A public meeting about shifting power back to local communities is being held in Kaikohe next week.
The Localism Debate is being hosted by Focus New Zealand, a Northland-based political party, at the Kaikohe RSA on Monday from 6.30pm.
The key speaker will be Oliver Hartwich, who says New Zealandhas one of the most centralised governments in the OECD with just 11 per cent of funds going to local government, less than half the OECD average.
Dr Hartwich debated with Bill English last year in Wellington, challenging central Government to free up control and funds to allow viable local communities to develop.
Party president Ken Rintoul said reforms introduced in 2011 offered a chance to make local government more effective and accountable, but the approach of the Local Government Commission, tasked with reorganisation, had been "old fashioned, authoritarian and quite frankly a waste of a good opportunity for Northland".
Mr Rintoul said Northland needed more funding and less control from central government, but the Commission seemed intent on delivering a more centralised "bigger is better" structure.
Members of the four Northland councils had been invited to take part. Far North district councillor John Vujcich, Northland regional councillor Joe Carr, and Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board member John Schollum would give a local perspective.
