Latest news with #SusanFreeman-Greene
The Spinoff
30-07-2025
- 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.
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
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.
Scoop
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
LGNZ Urges More People To Run For Council
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is calling for more people to put their hands up to stand in this year's local elections in October. Nominations opened yesterday, with prospective candidates required to submit their nomination before the cutoff date of 12 noon on 1 August. To help potential candidates make this decision, LGNZ has produced a handy 2025 candidate's guide. LGNZ also offers a comprehensive range of pre-elected learning materials via its online learning platform, Ākona. LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene says a hallmark of healthy democracy is when people are willing to represent their community around the council table. 'This year we'll have 1465 seats available across 66 councils, including 66 Mayoral seats and 683 community board seats. There will also be 127 seats up for election across the 11 regional councils,' says Susan Freeman-Greene. 'At the last local election, we had 3119 people standing across 1607 seats across the country; a ratio of almost two people for every seat. Seven mayors were elected unopposed into their roles in the last election, while 40% of members elected for the first time. 'Obviously we'd like to have more candidates standing, as evidence tells us that the more candidates who are contesting a seat, the higher the voter turnout will be. And ultimately, we want more New Zealanders heading to the polls to have their say; the 42% voter turnout at the 2022 local elections was not good enough.' Susan Freeman-Greene says that elected members can come from all walks of life. 'Being an elected member is an important and public role. There's no question it's a demanding job but it's also very rewarding. Every day councils make important decisions that impact future generations – from infrastructure investment like roads, bridges and pipes, to climate resilience.'
Scoop
03-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
City And Regional Deals A Good First Step Forward
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) says councils are ready to "roll up their sleeves' to deliver on City and Regional Deals – so long as both central and local government are clear on expectations. Yesterday the Government announced the signing of the first Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to negotiate deals with Auckland, the Otago Central Lakes region (Queenstown Lakes District, Central Otago District and Otago Regional councils) and the Western Bay of Plenty region (Tauranga City, Western Bay of Plenty District and Bay of Plenty Regional councils). Both sides will work together to finalise a strategic 10-year partnership, with the Government signalling the first City and Regional Deal will be in place by the end of year. LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene says the partnership is an opportunity for local and central government to deliver joint priorities. 'This is a good first step, and these councils will want to move quickly to the next phase,' says Susan Freeman-Greene. 'City and Regional Deals are intended to drive economic growth, abundant housing, better utilisation of local assets, employment opportunities and the closing of the infrastructure deficit. These are all things councils are utterly committed to, so like the Government we think these deals are a good idea. 'There's a lot of complex components to work through, and we know what works for one council won't necessarily work for another. Ensuring there is open dialogue and transparency from both sides will be key.' Susan Freeman-Greene says while the Government has been clear in setting expectations for local government, councils need to be equally clear back. 'To close our infrastructure deficits, councils need new funding and financing tools and the Government needs to remove disincentives. 'We're keen to explore some of the tools the Government has mentioned, but others – such as a bed tax and the sharing of GST on new builds - could also be useful to achieve shared goals and unlock economic growth.'
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Councils Compete For SuperLocal Awards; 2025 Finalists Announced
The finalists have been announced for next month's Local Government New Zealand's (LGNZ) SuperLocal Awards, with 20 councils vying to be recognised across five exciting categories. The annual LGNZ SuperLocal Awards were created to recognise and celebrate excellent performance by local councils in leading their communities and working together. LGNZ CE Susan Freeman-Greene says that local government plays a huge role in shaping our communities — yet much of its work goes unnoticed or is undervalued. 'The SuperLocal Awards are all about showcasing the incredible outcomes that councils across the country achieve for their communities. Every year, councils go the extra mile to deliver what their communities need and want, and these awards are our chance to celebrate and share those successes,' says Susan Freeman-Greene. 'The SuperLocal awards are a highlight of our LGNZ annual conference, held this year in Christchurch from 16-17 July. These awards showcase the best in leadership, collaboration, innovation, engagement, and environmental sustainability that our councils have to offer.' This year's awards are spread across the SuperHuman, SuperEngaged, SuperCollab, SuperIdea and SuperSteward categories, with judges including former Mayors Rachel Reese, Kerry Prendergast, Tim Cadogan and Justin Lester among others.
