More cherry-tree optimism needed
Local govt reform one of big issues faced by new govt
Ihave a cherry tree in my garden, and at this time of the year, it is blooming beautifully. For me, it signals new growth and the prospect of longer days and warmer weather, and gives me a greater degree of optimism for the future.
As election day draws closer — in fact, early voting commences next week on October 2 — many of us are hearing the discussion and debate around the major issues that face this country, whether that be health, housing, education, climate change, crime or transport, just to name a few. The economic landscape that currently exists is not only putting severe pressure on households and businesses, but also impacting the ability to continue to deliver good services to New Zealanders. For many, it doesn’t matter what the make-up of the next government is for the next three years — there does not appear to be much confidence or cherry-tree optimism that solutions will be found for these significant challenges.
It won’t be one of the major issues that most electors will be concerned about, but the future for local government is very much on my mind. There is general consensus across the country that the current model for local government is broken and not fit for purpose, and the relationship between central and local government needs a bit of an overhaul. The Future for Local Government report is a step in the right direction. The report makes 17 recommendations. These are wideranging and cover myriad aspects, including funding, Treaty issues, voting for 16-year-olds and a fouryear term. Regardless of where we sit individually with regard to these issues, it is critical that the sector reaches a position which calls upon the Government to take some action to strengthen the relationship.
While all parties acknowledge that the relationship needs to be improved, no one seems to be prepared to commit regarding how that might happen, and all seem reluctant to state with any certainty how they will support local government both financially and logistically.
The challenges that councils face in delivering quality core services, providing excellent amenities and managing future growth while facing significant financial pressures and not having the capacity and resources to deliver this work are only increasing. In addition to that, the amount of policy and strategy that we are forced to introduce under the instruction of central government continues to add to our workloads and our costs.
We in local government also need to get our own house in order — we need to build more trust with both our communities and central government so that everybody has confidence that we can deliver to our residents the services that are expected of us. There is much work ahead for whoever is elected to lead our next government — I just hope that even though there are huge challenges for the country ahead, the relationship between local and central government is not forgotten and gets the necessary attention it needs.