Local government is under review for the first time since the 1980s, and your opinions are in demand.

Suggested changes include extending the electoral term from three to four years, dropping the voting age to 16 and allowing councils to devise more imaginative ways of paying their way. 

Quarterly rates bills will likely stay, but the council will probably be able to be more innovative in its yearly revenue collection.  

The functions and activities of the country’s 67 local authorities are falling under the parliamentary microscope for the first time in over three decades. The government’s goal is to draft legislation to see local government in New Zealand through the following three decades. 

The Central Otago District Council (CODC) has set up a working group consisting of staff and elected representatives to submit on your behalf in the new year. 

Public participation is being encouraged at the very highest level. 

Minister of Local Government Manaia Mahuta said, “the local government sector has been clear about changes needed to better provide for local communities.”

“Local democracy is critical for our society, and it is my expectation that the review panel will engage with and consider the views of as many New Zealanders as possible. I encourage everyone to have their say,” she said.

“Like central government, local government also needs to respond to the challenges ahead, whether keeping a lid on rate rises, upgrading critical water infrastructure, climate change, or ensuring diverse voices are at the council table.”

The CODC working group plans to dissect the 261-page Local Government Review document released in October and advise elected members to assist in the submission process.

CODC will not call for public participation in the submission process, citing time constraints and complexity, and that the submission relates to government rather than council, decision-making.   

But the CODC final submission will be approved early in the new year and made publicly available.

Everyone is encouraged to submit before February 28, 2023. Find a copy of the draft report and information on how to submit to the review here.

The Central App will follow the review’s progress through all stages, from CODC’s submission process to the final passage of the legislation.