On Feb 27 2023, Property Council submitted to the Future for Local Government Review Panel on their draft report. This review was commissioned by the Government to address long-standing concerns regarding the effectiveness and future of New Zealand’s local government sector.
Why this matters to our members
Property Council advocates for creating and retaining a well-designed, functional and sustainable built environment. We understand the importance of the local government sector and have long championed reforms to local government that would contribute to thriving cities, infrastructure and communities.
Our view
Our submission outlined our support for the intent of the Review and our support for various proposals within the draft report. However, we also raised our broad concern that the scope and focus of the Review’s draft report has not placed sufficient emphasis on some of the core, practical challenges facing local government. Our submission made a list of recommendations to influence better and fairer outcomes for all.
At a high level, Property Council recommended:
- Retention of the current Annual Plan and Long-Term Plan processes;
- Retention of the current consultation requirements for local government decision-making in the Local Government Act 2002, such as Section 82;
- The purpose of local government is to deliver core, local, and public goods and services;
- Reform to the consenting system, that would cap the liability of local authorities;
- Introducing a national consenting authority for complex commercial/industrial consents;
- Developing recommendations to enhance the relationship between local government and the private sector;
- That the Review Panel applies the beneficiary principle to their recommendations for the future funding and financing system;
- The abolishment of rating differentials as a funding tool; and
- Further engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the public and private sector, occurs on proposed changes to funding and financing.