19 October 2005

Local Government New Zealand welcomes new Minister

Basil Morrison, President of Local Government New Zealand, welcomes the new Minister of Local Government, Hon Mark Burton, and his Associate Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, and looks forward to continuing collaboration on local government issues.

“During the last term we made some good progress on key projects and joint central/local government initiatives and I’m looking forward to this work continuing under the new Minister,” said Mr Morrison.

“The Government has engaged well with Local Government New Zealand and councils over the past three years and we are seeking an ongoing commitment from the Government to continued engagement and joint policy development.”

Mr Morrison said he will be having discussions with the new Minister about adequate resourcing and provisions to assist councils to carry out their legislative requirements.

“Some of the greatest issues facing councils come from funding pressures and the ability of the local government sector to fund new roles and responsibilities from traditional sources such as rates. Further costs to councils stem from increased accountability and audit costs, prescribed consultation processes with communities, new policy development, and administrative system development.”

“We have already begun discussions with Government about the need to explore tools to measure the impact of any legislation on local councils, both in terms of resources and costs, and we will continue these discussions with the new Minister,” said Mr Morrison.

“I would like to thank our former Minister, Hon Chris Carter, for the strong and valuable contribution he has made to the local government sector and to our communities in his role as Minister of Local Government.

“Chris has shown leadership and focus as the Minister of Local Government and has worked with us to achieve outcomes for local government. I am particularly appreciative of his work on the Local Government Act 2002 and the recent dog control legislation,” Mr Morrison said.

“I wish Chris all the best in his new roles as Minister of Conservation, Minister of Housing, and Minister of Ethnic Affairs. I now look forward to developing a good working relationship with Mark Burton and Nanaia Mahuta.”

ENDS

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