One of the arguments that has been heard in favour of local council amalgamation is that the debt per per capita of the KCDC is the highest of all the councils in the region, and if the councils were amalgamated, the debt per capita of Kapiti people would drop to that of the average of all the councils.

The below two tables are taken from the regional reform website

While the debt per capita in Kapiti would drop — using the above figures — from $2,642 to $1,846 being the average for all citizens in the proposed “super-city” — the average for those outside Kapiti would go up, and that is simply unfair.

The people of Kapiti voted for the council that chose to waste tens of millions of dollars on stupid schemes that have resulted in this high level of indebtedness, and it is Kapiti people’s problem; it should not be transferred to others.

There are ways that the KCDC can economise to prevent an increase in rates from these past blunders, particularly by cutting down on the amounts spent on expensive bureaucrats, lawyers and consultants, and we will have more to say about that in future posts.