Labour List MP Tracey McLellan and Ilam MP Hamish Campbell have set out contrasting views on the Government’s plans to cap council rates, overhaul regional councils, and respond to youth crime in Christchurch.
Both MPs first acknowledged the announcement that Cracroft Reserve has been selected as the preferred site for the National Erebus Memorial. McLellan said it was a “lovely” and “peaceful” location and hoped it would bring comfort to families who have waited decades. Campbell noted the timing, saying it fell on the 46th anniversary of the Erebus tragedy and was significant for Christchurch given its close links to Antarctic science operations.
On the future of regional councils, McLellan said the Government’s plan to replace elected councillors with a new governance model centred on mayors was concerning.
“Christopher Luxon campaigned on more say for local communities and here he is doing the exact opposite,” she said. “Communities rely on Ecan for public transport, environmental protections, and the things that really matter to them.”
She said Ecan councillors were “reeling” from the announcement and questioned why there had been no consultation before it was revealed.
Campbell rejected that criticism, saying the changes were needed to reduce duplication.
“There is a huge amount of fragmentation between our local bodies,” he said. “Ecan controls the buses but the council controls where the bus stops are. That creates disputes. Simplifying it will actually improve local representation.”
He said many residents were not familiar with Ecan councillors and that a streamlined structure would lift engagement.
The MPs also debated the Government’s plan to announce a rates cap before Christmas. McLellan said a cap would force councils to either cut services or increase fees for residents.
“If you arbitrarily put a cap on rates then something has to give,” she said. “This is the Government pushing the tough decisions onto local communities.”
Campbell said rate rises of between 7 percent and 12 percent each year were unsustainable.
“We want councils to focus on core services, not projects that residents do not want,” he said.
Christchurch’s recent youth crime spike was another point of disagreement. Campbell said a small group of recidivist offenders continued to cause widespread damage and disruption.
“We still have a group of hardcore youth offenders that cause trouble,” he said. “This has a huge impact on small businesses.”
McLellan said Labour’s circuit breaker programme had shown strong results and needed continued support to address deeper causes of offending.
“Everybody deserves to feel safe,” she said. “You need to address poverty, addiction, homelessness, instability. Those pressures show up as crime.”
