What do you think about the Whangarei District Council’s proposal to consolidate all current Council buildings and staff into one large building?

This concept formed part of the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan and has come up for discussion recently. Potential sites have been suggested, although none of these have been made public yet. Combining all of the WDC’s building assets and activities under one roof will certainly have benefits for the 370 staff members. They will have access to each other without the impediment of having to travel between sites, and so be able to engage in inter-departmental communication more easily.

A suggestion might be to site both the Regional and District Councils in one building as separate entities.  Our rate demands include charges from each council so both convenience and cost-efficiency might be well served to have each in the same central building. That would mean staff and members of the public could move easily between departments and councils so communication is better facilitated.

The questions are then:  Is a move to centralise the Whangarei District Council in one building, instead of three or four, in the public interest? Is the rate-paying public prepared to spend for such a move? What would ratepayers like to see now that the prospect has come up for discussion?

Vince Cocurullo is a Whangarei District Councillor representing the Okara ward.

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