We all face the same pressures and restraints
Small local councils struggle against near-impossible odds and outside criticism, writes Tania Gibson, the Grey District Mayor. As Mayor of Grey District, I’ve seen firsthand...
Category : Guest editorial
LG governance model doesn’t work
When a council needs adult supervision, something has gone seriously wrong, says Nick Clark, a senior fellow at The New Zealand Initiative. Local Government Minister...
Creating infrastructure that better serves communities
Photo: The new Pokapu Road bridge in Northland. Potholed roads, leaking pipes, and an electrical grid under strain. New Zealand’s aging infrastructure has been a...
Safer communities together
Caption: Mayor Paula Southgate with Hamilton city area Police Commander, Inspector Andrea McBeth (photo: Stuff/Waikato Times). Paula Southgate, Mayor of Hamilton. New Zealand is facing...
Urgent need to get infrastructure right
Alan Pollard, Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive, explains how and why we need a more practical approach to infrastructure. A January article on the...
Getting Auckland back in charge of transport
By Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland. Auckland’s system of planning transport is broken and is in desperate need of fixing. It’s too complex, with too...
Devolution is the next big thing
By Josie Pagani, political strategist and commentator. In a cosy basement bar in Copenhagen, my Danish friend and I were entertaining ourselves after a couple...
Where are we at with the water reform programme?
By CCNZ Chief Executive Alan Pollard. Most recently, CCNZ opposed the draft Water Services Legislation Bill, not challenging the need for reform, but challenging the...
Give us a local voice in RMA reform, too
By Mayor of Hamilton, Paula Southgate Everyone across the country, and certainly in local government, has focused extensively on the fast-moving, ever-changing arena of reform. ...
Fall-out from the 2022 elections – the grim reality
Another local election. Another bout of breast-beating over the lack of interest in standing for election and engaging in the act of voting. By Dr...