Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has welcomed the Government’s framework for regional deals announced at the LGNZ SuperLocal conference today.

“Local government is at the table ready to work collaboratively with the Government on shared issues and deliver growth that benefits our communities,” LGNZ President Sam Broughton said.

“In May, LGNZ released a draft proposal for what city and regional deals should look like. We’re pleased to see partnership, new funding tools and a commitment to long-term planning, which were in our proposal, also included in the Government’s framework.”

“The current funding system for local government is broken, and everyone can see that given rates rises this year. New funding tools are key to a more sustainable local government. It’s great to see this acknowledged in today’s announcement”.

“Overseas examples show that the best city and regional deals are done in genuine partnership and often include other structural changes within and between councils, these deals are an opportunity for this to now also occur.

“The relationship between central and local government needs to be a strong one. We both serve the same people in our communities.

“Councils already plan for 10 years so it’s encouraging to see that central government now also wants to give certainty beyond a 12-month budget cycle.

“We need to see cross-party support on these Regional Deals to ensure certainty. Too much time and money is wasted when central government changes its mind and direction,” Sam Broughton said.

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