On the subject of reform
It’s clear that local government has reached a turning point. Reform is no longer theoretical, it’s happening, and in many respects it’s long overdue, writes...
Category : Local government reform
A logical district merger
Image: Diagram of possible Unitary Authority boundary. Bill Foster, Chair of the Northern Action Group, explains the reasoning behind merging the Kaipara District with North...
Regional Governance – asking the right questions
By Dr Deon Swiggs Chair, Environment Canterbury & LGNZ Regional Sector. Regional governance is the capability to plan, fund, and deliver decisions and services that...
Realities of water reform
Will the water reforms fix council metrics, or simply shift the pressure, asks David Hammond, the Head of Consulting and Public Sectors at Tribe Executive....
Government knows best
Regional councils have worked for almost four decades, but now the Government, in its second year of office, has decided, “local government has lost the...
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...
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...
Right to know – withholding information
Image: Birmingham City Council House. In our local government system, local authorities are served by two separate yet equally important groups: the elected councillors who...
The central-local government conflict a colonial legacy
Image: Julius Vogel After decades of the central government dictating to local councils under the 1989 and 2002 Local Government Acts, local authorities have danced...