It may make sense for councils to combine some or all of their services but this should be a decision for local ratepayers who are ultimately the ones who will be paying for a new structure. 

Councils must not dive headfirst into amalgamations without first thinking it through. We've seen what happened with Health NZ and polytechnics when Labour tried that – it doesn't always go as planned. 

Bigger doesn't always mean cheaper, and often it can end up costing more with extra layers of bureaucracy added while the same number of people still need functioning pipes, roads to drive on and rubbish to be collected. 

Any amalgamation proposal must be based on clear cost benefit analysis and have majority support by the local communities involved.

"I call on councils not to amalgamate without support via a referendum from the local community."