It was a case of preaching to the converted at a meeting organised by A Better Hawke's Bay in Waipukurau last night.
It was the first of a series of meetings the pro-amalgamation lobby group is to hold in smaller centres around the region, and attracted about 48 people, there to find out more about the merger proposal.
After going through the now-familiar statistics about how Hawke's Bay is lagging behind other regions in terms of employment, residents in education and training, household income, keeping crime rates down and gross domestic product, Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule talked about why he supported integration.
"These are worrying statistics for the people in the region and its leaders and it shows me the current way of doing business up till now is not really working."
He also spoke of councils challenging each other's decision making, to the detriment of the region as a whole.
"We bid against Napier for the Kiwibank call centre to come to Hastings without any knowledge we were in the same boardroom within two hours of each other - it doesn't matter where they go, we just need those jobs in the region."
In terms of Central Hawke's Bay, he said the district could "have its cake and eat it too" if amalgamation went ahead.
"If the dam was not under way, Napier and Hastings would not have spent five seconds talking about CHB or Wairoa - we have no cause to at present because we have no jurisdiction over these areas - but if you have two councillors from CHB there, you will have your say."
Former CHB District councillors and long-time Central Hawke's Bay residents, Di Petersen and David Tennent, were also on the speaking panel.
Mrs Petersen talked about how past council, health and sporting amalgamations in the district had seen progress and no loss of services or representation.
"If you vote no, the alternative may be a forced merger of Napier and Hastings - where does that leave us - alongside Tararua that has no commonality?"
Mr Tennent said he supported amalgamation because it would provide a united approach for the future growth of the region.
With a declining and aging population, a large roading network, and the likes of five different sewerage systems to run and maintain, he questioned the ability of the local CHB population to fund the existing services.
He also suggested savings could be made through a reduction in council management overheads. "The Central Hawke's Bay District Council's staff costs have increased by 10 per cent to $3.4 million in the past four years, that's $70,000 an employee, 10 per cent higher than comparable employees in Hastings and Napier.
"At present, unnecessary duplication, over-administration and governance, and parochial politics are holding the region back from its potential."
Local businessman Bruce Turfrey, also on the speaking panel, said it was common sense to merge, the vast differences in consent requirements between councils to install a simple fireplace just one example of the current system's flaws.
He also took the opportunity to lambast the CHB District Council, accusing it of "selling off the silverware" over the collapse of council-owned infrastructure company Infracon, and setting itself up for big costs in the future with its $6 million sewerage system with "two floating wetlands that are not working".
He also claimed that most of the decisions were made by the mayor "and the councillors are going there to eat their lunch".
The next meetings are due to be held at Mahia and Frasertown on Sunday, August 9, and another meeting in Central Hawke's Bay is being planned in the next week or so.