Latest news with #LGNZ
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
New government stats reveal how much councils are spending
Local Government Minister Simon Watts said councils needed to show they were spending ratepayers' money wisely. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver The government has published new performance metrics revealing how much councils are spending as it continues to ramp up the pressure on local bodies. But Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) says the information only tells part of the story and should also include what councils are delivering for the money spent. The first set of "council profiles" draw on data to gauge financial performance. In a statement, Local Government Minister Simon Watts said the cost of living was the biggest worry for households and councils needed to show they were spending ratepayers' money wisely . "Ratepayers place immense trust in their local councils who make key decisions on local infrastructure, fiscal management, and how their community operates on a day-to-day basis on their behalf." he said. The figures show information on council demographics like population and land area, rates revenue, council debt, staffing numbers, how much councils spend and what they spend it on. Watts said people were getting fed up with rate rises and it was important they saw how their council was performing. "That's why the government is putting clear facts and figures directly into the hands of ratepayers. When ratepayers know more about how their council is performing and where their money is going, they can engage more effectively and ask the tough questions. "For instance, communities can now compare how much their council spends on core essentials like infrastructure and see whether their rates are going up more than average." he said. Council are grouped together with similar councils and then benchmarked on their performace. "Releasing these performance metrics aligns with our commitment to lifting the performance of local government. It is an opportunity for councils that are focused on their core functions to highlight their efficiency and value to their communities." Watts said. The government was "actively exploring" a rates capping system , he said. "Given the current pressures on households, the degree of rates increases is a massive worry." While the first release information covers financial performance, subsequent releases will cover metrics like asset management, service delivery, and governance In a statement, LGNZ Vice President Campbell Barry said the metrics were a good starting point for councils to engage with their communities, which always supported transparency and benchmarking. "The profiles detail council expenditure, but they don't show what the community gets for this investment or whether that investment has been supported by the community," he said. "At the moment, the metrics only provide part of the story. For example, is that council investing in key infrastructure to support future growth or make up for past underinvestment, has it been exposed to particular cost pressures or weather events, or is it at a particular point in an investment cycle?" Barry said local context was important. "We encourage people to also look at councils' pre-election reports - which provide a snapshot of council performance and value as well as unique challenges and opportunities - alongside the profiles, to get a fuller picture." he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Spinoff
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Yet again, not enough people are standing in local elections
With nominations for this year's local elections closing tomorrow, there are still plenty of spots on wards, boards and councils around the country that not a single person is keen to fill. A day out from nominations closing, it's looking like a decent chunk of this year's local body elections will not really be elections at all – candidates will be elected unopposed, or seats will be left empty. 'Electoral officers are saying that overall candidate nomination numbers are generally on par with the same time last election,' said LGNZ chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene on Tuesday. On par, in this case, means pretty bad – 20% of the 583 elections held in 2022 were uncontested. Nominations close at midday tomorrow, and while candidates have had since July 4 to get their paperwork completed, they tend to be a tardy bunch. 'We know from past elections that many candidates choose to wait until the final week to submit their nominations,' said Freeman-Greene. 'We strongly encourage candidates not to leave things to the last day, to allow time for information to be checked and any issues resolved.' LGNZ (Local Government New Zealand), the membership body for Aotearoa's councils, wants to see more people running because this should naturally lead to more people voting. 'Evidence tells us that the more candidates who contest a seat in an area, the higher the community's interest will be in that election from a voting perspective.' A number of councils have put out calls for more candidates to come forward, including Christchurch City – as of Wednesday morning, the Fendalton ward was yet to receive a single candidate, but by last night one had emerged. Rotorua District Council has taken a novel approach to attracting more candidates, listing the 19 elected member positions on Seek, reported the Rotorua Daily Post. 'No suit or political jargon required,' reads the listing. 'Just a genuine passion for our people and places.' Auckland Council has made a similar move, 'advertising' the positions on LinkedIn. Its nomination tally, updated on Wednesday morning, showed that – late flood of nominations notwithstanding – councillors for the Howick, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki and Rodney wards would be elected unopposed, as would members of various local boards. This year, 54 of the 77 councils holding elections have contracted to carry out election management services, and nominations for those councils are going live online as they land. As of last night, Rotorua was one of several councils where mayoral candidates looked set to have a cakewalk campaign ahead of them. Not a single nomination had been received for the position of mayor – though incumbent Tania Tapsell has indicated she will be standing again. In 2022 Tapsell had six competitors, so perhaps other candidates are also letting it go down to the wire. In Manawatū, meanwhile, as of last night current deputy mayor Michael Ford had no competitors in his quest for the chains (mayor Helen Worboys is not seeking reelection), while Hurunui mayor Marie Black will again be elected unopposed, as she was in 2022, unless some last-minute challengers get their nominations in quick-smart. Election Services, which has been contracted to run 22 local elections, provided The Spinoff with the tally of nominations as of 4pm yesterday. At that stage, no one had thrown their hat in the ring to take on current Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore, who had three challengers in 2022, nor Stratford mayor Neil Volzke, who was one of seven mayors elected unopposed last time. Current South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon, who according to the Taranaki Daily News was the sole candidate earlier in the day on Wednesday, had a challenger by 4pm: Clem Coxhead. Over in Gisborne, meanwhile, current mayor Rehette Stoltz had no opponents as of 4pm (but Colin Alder could still make a late entrance). Up in the Far North, there was not a single nomination for mayor at 4pm – though last night Moko Tepania finally told social media followers he was keen for another term, so let's hope he's filling in those forms. What happens if there isn't a last-minute rush and we end up with more council positions than people keen to fill them? Those who have put their names forward will be automatically elected, and unfilled spots will be deemed ' extraordinary vacancies ', with a byelection held to fill them in the months following the local election. For councillor positions, if a first byelection doesn't lure anyone out of the woodwork, a second byelection will be held. For local or community board positions, if one byelection yields no joy, the board can appoint a member in any way they choose. One such byelection was held in 2022 for two extraordinary vacancies on the Taneātua Community Board, part of Whakatāne District Council. There were actually six people keen to fill the six vacancies at the time of the election, but two of them submitted their nominations on the final day, only for them to be rejected for being incomplete or incorrect. A cautionary tale, if ever there was one, to get your nominations in early – but as of 4pm on Wednesday, the Taneātua Community Board had just one candidate for its six positions.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Kaipara Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora: District should get its say
Immediately after the Government signalled its August legislation change, Jepson said he wanted his council's Māori ward gone before the coming elections. KDC's single-term Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward will disappear at the local elections as a result of the council's August decision, without any poll. There will also be no vote in October on the presence of an electoral area of this type into the future. That's in contrast to Far North District Council, Whangārei District Council and Northland Regional Council, which in August decided to keep their Māori wards. But with that decision, communities will be asked what they think of the wards' continuing existence in polling at the October elections. Paniora said it was unfair KDC could abolish its Māori ward without having to poll its people, but councils with Māori wards were required to poll to keep them. Polling has traditionally resulted in Māori ward plans failing. Paniora said 2025 polling about the future of Māori wards should be only for those voters on the Māori roll, as was the case for those voting for Māori ward councillors. She is the only Māori ward councillor in New Zealand to lose her position at the end of this current term because the ward is being abolished. Paniora will stand again in the Wairoa general ward for the council elections. She said doing so offered two-for-one, where she would continue to represent Māori as part of doing so for the wider community. About 40% of the west Kaipara ward's population is Māori. Paniora said Māori ward councillors in Northland and around New Zealand should make sure their communities know the value of these electoral areas. And she said people should make sure to get out and vote. Paniora also encouraged more Māori to stand in Māori wards, as councillors in these wards were kaitiaki (guardians) of the positions. She said that even if incoming Kaipara councillors decided to reinstate a Māori ward, it would be 2031 before that could happen. Paniora wanted the ward continued in Kaipara, because democracy required councils to represent the demographics of all their people. However, she said she wouldn't have stood in the ward, even if it had remained. Paniora said it was valuable for those who won a seat via a Māori ward to do their time in that arena, but then move into general wards, to allow others the opportunity to stand in the Māori ward. She said her time in what would be KDC's one-term Māori ward had been challenging. Paniora said she was young, Māori and a woman, in contrast to others on the council who were older, Pākehā and male. Since the 2022 local elections, KDC has canned karakia (ritual chants, prayers) to open and close council meetings and ended its Māori relationship agreements and associated funding with local iwi. Paniora was elected to Te Maruata, Local Government New Zealand's (LGNZ) Māori elected politicians' group in 2022, but this position ended when KDC pulled out of LGNZ. She recently won a Te Maruata award for her contribution to Māori. Paniora said it was ironic that the ward she named was disappearing. ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Poll: Templeton slammed for attending local government conference
Christchurch mayoral candidate Sara Templeton has defended attending the Local Government New Zealand conference and missing a vote on overnight parking for hospital staff. Whether Templeton and community board members should have attended the LGNZ SuperLocal conference last week using public funds has also been questioned, when the city council pulled out of LGNZ in June last year. Templeton and seven community board members attended the conference at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, costing $14,800. Attendance was $2000 a person for two days, but some only went for a day at $1000. The city council spent $22,500 last year sending Halswell and Riccarton wards city councillors Andrei Moore and Tyla Harrison-Hunt, and eight community board members, to the conference in Wellington. The trips are paid for by the city council through professional development funds, which are allocated for city councillors and community board members. Waimairi Ward city councillor Sam MacDonald, a vocal critic of Templeton's bid for mayoralty and an ally of Mayor Phil Mauger, told The Star Templeton should have been present for a council vote on investigating overnight parking for hospital staff at Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre. Looking into a safe parking location became a priority after hospital staff raised concerns about leaving work on foot at night. A student midwife was assaulted in May while walking back to her vehicle after a shift, while another hospital worker was hit in the back by two people on an electric scooter while walking to work about two weeks later. MacDonald said Templeton should have taken part in the vote issue she had drawn attention to before other city councillors in April. 'I just don't accept that she couldn't take a few minutes to drop what she was doing and take part in this important motion.' MacDonald said she should have travelled the short distance back to the council chambers or appeared on video link for the vote. 'It's pretty hypocritical for her to not join the rest of us when we're voting on an important issue when it's something she's talked about.' Templeton said there was no risk of the car park motion, introduced by Mauger, failing. It passed unanimously. 'I booked the conference many months ago and of course wasn't aware there would be that motion when I booked it,' she said. Templeton said there was no need to take part in the debate on the issue as she had already made her support for the overnight parking clear and felt no need to 'grandstand' on the issue she had first raised. Mauger said each city councillor can use their professional development fund how they see fit. 'That's up to them,' he said. MacDonald said 'at the end of the day' elected members can choose how to use their professional development fund, but he questioned Templeton's choice to use it for the LGNZ conference. 'She went to this conference where people were arguing against capping rates. I think it just shows Sara is not interested in lower rates.' Templeton said MacDonald was 'misinformed' about the conference. 'For me it was about hearing different views about the future structure of local government and hearing from Government ministers.' An LGNZ spokesperson acknowledged most councils cover the cost of elected members attending SuperLocal. 'SuperLocal provides valuable opportunities for members to come up to speed on central government reforms, professional development, networking, and learning about best practices in local government.' The spokesperson defended the ticket prices, saying the fees were comparable to other similar professional conferences on a national scale. Hornby Ward city councillor Mark Peters voted against sending two Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board members, Helen Broughton and Luke Chandler, to the meeting. He said it was a 'little bit hypocritical' for the city council to send elected members to attend the conference with public funds when it has left LGNZ. 'We're saying on one hand we don't want to be a member of this group, but then also have a hand in the ratepayers' pocket and sending members along.' City councillors voted 9-8 to not renew membership with LGNZ last year, with many critical of the $163,000 annual fee for the organisation. Some also believed leaving would help the city council advocate more directly to Government rather than through an intermediary. Templeton voted against leaving LGNZ and would discuss rejoining with city councillors if elected mayor, believing it would facilitate better cooperation with other councils. Peters also questioned the price of the conference tickets. 'It certainly is on the expensive side and it goes back to why some councils have left LGNZ as the membership was quite a lot,' he said. Templeton was unsure whether ticket prices were too expensive, considering they are often paid for through public funds. 'We have our own professional developments set aside and I saw value in using it for this conference,' she said. Broughton, who is Waipuna community board deputy chair, defended her decision to attend the conference. 'Even though the city council pulled out, I think it's a little bit separate for community board members and there's still some value in the conference itself.' Even though it is an election year and some attendees might not win re-election, Templeton said there was still value in members attending. 'It's about representing Christchurch and showing members of council are present on a national stage.'
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale's call for council review backed by LGNZ
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said councils weren't as efficient and effective as they could be. Photo: Brydie Thompson Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has backed Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale's call for a review of councils. Drysdale's remit, supported by Tauranga City Council and aimed at increasing efficiency in local government and reducing ratepayer costs, was passed at the national local governance body's annual general meeting last week. The remit received 80 percent support from councils and was ranked the top priority out of the four successful remits. The local government minister also said he was open to exploring opportunities for efficiency . It comes after Drysdale called for "tough" amalgamation conversations between Bay of Plenty councils. He said the remit passing showed everyone was aware that change was happening in local government. "[We] want to be proactive around designing the system that will work for our people and work for us as local government." The remit called for a review of current functions and governance arrangements of councils. Councils weren't as efficient and effective as they could be, he said. The sector needed to look at what services should be delivered nationally, regionally, and locally, then design a system that would best deliver those services, Drysdale said. Having a national IT system for all councils and regional roading networks were some ideas the sector could discuss, he said. When talking about efficiency, people "jump to amalgamation", Drysdale said, but it was only one of the solutions. "It may not be the solution that comes out of it. We've got to keep a really open mind." He said he was not trying to "ram through amalgamation". "The intent of this is getting all the local authorities with LGNZ and central government working together to design a system that works for the country." New Zealand has 78 councils: 11 regional, 11 city, 50 district, and six unitary authorities (regional and city/district combined). Changes to how councils managed water through Local Water Done Well and Resource Management Act (RMA) reform meant the functions of councils were changing, so councils needed to change their form, Drysdale said. LGNZ was in the "perfect position" to co-ordinate the remit, but buy-in was needed from central government and the other councils, he said. Plenty of reviews had been done, but action was needed, Drysdale said. "Let's make sure we've done this thoroughly and we know what the best system is, but then we've actually got to implement it." Local Government Minister Simon Watts. Photo: Alex Burton Local Government Minister Simon Watts said opportunities for efficiency included working alongside the sector. The new legislation that would replace the RMA included provisions about the roles, responsibilities, and processes of local government, he said. This included proposals that differed from the status quo, Watts said. "I am keen to look at how the reorganisation process for local government can be made simpler and expect to receive advice on this." LGNZ chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said local government needed 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 under way, it'll require an agile and well-planned response by the sector," she said in a statement. "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." Local Government New Zealand chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene. Photo: Mark Tantrum The LGNZ national council would consider next steps on the remit in the coming months. After the October election, the organisation would engage with councils in a member-driven process, an LGNZ spokesperson said. Outgoing Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder said councils needed 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," he said in a statement. "We need to be brave enough to question how we deliver services and what functions sit best at which level - national, regional, or local." The remit had the support of metro councils before it was presented to LGNZ. The metro councils would provide support and resources to work on the programme established, the remit said. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
