Council broadly welcomes Future for Local Government Final Report
Published on 21 June 2023
Waitaki District Council has broadly welcomed the publication of the Future for Local Government Report. The Council has been working with the Future for Local Government Review Panel for more than two years, to help shape the recommendations in the report so they work for the communities of Waitaki.
Talking about the report, Mayor for Waitaki, Gary Kircher said, “I welcome the publication of this report today. Change is needed in the way local government works and how the whole system of government works if we are going to serve communities well, take advantage of the opportunities that exist and deal with the challenges. This report recognises this”
“Local Government is constrained in many ways in what it can do to further the interests of communities, and Mayors and Councillors up and down the country are frustrated at not being able to act fully on the things that are important to our districts and residents.”
“We have laws and responsibilities imposed upon us by Government without the funding to go with it. The financial system of rates is no longer fit for purpose to deliver community needs. And too much is controlled in Wellington when communities should be trusted to manage and deliver things themselves.”
“Whilst there is a lot in the report and I am sure we will not agree with every recommendation, the report represents a step forward in making the change necessary to ensure a system of local government that serves our communities and our country better.”
Commenting on the proposals to reorganise councils, Mayor Kircher stated, “We have not had time to fully look at the proposals and what the implications are. We need to keep an open mind on all the proposals but with potential amalgamations we will be looking at whether this produces any benefit to the people of Waitaki and how any proposals will ensure this new system of local government is genuinely local and connected to the people and communities it is there to serve.”
The Council will now consider the findings and recommendations in the report and look at how the recommendations that it supports can be taken forward. This will include working with other councils in Otago and Canterbury to consider potential changes that local government can help drive forward together.
A link to the Final Report, He piki tūranga, he piki kōtukucan be found here: https://www.futureforlocalgovernment.govt.nz/reports/