Local democracy swept aside
If amalgamation weakened accountability and drove costs up in 1989, is there any reason to believe that even more heavy-handed mergers can deliver the opposite...
Author : LG magazine
Lessons from setting up a new water entity
Creating a new organisation is not the finish line; it’s the foundation on which long-term success depends, writes Jaron Shaw, Establishment Programme Director for Waikato...
And the early winners are…
Each potential coalition of councils has essentially had to outsource the work around amalgamation to a consultancy because of a lack of internal capacity and capability, write...
Making balance sheets work harder
Councils must balance market risk with liquidity, inflation and concentration risk, writes Brett Moffat, Senior Consultant, Russell Investments. Brett is giving a talk at the...
Democracy or autocracy?
As the Government mulls over the proposals for how councils propose to reorganise themselves under the Head Start pathway of Simplifying Local Government, we must...
Far North’s award-winning spatial plan
Image: The Nancy Northcroft Planning Practice Award winning team: Jaimee Cannon (second from left) and Jane Rennie (Boffa Miskell), Felicity Foy, Azman Reuben and Tammy...
A red card system for councils?
I hope you enjoyed the FIFA World Cup 2026 as much as I did. It is amazing how exciting, dramatic and emotional it can be watching...
The three f’s of amalgamation
After several false starts, it seems as though the Wellington region’s local governments are to amalgamate. What form this takes is still uncertain, but it...
All the reform, everywhere, all at once
If local government feels overwhelmed at the moment, that is because almost every lever that shapes the sector is being pulled at once, writes Gwynn...
Reform agenda: the right starting point
Success is a system where local government is a genuine partner in national development. Resourced, empowered and expected to lead, writes Nick Leggett, the Chief...