Review Of Local Government Sector Proposed
The proposal is part of a remit submitted by Tauranga City Council, with support from other metropolitan mayors, and is focused on increasing efficiencies across the local government sector and reducing costs for ratepayers.
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says that since taking office in August last year, it's become clear that structural inefficiencies exist across the local government sector and with some key central government legislation changes now underway, it's timely that thought be given to how we can do things better.
'In my view, we need a local government system which delivers services and infrastructure more efficiently and effectively, while maintaining democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of communities,' says Mahé.
'There are currently 78 territorial authorities in New Zealand, many of which are in close proximity, that duplicate the infrastructure, people and equipment needed to provide essential services.'
Mahé says this is an important issue for local government.
'As the sector responds to the current central government policy and legislation reforms, we need to be proactive and lead the change required.
'I believe it's opportune for LGNZ to work with central government and councils to examine whether our current model is fit-for-purpose now, and for the foreseeable future.
'Local decision-making and community identity remains key, but we need to look at ways to enhance efficiencies by capturing economies of scale and, ultimately, save our ratepayers money.
'It's very clear to me that we need change. We need to embrace it, stop talking and start acting for the benefit of our people.'
Mahé says while this work is not currently part of LGNZ's work programme, engaging with local councils and central government will be essential to making progress with such a review.
What is a remit?
Remits are positions or policies put to a vote by LGNZ's member councils at its AGM, to be prioritised in its future work programme. Any remit needs the support of either an LGNZ zone, sector or any five councils. LGNZ reviews all proposed remits to ensure they meet the required criteria.
In today's Tauranga City Council meeting, the Mayor and Councillors voted in support of all remits being put forward to the LGNZ 2025 AGM, to be held on Wednesday at Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Scoop
Funding Awarded To Six Local Waste-Reduction And Sustainability Initiatives
Press Release – Tauranga City Council The annual fund is sourced from the Waste Levy, provided to councils by the Ministry for the Environment for waste minimisation education, and does not impose additional costs on general rates. Tauranga City Council is pleased to announce six recipients of this year's Resource Wise® Community Fund. A total of $122,000 has been awarded to the six innovative projects aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability in Tauranga. The annual fund is sourced from the Waste Levy, provided to councils by the Ministry for the Environment for waste minimisation education, and does not impose additional costs on general rates. Tauranga City Councillor Glen Crowther says he is excited to see the list of recipients, which includes several community organisations and businesses that have made significant contributions to our city over many years. 'I know all the organisations that have been successful and can verify they're doing some fantastic work to reduce waste and promote a more sustainable, circular economy. It's great to see central government's waste levy being used to support these exciting local projects at no cost to our ratepayers.' Tauranga City Council's Manager of Sustainability and Waste Dan Smith says this year saw the highest number of community fund applications ever received, reflecting Tauranga's growing commitment to waste minimisation. 'We had 13 applications this year, which represents the innovative spirit of the Tauranga community in addressing waste and sustainability challenges.' The fund is designed to support local initiatives that align with Council's Waste Management Minimisation Plan 2022–2028, continuing the city's commitment to reducing material consumption, promote reuse and repair, prevent food waste, and transition towards a circular economy. This year, a diverse range of community groups, businesses, and organisations have been awarded funding to implement projects that will make a difference in our community, including: Green Bottle: A pilot programme aimed at reducing carbon emissions through the collection and reuse of NZ-made wine bottles from participating hospitality outlets. By simply washing and reusing bottles versus standard recycling of single-use bottles businesses can save up to 95% of carbon emissions. Working in close partnership with Tauranga's bars and restaurants, Green Bottle hopes to show how small changes in how we collect waste can make a big difference to our environment while also saving businesses money and creating new local jobs. Turning point: Community based organisation Turning Point will trial a new garment and textile shredder to divert large volumes of textile waste from landfill, while at the same time supporting local schools, sewing educators, sustainability champions, and social enterprises focused on reuse and circular practices. Circularity: The Circular Economy Precinct project created by Circularity will support local businesses, schools, rest homes, and community organisations in Tauranga to collaboratively reduce food and its associated packaging waste. Resource Wise Community Fund 2025 recipients:
1News
16 hours ago
- 1News
Tauranga paid parking would ‘kill all the businesses', meeting hears
Tauranga businesses have slated paid parking around the CBD, with one restaurant owner saying it would "kill all the businesses". The comments were made at a Downtown Tauranga meeting where businesses shared their concerns about parking with Tauranga City Council. About 25 CBD businesses attended Thursday night's meeting alongside council staff and councillors Rod Taylor, Glen Crowther and Kevin Schuler. Parking in the city has been a long-standing issue, with free parking trialled in the past. Paid on-street parking was meant to begin on August 4 in the city centre fringe between the eastern end of 4th Ave and Park St, north of the CBD. ADVERTISEMENT Fees would be $1 an hour for the first two hours and $2 for every hour after until 5pm, to a maximum of $10 on weekdays. New two-hour parking limits would also apply to some CBD-fringe streets as far south as 8th Ave. Council parking strategy manager Reece Wilkinson told the meeting paid fringe parking would be delayed a "week or two". This was while the council looked at options for permits that would exempt residents in the fringe streets from parking charges, he said. At a council meeting on July 14, councillors opted not to approve the staff recommendation of resident permits after a split vote and asked staff for more options. Around 25 businesses met to discuss their parking woes with Tauranga City Council staff and councillors (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Business owners close to 'walking away' ADVERTISEMENT At Thursday's meeting, Satori Sushi and Sake Bar owner Lisa Wilson said after 13 years in downtown Mount Maunganui, she moved the restaurant to Tauranga two years ago and it had been a "struggle". Two weeks after Wilson moved to The Strand, the nearby carpark was closed to be transformed into a green space, she said. At least twice a week the restaurant would have no-shows because people couldn't find a convenient park, Wilson said. She wanted two hours' free parking for city centre shoppers and diners to entice people back to the city. A lot of their older customers didn't want to walk from the parking buildings because they were too far away, Wilson said. "I want them to be able to park right in the street and come into our businesses and not have to worry about moving their cars." Wilson said she understood the council needed parking revenue, but it was going to "kill all the businesses". ADVERTISEMENT They had been in business for 15 years and she was "this close to just closing the doors and walking away," she said. The Collection gallery and gift shop owner Margaret Crowley said she had been in the CBD for 11 years. The city used to be very busy but when paid parking came in the Mount Mainstreet got very busy and the city got quiet, she said. She wanted equity and fairness across the shopping areas and suggested the downtown Mount, Greerton and city all have paid parking but at cheaper rates than the current CBD rates. "So that we all bear the burden rather than the CBD, which is struggling the most, [and] which is [also] suffering a rebuild." Construction of the $306 million civic precinct Te Manawataki o Te Papa was under way and many other developments were being built. Councillor Glen Crowther said there were strong issues and feelings across Tauranga about parking. ADVERTISEMENT People from Greerton, the Mount and Pāpāmoa would not support paid parking in their areas, he said. There were tricky conversations to be had about equity, Crowther said. It was also "quite complex" because the council needed to raise $46m from parking for the civic precinct, he said. Crowley said if more people knew that, the parking charges might be more "palatable". Wanderlust NZ accommodation owner Sarah Meadows said Tauranga businesses shouldn't have to carry the burden of funding the precinct. They could take up to 110 guests but currently had nine, which was the worst it had ever been, she said. Other businesses wanted the parking to be free after 3pm as it had been previously and a better bus service with buses that ran later was also suggested. ADVERTISEMENT Taylor said "I feel your pain", because he had businesses in the city, so his workers had the same issues. The August 4 parking price changes were designed to increase parking turnover so customers could park outside businesses, he said. Wilkinson said the council was happy to look at data from other cities that had two hours' free parking. The buses were run by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, so he encouraged people to speak to them about their ideas. Speaking after the meeting, Liam Jackson – who lives in the CBD and manages a bar – said the delay of paid parking showed the council was listening. "It's really positive. They've [the council] realised that there are concerns from residents and businesses." Earlier this week, he told Local Democracy Reporting he wanted the charges paused until resident permits were sorted. ADVERTISEMENT Downtown Tauranga manager Genevieve Whitson said the council showed a "great willingness" to listen to the challenges businesses faced and agreed there were lessons from the meeting that need to be pursued with urgency. There were merits to bringing back free parking after 3pm, she said. Wilkinson said the councillors would consider a permit solution at the council meeting on August 5. The council would update the community after the meeting once there was clarity on when paid fringe parking would start and on any permits, he said. The off-street pricing changes and new time-restricted areas would still begin on August 4. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Scoop
Public Water, Private Profits? Tauranga Vote On Waters Done Well Raises Alarm Bells Over Secrecy, Power, & Past Agendas
Tauranga, NZ - 3 August 2025 This Tuesday, Tauranga City Council will vote on whether to opt into the Government's new "Waters Done Well" water services reform framework, a deceptively simple decision with massive consequences for local democracy, public ownership, and the future cost of living for every Tauranga resident. While officials are pushing the proposal as a "streamlining" of services, watchdogs and local advocates say it's anything but. 'This isn't just pipes and pumps, this is about whether public control of water remains public at all,' said Erika Harvey, spokesperson for Lobby for Good. 'We've seen this play before, dress up centralisation as 'efficiency,' then open the door to corporate control behind closed doors.' A Legacy of Sell-Offs - Are We Repeating the Past? Todd McClay, Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, has denied any intent to privatise water. But scrutiny is growing over his links to one of New Zealand's most notorious sell-offs, the 1990s electricity sector privatisations overseen by his father, Roger McClay, under the National government. 'Let's not forget what happened when electricity was deregulated and handed to the market: prices soared, and public power was lost, literally and politically,' Harvey said. 'Now his son is overseeing a framework that removes water from councils, centralises decision-making, and could make it far easier to privatise later.' What's at Stake in Tuesday's Vote? Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council will vote on whether to opt in to the Government's new 'Waters Done Well' framework, a decision that will lock in the future of local water services for decades. This vote isn't just procedural. It decides whether our local drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure remains accountable to the communities who use and pay for it, or whether it's handed over to a new centralised entity with limited public oversight. Councils hand over key water assets to new centralised "service delivery organisations". Local accountability is diluted, with communities having little say over how water is managed Once transferred, these assets could be harder to return to public control Governance structures are vague, with key decisions potentially made by political appointees or private advisers Cr. Crowther's Warning: 'A Trojan Horse for Corporatisation' In a must-read Substack post this week, Councillor Glen Crowther called the proposal what it really is: "a Trojan Horse for corporatisation." He outlines how the new entities will operate more like commercial utilities than community services, despite still being technically owned by councils. Cr. Crowther also questions why the Government is rushing councils to opt-in without clear public consultation, funding guarantees, or transparent rules for asset control. His analysis echoes concerns already raised around the Marine Precinct, Durham Street, and other high-value local asset deals: the public is being shut out of decisions that will shape the city for generations. The Big Questions Tauranga Deserves Answers To As councillors prepare to cast their votes, Lobby for Good is demanding they publicly address: Why is this being rushed with so little public scrutiny? What protections will exist to stop privatisation by stealth in the future? Why are ratepayers being asked to give up control without guarantees on price, quality, or transparency? How will this governance structure avoid the same failings seen in past council-controlled organisations (CCOs)? And most importantly: who stands to profit, and who stands to lose? If this is the wrong decision, who is held accountable? 'This vote isn't just about water, it's about whether Tauranga is governed for the public good or private gain,' said Harvey. 'Once control is lost, it's near impossible to get back. We've learned that lesson the hard way. The question now is; will our council learn from it, or repeat it?' Call to Action Lobby for Good is urging Tauranga residents to contact their elected members, speak up before Tuesday's vote, and demand full transparency and public consultation before any irreversible decisions are made.
