Canterbury councils are confronting the biggest potential shake-up in decades, and have just weeks to make their pitches to the Government. It’s a topic that will now be main talking point at the Canterbury Mayoral Forum’s next meeting on May 29. Forum chair, Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen, said the meeting agenda has been adjusted, “giving priority to the reform conversation”. “I am hopeful we can build some consensus on what a Canterbury proposal could look like. “There are obviously differing views across mayors and councils, however, if local government does not engage constructively in this process, there is a real risk that decisions about Canterbury’s future could ultimately be made for us from Wellington.” Canterbury has 11 councils, stretching from Kaikoura to Waitaki. With ECan to be disestablished from 2028, the other 10 councils need to suggest how they can form new unitary authorities, or risk leaving it to the Government to decide.…