A comprehensive review of local government announced yesterday comes as the sector confronts having a diminished role amid water and resource management reforms, as well as facing ongoing financial and structural challenges.
Mr Hawkins said the review announced by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta provided a chance to push back.
"The minister said previously her intention was to free us up to lean into our role supporting social wellbeing in our communities," Mr Hawkins said.
"What that looks like has never been articulated."
He hoped the review would result in a clearly articulated purpose for local government.
Ms Mahuta said reform of water, wastewater and stormwater and of resource management were among the drivers for a review, but bigger questions needed to be answered about "what local government does and how it does it".
The sweeping review would look into roles, functions, partnerships, representation, governance, funding and finance.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he hoped the review would result in a true partnership between central and local government.
That should go beyond essentially serving as a contractor and it was important to sustain local democracy, he said.
Otago regional councillor Michael Laws said reform of local government was overdue.
New Zealand’s talent base was not sufficient to fill all the chief executive and senior management roles for councils, he said.
Three tiers of government — central, regional and local — was excessive, he said.
Mr Laws said problems included a silo mentality and lack of benchmarking.
Governments tended to be prescriptive in an effort to plug holes.
"Central government doesn’t trust local government to do the job," Mr Laws said.
"Local government confirms those prejudices almost on a weekly basis."
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said local government operated on a pittance, compared with central government, but had to deliver wide services.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said local government would be much different after the other reforms and the review was timely.
Otakou kaumatua Edward Ellison said the review went hand in hand with resource management reform and was optimistic relationships between local government and manawhenua could be built on.
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The present government’s timing suggests insincerity and bad faith to me. First, they pass laws to take arguably everything of significance and importance out of local government jurisdiction. Only after that, do they start talking about local democracy and local decision-making. What would those local decisions be about? It won’t be city planning, land use, water infrastructure and ownership, health, education, transport, climate change adaptation. What’s left? The only significant matter that this coming ‘local government debate’ is likely to address is local government funding, something which is increasingly not about running a city but instead paying for the execution of central government policy. You may think a citizen poll tax fairer than property taxes ( rates) but keep in mind that the UK went for both. Any hope that, in future, more money/funding will flow to the regions from central government IMO is bound to be dashed. I expect the opposite - increasing taxation without representation.
You expect duplicity. Forecasting is speculation.