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. ...
Category : Guest editorial
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...
DEMOCRACY & FREE SPEECH – two sides of the same coin
By Jonathan Ayling, chief executive, Free Speech Union. Democracy and free speech are two sides of the same coin. It is hard to imagine a...
Three waters reform is far from inevitable
By Louis Houlbrooke, Campaigns manager, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. This summer [2021-2022], holidaying politicians, public servants, and local councillors were faced with the stark depth...
Case for a stronger central/local government relationship
By Dr Jean Drage. The three waters debate is the latest in the ongoing friction that continues to play out between the two levels of...
Time for a change
Christopher Luxton, Local Government spokesperson, National Party. There is no doubt that it is a challenging time for local government across New Zealand. While some...
Fixing local government: get the basics right
By Monique Poirier, campaigns manager, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance. The case for local government boils down to the belief that a local community has a better...