A ratepayers lobby group supports a claim that regional councils are running scared from the Government.
It is a fortnight since the Government sacked all 14 elected members of the Canterbury Regional Council and replaced them with Commissioners.
Massey University ecologist Mike Joy has told Radio New Zealand other regional councils now fear being sacked if they display an anti-farming or anti-development view.
Ratepayers lobby group Council Watch agrees, saying regional councils fear a push towards a super-city model is inevitable.
It says councils are following the Canterbury case and are concerned about how their conduct might be judged.
