Sharing the pain
Reports from Australia indicate the local government sector has reached a crossroads, where federal and state funding no longer covers the extra services and responsibilities...
Category : Local Democracy
They just don’t care
Local Government in our new Aotearoa is only ‘local democracy’ in theory and not in reality, reflected in the small percentage of eligible voters who...
Trapped within their bubbles
Peter Dunne writes: “The great Scottish poet Robbie Burns’ famous quote, ‘O wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see...
We offer practical knowledge to policymakers
Voting in the local body elections is in progress and we are already turning our attention to the national elections next year, with the three-year...
More transparency please
Image: The Tauranga City Council administration building. The Office of the Auditor-General says requests to inquire into spending decisions made by Tauranga City Council in...
Local Government in crisis
As we stare down another election this month, Paula Southgate warns that constant criticism and bad behaviour are undermining local government. Councils are under siege...
The case for a smaller government executive
Based on a speech David Seymour gave to the Tauranga Business Chamber last month where he floated an idea about how we could transform government...
Open letter to Minister Bishop
By Bernie Wanden, Horowhenua District Council Mayor. Last month (January 2025) I wrote a letter to newly-appointed Transport Minister Chris Bishop, congratulating him on his...
Local elections – let’s celebrate the positive
By Jean Drage. Reflecting on my contribution to LG magazine following the 2022 Local Elections, I am struck by my bleak analysis of the low...
How WLG City Council got captured by vested interests
By Bryce Edwards, Political Analyst in Residence, Director of the Democracy Project, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington. Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz). Wellington City has...