Independent review to explore future for local government

See also

Department of Internal Affairs

Te Arotake i te Anamata mō Ngā Kaunihera Review into the Future for Local Government

Purpose and scope

The traditional roles and functions of local government are in the process of changing. The work programmes the Government is advancing to overhaul the three waters sector and the resource management system are foremost among a suite of reform programmes that will reshape our system of local government. The sector, led by Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and Taituarā - Local Government Professionals Aotearoa, is calling for a programme of work to ‘reimagine the role and function of local government’, in order to build a sustainable system that delivers enhanced wellbeing outcomes for our communities.

The overall purpose of the Review is, as a result of the cumulative changes being progressed as part of the Government’s reform agenda, to identify how our system of local democracy and governance needs to evolve over the next 30 years, to improve the wellbeing of New Zealand communities and the environment, and actively embody the Treaty partnership.

The Minister is seeking recommendations from the Review that look to achieve:

• a resilient and sustainable local government system that is fit for purpose and has the flexibility and incentives to adapt to the future needs of local communities;
• public trust/confidence in local authorities and the local regulatory system that leads to strong leadership;
• effective partnerships between mana whenua, and central and local government in order to better provide for the social, environmental, cultural, and economic wellbeing of communities; and
• a local government system that actively embodies the Treaty partnership, through the role and representation of iwi/Māori in local government, and seeks to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) and its principles through its functions and processes. ...

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