August 12, 2026 • 7 mins
Chris Dillon says the frustration around council reform shows that the whole process has been anything but streamlined.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome back to the Muster, Texas there with I don't
want a lover, I just need a friend. Well, a
lot of people wanting friends at the moment. When it
comes to local body politics, of course, local government reform
is the topic that has been hot for the past
couple of weeks. There's all these councils around the country
try to get everything dotted and crossed in the line
(00:31):
so they can make a better sense on these local
body reforms that have basically been forced upon them over
the past couple of months. It's Christillan as president of
South con Federated Farmers and joins us once again to
talk about this and other matters. Good afternoon, Chris. Local
government reform. How have you found the process, I'd say frustrating.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Ah, yes, it's been a little bit frustrating by the
two processes. Obviously, there's Local Government Commission that they're still
going around right through this week and into next week
consulting with communities. But yeah, the head art process has
been very frustrating. There's been a lot of councilors that
have engaged in it and listened, and there's a lot
(01:14):
that have really really shown their shown their hand on
what they think to community representation.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
This just comes across as egos at play. Is that
what you're insinuating.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Well, it might have been the government given them a
chance for some of them to do that. That's there's
some people that have been very engaged in the process
and some that have not have had real disregard for it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
So Federated Farmers, though, have you been kept in the
up to date as to what's going on through the
local councils.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We've been kept up with it through our own processes.
Right as you're where. We sailed a couple of public
meetings mid to the end of July there as not
to tell anyone how to do it, but as informative
to the option, and we brought out some options in
that's when things like local boards and cats and boards
(02:05):
were mooted. The disappointment in some of that is the
lack of engagement, especially within the city, of any of
that process. The meeting we had in Cargo, no city
councilors by the turn up to it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Was it organized with the council.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, it was organized with the council. It was organized
to be in Cargo so they could be there. It
was organized around so it wasn't going to class with
other events. And yeah, i'd suggest there was four in
the room from Cargo and the couple them with.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
A reporters, Tom Campbell and Grant Dermody. They've been pretty
vocal around all this amalgamation with the one Southland model.
What happened. They're just miscommunication perhaps.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Either miscommunication or that they're just going to think they
can do it their way anyway. But it just highlights
the fact that if you don't want, if you want
one self from that find but that's how you're going
to get treaded by the city.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
So straight away, just looking between the lines, you guys
are frustrated, but there's got to be fractions before we start.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And looks a bit that way. They've had plenty of
chance to chance to engage. Yes, they have engaged with
environments South and but yeah, that that engagement process, I
think you had the joy of sitting through it as well. Uh,
that was like sending an arsness to to help fire,
we're to put out fire.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
That's one might have putting on a suppose CD. Hey,
look as far as environments South and then this whole process,
they've got their point of view around it the dialogue
you've had recently, what's there being or with the.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Environment south and sorry, yes, yeah, I know. We're always
kept in good dialogue with with environments, which she's a
good dialogue is probably not the word, but always very
engaged with environments often. Yeah, they tend to test us
every now and then.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
They so robust dialogue would be a better understanding.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Then that would be the worst.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, well, okay, what about all the council South and
District Council, Gorgeousray Council in Viicago City Council environments Southland.
Surely you guys have been kept in the loop because
that's a concern for a lot of people. With the
one Southland model is engaging rural and sticking it in
with them.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
The cargo exactly, and it improves with the Gord District
Council engaged well with the survey it and it showed
survey the diction that one to go. Unfortunately, for some
reason they voted on it and that was fine, and
then they put another proposal through which basically made how
they voted a point. And I just can't understand that
(04:33):
people and the council. You've got to realize you're representing
your rate pace, You're not representing yourself.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Would you say these samples create a good sample size,
so considering a feedback they get from them is pretty limited.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yet for yanitary models, for all the studies we did
totally it feed fits the mold. Good to have too,
and maybe in time take that two into one. But
when Auckland went to super City, it was a disaster.
If they had a stage that they would have got
a lot better.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
It was interesting when a few councils up north were
pretty open and vocals saying, we're not doing anything. We'll
wait for the government to come back to us and
give us us some directions. What do you make of that?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, there was a lot of a lot of that.
There was a lot of the ones that did have
a direction kind of left a few poor curtains out
beside them. So it didn't actually work that well. So
it needed it needed a really big look into it.
And that's lucky enough. In South and here we've got
(05:37):
this local government commission process already that's been going on
for a long time and let's just hope that someone
that can get finished and some of those recommendations can
go through before they said, start process gets fully decided.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Let's be honest about this whole situation. Are we pissing
into the whims trying to get everybody on the same
page to get an outcome?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, that would be applied. Putting it probably if it
does go to a referendum vote, it's never going to
get voted on anyway. It was proved last time they
tried to amalgamate, so it could be one of the
reasons are going about it the way they are.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
One other thing as well. A big topic this week
was the National Party now Federated Farmers. You are apolitical,
but at the same time with the with the rural lens.
I supposed the ability in the governments what it is,
what is required given they've been pretty farmer friendly.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
A political is probably where it says we're not involved
in that political stuff. We follow it closely, but yes,
we don't favor anyone.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
You follow it closely. That's called covering your basis. I suppose.
I mean, yeah, you got to I mean blocks of Pede.
Do you get him, actually, Peter McDonald, Labor candidate for Southland,
Do you talk to Peter march?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I haven't spoken to Peter for a month or so,
but they run into him at the other event. Yeah
you can as you have a good chat about things.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Yeah, it's a good rapport going on between yourself and him.
I say we did have a change of government.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I yeah, we would probably be having quite a few
discussions if we were too. But yeah, I do think
what's happened with the National Party has been a storm
in a teacup. What happened in the last two days.
And it was proved yesterday that that was the case.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Crystal, and thanks for your time as always, Thank you Andy,
Crystal and a federated Farmers not sugar Cody get there.
Let's how you'd expect it was CD. Dave Stevens is
up next to the beef and lambslot talking feeding multiple
US
Welcome back to the Muster, Texas there with I don't
want a lover, I just need a friend. Well, a
lot of people wanting friends at the moment. When it
comes to local body politics, of course, local government reform
is the topic that has been hot for the past
couple of weeks. There's all these councils around the country
try to get everything dotted and crossed in the line
(00:31):
so they can make a better sense on these local
body reforms that have basically been forced upon them over
the past couple of months. It's Christillan as president of
South con Federated Farmers and joins us once again to
talk about this and other matters. Good afternoon, Chris. Local
government reform. How have you found the process, I'd say frustrating.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Ah, yes, it's been a little bit frustrating by the
two processes. Obviously, there's Local Government Commission that they're still
going around right through this week and into next week
consulting with communities. But yeah, the head art process has
been very frustrating. There's been a lot of councilors that
have engaged in it and listened, and there's a lot
(01:14):
that have really really shown their shown their hand on
what they think to community representation.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
This just comes across as egos at play. Is that
what you're insinuating.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Well, it might have been the government given them a
chance for some of them to do that. That's there's
some people that have been very engaged in the process
and some that have not have had real disregard for it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
So Federated Farmers, though, have you been kept in the
up to date as to what's going on through the
local councils.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We've been kept up with it through our own processes.
Right as you're where. We sailed a couple of public
meetings mid to the end of July there as not
to tell anyone how to do it, but as informative
to the option, and we brought out some options in
that's when things like local boards and cats and boards
(02:05):
were mooted. The disappointment in some of that is the
lack of engagement, especially within the city, of any of
that process. The meeting we had in Cargo, no city
councilors by the turn up to it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Was it organized with the council.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, it was organized with the council. It was organized
to be in Cargo so they could be there. It
was organized around so it wasn't going to class with
other events. And yeah, i'd suggest there was four in
the room from Cargo and the couple them with.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
A reporters, Tom Campbell and Grant Dermody. They've been pretty
vocal around all this amalgamation with the one Southland model.
What happened. They're just miscommunication perhaps.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Either miscommunication or that they're just going to think they
can do it their way anyway. But it just highlights
the fact that if you don't want, if you want
one self from that find but that's how you're going
to get treaded by the city.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
So straight away, just looking between the lines, you guys
are frustrated, but there's got to be fractions before we start.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And looks a bit that way. They've had plenty of
chance to chance to engage. Yes, they have engaged with
environments South and but yeah, that that engagement process, I
think you had the joy of sitting through it as well. Uh,
that was like sending an arsness to to help fire,
we're to put out fire.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
That's one might have putting on a suppose CD. Hey,
look as far as environments South and then this whole process,
they've got their point of view around it the dialogue
you've had recently, what's there being or with the.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Environment south and sorry, yes, yeah, I know. We're always
kept in good dialogue with with environments, which she's a
good dialogue is probably not the word, but always very
engaged with environments often. Yeah, they tend to test us
every now and then.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
They so robust dialogue would be a better understanding.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Then that would be the worst.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Yeah, well, okay, what about all the council South and
District Council, Gorgeousray Council in Viicago City Council environments Southland.
Surely you guys have been kept in the loop because
that's a concern for a lot of people. With the
one Southland model is engaging rural and sticking it in
with them.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
The cargo exactly, and it improves with the Gord District
Council engaged well with the survey it and it showed
survey the diction that one to go. Unfortunately, for some
reason they voted on it and that was fine, and
then they put another proposal through which basically made how
they voted a point. And I just can't understand that
(04:33):
people and the council. You've got to realize you're representing
your rate pace, You're not representing yourself.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Would you say these samples create a good sample size,
so considering a feedback they get from them is pretty limited.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yet for yanitary models, for all the studies we did
totally it feed fits the mold. Good to have too,
and maybe in time take that two into one. But
when Auckland went to super City, it was a disaster.
If they had a stage that they would have got
a lot better.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
It was interesting when a few councils up north were
pretty open and vocals saying, we're not doing anything. We'll
wait for the government to come back to us and
give us us some directions. What do you make of that?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, there was a lot of a lot of that.
There was a lot of the ones that did have
a direction kind of left a few poor curtains out
beside them. So it didn't actually work that well. So
it needed it needed a really big look into it.
And that's lucky enough. In South and here we've got
(05:37):
this local government commission process already that's been going on
for a long time and let's just hope that someone
that can get finished and some of those recommendations can
go through before they said, start process gets fully decided.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Let's be honest about this whole situation. Are we pissing
into the whims trying to get everybody on the same
page to get an outcome?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, that would be applied. Putting it probably if it
does go to a referendum vote, it's never going to
get voted on anyway. It was proved last time they
tried to amalgamate, so it could be one of the
reasons are going about it the way they are.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
One other thing as well. A big topic this week
was the National Party now Federated Farmers. You are apolitical,
but at the same time with the with the rural lens.
I supposed the ability in the governments what it is,
what is required given they've been pretty farmer friendly.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
A political is probably where it says we're not involved
in that political stuff. We follow it closely, but yes,
we don't favor anyone.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
You follow it closely. That's called covering your basis. I suppose.
I mean, yeah, you got to I mean blocks of Pede.
Do you get him, actually, Peter McDonald, Labor candidate for Southland,
Do you talk to Peter march?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I haven't spoken to Peter for a month or so,
but they run into him at the other event. Yeah
you can as you have a good chat about things.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Yeah, it's a good rapport going on between yourself and him.
I say we did have a change of government.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I yeah, we would probably be having quite a few
discussions if we were too. But yeah, I do think
what's happened with the National Party has been a storm
in a teacup. What happened in the last two days.
And it was proved yesterday that that was the case.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Crystal, and thanks for your time as always, Thank you Andy,
Crystal and a federated Farmers not sugar Cody get there.
Let's how you'd expect it was CD. Dave Stevens is
up next to the beef and lambslot talking feeding multiple
US
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