An urgent meeting hosted by the Waimate District Council recently was well-attended and saw a range of views put forward. I wanted to attend this meeting but was required to be in Wellington for commitments in Parliament.
New Zealand’s local government system is too complex, too costly and too hard to navigate.
The government is giving councils a three-month window to put forward proposals to simplify and strengthen local government in their regions.
We currently have 78 city and district, regional and unitary councils across the country — a high number for a country of our size.
I note from the Waimate meeting an attendee raising the point that doing business across various districts was incredibly frustrating. This is a problem I have heard about regularly, and it is at the heart of why central government is pushing for reform.
The government is not set on any particular model, and I recognise the importance of good representation for our communities and protection of ratepayers’ assets.
Councils shape the places we live and the services we rely on. But too often, the system is tangled in duplication, disagreements and decisions that defy common sense.
Councils are critical to delivering the new planning system, which will pass into law this year, enabling housing growth and supporting infrastructure investment.
We gave careful thought to sequencing this work after resource management reform, but the benefits of doing it now are too large to ignore.
These reforms are tightly linked. Fixing the planning system while leaving local government untouched would just lock in the same problems. We’re not prepared to do that. It makes far more sense to tackle both together so councils can plan once, adapt once, and get on with delivering.
A simpler, more efficient local government system will make it easier to deliver those priorities.
In November last year, ministers put forward a proposal to simplify local government by reducing duplication, improving accountability and making it easier for councils to deliver for their communities. The proposal would remove the elected regional councillors and require councils to work together on region-wide plans to simplify structures, cut duplication and deliver services more efficiently.
We’ve now completed consultation on that proposal, which received more than 1100 submissions from councils, sector groups, iwi and the public.
What we heard was consistent. There’s strong support for change, but many councils want more flexibility to get on with reform in a way that works for their region.
Several mayors have told us they’re ready to move now, with clear ideas about what should change and how to do it.
We’re giving them the opportunity to get on with it through a "head start" pathway.
But that opportunity won’t sit open forever. If councils don’t step up and put forward credible proposals, the government will step in and make those decisions.
Proposals should focus on creating larger, more efficient unitary authorities that streamline functions, reduce duplication and improve decision-making.
The aim is to ensure every part of the country benefits from a simpler, more effective local government system, whether councils choose to lead reform themselves or not.
• Miles Anderson is the MP for Waitaki and can be contacted at his Oamaru office on (03) 474-7325 or at waitaki.mp@parliament.govt.nz. Follow him on Facebook at Miles Anderson for Waitaki | Facebook
