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 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% 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.

Mahé Drysdale said councils could have a national IT system for service like rates. Photo / 123rf

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 was 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.”

Local Government New Zealand chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene. Photo / Mark Tantrum

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.”

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.