior managers would all have to have pay rises because of the extra responsibility. And they would control absolutely everything; they could do whatever they wanted.

Advantages for me (and fellow Ratepayers? Can't think of any.

On the subject of advantages for other people, the ACT Party is clinging to parliament by Rodney Hide's eyebrows and a super city would enable him to run for mayor. Imagine him in his yellow blazer like a terpsichorean canary. You'll have to do it for me; I've just had dinner.

Of course, the bigger the local authority, the more attractive parts of it would be to overseas investors when privatized. And privatization is ACT policy. Come to think of it, wasn’t Rodney Mayor, Penny Webster, an Act MP some time back?

I was going to say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." but perhaps, "Better the Devil you know" is more appropriate.

Joseph Bazalgette