Influential China course for public servants overhauled
The changes come at a difficult time not just for New Zealand's relations with the Asian superpower, but also for China expertise within our country, with a new report warning of a dramatic decline in the ability of universities to teach students about the basics of Beijing.
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education politics 22 minutes ago The government has drawn a line under one of education's most contentious issues - today it announced a halt to building what everyone except for teachers call open-plan classrooms. Modern learning environments, flexible learning environments, and innovative learning environments, whatever name you give them, their day is done. The government says evidence backs the move, though surveys show most teachers who work in the buildings like them. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.
Scoop
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Councils Call For Review Of Local Government Structure
New Zealand's councils are calling for a review of the current functions and governance arrangements of local government. This comes after a remit from Tauranga City Council was passed this morning at Local Government New Zealand's (LGNZ) annual general meeting. LGNZ Chief Executive, Susan Freeman-Greene, says that local government needs to be proactive and lead the changes required. 'The current sector arrangements are a legacy, and do not always reflect how communities have expanded and how modern services are delivered. With key Government legislation changes now underway it'll require an agile and well-planned response by the sector,' says Susan Freeman-Greene. 'It's also important we retain local decision-making in the work we do and the decisions we make, particularly when it comes to the delivery of infrastructure and services for the community.' Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair, Doug Leeder says councils needs to be prepared to question their structure and functions. "The structure of local government hasn't meaningfully changed since 1989. In that time, our communities, demographics, and challenges have changed dramatically. 'We need to be brave enough to question how we deliver services and what functions sit best at which level—national, regional, or local,' says Doug Leeder. Three other remits were also passed at LGNZ's AGM, including a call for legislative changes to make the Joint Management Agreement (JMA) mechanism more accessible for councils to use with iwi/hapū under the current and future resource management systems. Another remit put forward calls for Government to update the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Fees) Regulations 2013 to account for inflation and include a mechanism for automatic annual inflation adjustments. And a fourth remit calls for the reform of school bus services to provide an improved service for families and to better integrate the services with council provided public transport services.
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Councils ‘Blindsided' By Decision To Halt Planning Work
Councils have been blindsided by the Government's call to halt planning work, which they say will have "unintended consequences". Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop has put a stop to councils working on District and Regional Plans until the new RMA legislation takes effect. "Rather than let these pricey, pointless planning and policy processes play out, we will be giving councils clarity on where to focus their efforts while they await the new planning system," Bishop said at the Local Government NZ conference in Christchurch on Wednesday. The shake-up of the RMA is expected to come into effect in 2027. Christchurch city councillor Sara Templeton said her council is working a plan change on noise in the central city, which could be placed under threat. The plan change was about "finding a balance between people living in town and the need for a vibrant nightlife", she said. "I'd be frustrated if we couldn't do that work with our communities. "The top-down approach from central government at the moment has had multiple unintended impacts." Cr Templeton called on the Government to work more closely with councils. The Kaikōura District Council has been working through a review of its District Plan, which was adopted in 2008. Council chief executive Will Doughty said the announcement will stifle the council's attempts to make changes to benefit the community. "We have just awarded a contract to our consultants to work on the first two or three chapters. "We always knew reform was underway, but we took an approach to respond to the needs of our community, while being flexible enough to review and respond to any changes." Mr Doughty said the council faced criticism that the "rules are prohibitive", so it was keen to update the plan. Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said his council has been reviewing parts of its District Plan, but its efforts were impacted by constant changes from central Government. "The Government has been signalling changing requirements for a long time, and we wish they would just get on and do it so we can get on and do what we need to do." Mr Kircher said councils had called on the Government to stop signalling changes ahead of legislation, as it set "unrealistic expectations for the community". "Once the Government makes these announcements, people expect us to implement the changes, but it takes time to go through the planning process." Mr Bishop said money is wasted on planning review processes, which is required under the existing RMA. 'The Government will suspend councils' mandatory RMA requirements to undertake plan and regional policy statement reviews every ten years, and the requirement to implement national planning standards." Mr Bishop said there will be some exemptions, including private plan changes and natural hazards planning.
