The other major issue is the whole funding structure for local government. Which is why I think the Government is taking a very narrow approach here. How on earth the Government thinks it could put a cap on annual rates increases without looking at the wider issue, I don’t know. And that wider issue is the fact that local councils are being asked to do more and more under their own steam, without any extra funding to make it happen. Example: the Government wants more tourists coming here, but what about the infrastructure needed to support that growth? The Government doesn’t pay for that. Local councils do. . . . → Read More: Article: John MacDonald: Capping council rates isn’t a solution
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“After the local body election the successful Whakatane District Council candidates will have to work together so we’re saying, ‘why wait?’ “Let’s get things started before the election and show Whakatane we can work together despite our differences.” . . . → Read More: Article: Working together despite differences 
So essentially they’ve made central government smaller, dumped a shipload of work onto ratepayer funded councils, and now they’re going to make sure councils spend ratepayers money doing the government work so said government can look good? . . . → Read More: PM Christopher Luxon open to scrapping regional councils amid RMA reform For a prime minister who is often accused of having no ideology, localism is one thing Luxon deeply believes in. “Centralism over localism doesn’t work,” he told parliament last year. He described centralisation as “a robbery of power and control from local communities.” He reiterated it in his impressively boring speech at Waitangi this year: “We, like you, believe in localism and devolution, not centralisation and control.” Localism is a belief that unites all three parties in the coalition. It’s arguably the biggest point of difference between this government and the previous Labour government, which made moves to centralise health, polytechnics, water and the public service. . . . → Read More: Christopher Luxon loves localism, until locals have the wrong opinions Many of the managerial techniques that have arrived in the public sector over the austerity years – such as results-based pay, corporate contracting, performance management or evaluation culture – have their origins in a budgetary revolution that took place in the 1960s at the US Department of Defence. In the early 1960s, Defence Secretary Robert McNamara was frustrated with being nominally in charge of budgeting but having to mediate between the seemingly arbitrary demands of military leaders for more tanks, submarines or missiles. In response, he called on the RAND Corporation, a US think tank and consultancy, to remake the Defence Department’s budgetary process to give the secretary greater capacity to plan. . . . → Read More: Despite decades of cost cutting, governments spend more than ever. How can we make sense of this? 
Māori wards and constituencies are vital to local decision-making and have many benefits for our communities. However, we have to vote in the upcoming local body elections to retain them. This two-page resource provides trustworthy information on: Why we have Māori wards and how they work The key issues now How our communities benefit from Māori wards Actions you can take to retain Māori wards . . . → Read More: Māori wards Explainer – What’s happening and what you can do 
The broken funding model that is causing ratepayer pain needs to be fixed and it’s not simply a case of closing the library or increasing tipping charges and selling the Aquatic Centre. Ratepayers need to demand better quality decisions and choices by central government. . . . → Read More: Article: The local government funding model is broken ‒ but can be fixed New Zealand’s rising rates are primarily due to increasing costs for local councils, including infrastructure upgrades, population growth, and inflation, leading to higher rates to fund essential services and meet community needs. . . . → Read More: The Real Reasons Behind New Zealand’s Rates Increases
Yet another case of Big Brother Government in Wellington telling local councils what to do with huge costs associated and no funding – yet more of the multi-million dollar rip off that Wellington bureaucrats throw at ratepayers, who they clearly see as a bottomless ATM “Councillors have been astounded by the inflexible parameters, risks to children and others’ safety, and the potential extra costs of consultation and physical safety enhancements. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport both opposed the Government’s automatic raising of speeds back to 50 km/h but the rule came into force anyway. AT already estimated publicly the road and sign changes could cost it $25m, which the Govt refused to subsidise.” . . . → Read More: Untangling the hidden costs of driving faster past schools 
Eroding the power of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — whether explicitly or implicitly through laws such as the Regulatory Standards Bill — has serious strategic, legal, and economic consequences for Aotearoa New Zealand’s trade agreements and exposure to ISDS cases. Here’s how and why: . . . → Read More: Opinion: Regulatory Standards Bill – what you need to know. Dr Mawera Karetai |
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