Yesterday I took the chance to address mayors and councillors from around the country about my vision for the future of local government in New Zealand.

My message was clear: control your expenditure, and think strategically about how your structures can support growth.

Ratepayers are not willing to pay for more services while they see waste. And they shouldn’t.

Local government plays an important role in promoting regional growth and addressing some of those longstanding issues that John Key’s National Government has made a priority.

I expect councils to look closely at costs, have free and frank conversations about what is driving expenditure, and whether that expenditure is assisting councils to create stronger local economies.

Inevitably, the conversation about how local government works usually turns to what the structures look like.

It is crucial they start looking at growth across regions, but the current structures are not strategically or cohesively supporting that.

I believe we need to call time on what has been a relentless focus on how many mayors we have, or for bureaucrats to decide what your local democracy looks like.

That’s why the Government and the Local Government Commission will work with each region to develop structures that link up crucial services like transport, water, and economic development.

I want to see local government do more work on the priorities that New Zealanders expect and deliver better value for ratepayers – whatever structure they operate under.

Regards,
Hon Paula Bennett

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