Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

I thought last week's one-day conference run by Tauranga Chamber of Commerce to discuss trends in local government reform ended really positively.

The audience was made up of a mix of business people, community representatives, iwi and local government representatives. There were top quality speakers who set the scene brilliantly – discussing overseas and national trends; the changing environmental, corporate, economic and political conditions; what is happening in local government reform nationally, and the implications for the Bay of Plenty.

There was no consensus that a structural change in local government in the Bay is necessary or desirable. There was certainly an acceptance that we will be affected by the reform process in some way and need to be proactive about shaping any possible outcomes. It was agreed that we should have a clear vision of what we want for the Bay of Plenty and what the issues are that will need to be addressed to get us there. Only then, can we decide if and what sort of reform is for us. A think-tank or forum involving business, community, iwi and local government was suggested to take these discussions forward and the Chamber of Commerce groups across the region agreed to undertake a facilitation role. Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is hosting on its website an information resource base on the topic, so check this out if you want to know more.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, email me: neesj@xtra.co.nz or phone 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website www.janenees.co.nz