A couple of weeks ago I wrote my Central App column about the discussion could the boards and the community are just starting out on about districtisation. 

If you missed it, simply put - this is putting the question as to whether we, as a district, should continue to have around 18 cents of every rates dollar spent at a ward level or whether all costs should be equalised across the district, the same as is currently in place for a lot of our functions such as three waters and roading. 

There are clear benefits to full districtisation, but there are consequences as well and toward the end of that column I wrote that completing districtisation would mean the Boards lose their say in how rates (bar ward community and promotional grants) are spent as being one of those consequences. 

I am going to use this week’s column to expand that thinking.

Firstly, can I say that I think as an organisation we have fallen into habits that have meant we have not utilised the benefits a ward structure gives us to our best advantage, and given I’ve been Mayor for over seven years now, I have to put my hand up for some of that. 

The clearest issue I see is that we have fallen into habits of staying in our lanes, with boards dealing with ward issues and council dealing with district issues. 

There is a crossover missing whereby council is not hearing the voice of the boards as clearly as it could on issues that are ward-based, but aren’t within the board delegations. 

By way of example, in 2017, council determined to allow more hangars to be built at the Cromwell aerodrome. 

That decision was entirely councils to make, but what we didn’t do and what we should have done, was get the input of the board in front of council before the decision was made. 

We have now brought in that any decision of council that is ward specific will have the view of the board put in front of council before the decision is made. 

That allows another four sets of ears that are in the community that is being affected by the decision to hear that communities' views and for those views to be fed up to council, which can only be a good thing in my view.

In addition, we have also brought in a report every council meeting from a community board chair where they can tell the councillors anything that they think we need to hear, be that council business, board business or just the vibe off the street. 

It will be on a rotate meaning every board has a turn every four months, but there is an open invitation should something come up that can’t wait for a turn at the table for us to hear from two or more board chairs at a meeting.

These changes are already in place and we are discussing with the boards at present what other ways we can ensure the voice of the community through our boards can be better heard around the council table. 

I am an absolute advocate of the boards within the local government structure in Central Otago; our communities are too geographically spread out for councillors to have as good a grip on what the feeling is in wards other than their own, and the boards are best placed to fill that gap. 

The opportunity for that role to be enhanced, whether full districtisation happens or not, is a great one to explore.