Whipping up interest in the 2022 elections
By Dr Jean Drage, local government sector expert. Time is running out for councils to finalise their approach to this year’s local elections on 8...
Category : Local Democracy
Is the ballot box calling you?
By Linda O’Reilly, Special Counsel, Tompkins Wake. If you are reading this … it is a fair assumption that you have an interest in local...
Freedom camping problem unsolved
By Linda O’Reilly, Tompkins Wake. Since the Freedom Camping Act 2011 came into law, numerous local authorities have tried and failed to introduce fully satisfactory...
A quiz for council prospects
Welcome to election year [2022] and here’s a quiz for anyone thinking of standing. By Elizabeth Hughes. It really doesn’t seem that long ago that...
NEEDED – more time for a more comprehensive approach
By Linda O’Reilly, special council, Tompkins Wake. I have just taken two months off from local government, but local government itself has had no time...
So, what do you actually do all day?
By Elizabeth Hughes. You do media releases – right? You write the mayor’s [chair’s] speeches – right? You put adverts in the paper for shut...
The public knowledge gap
By Elizabeth Hughes. There are millions of ‘how to’ clips on YouTube covering everything from how to tie your shoelaces to how to make a...
Local government – from sux to skux
The Future for Local Government Initiative is an exciting opportunity that must be grasped not just by the local government sector but by all New...
Reflections on the Local Government Review Panel
By Linda O’Reilly, Partner, Brookfields. Forty-four years in and around local government in NZ is a long time, but I know many who started before...
Overdue rates relief for Maori-owned land
By Linda O’Reilly, Brookfields. The passing of the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Maori) Amendment Bill (the Bill) will come as a relief both to...