Local Government

The Green Party is opposing this bill because it undermines local democracy, it severely constrains councils' ability to fund community infrastructure, it potentially reduces consultation on quite significant council decisions, and it means that there is going to be much more likelihood of big, unitary councils with weak local boards. It is a bad bill. More

The Green Party supports this bill to validate errors in rating made by the Christchurch City Council, but deplores the necessity for retrospective legislation and calls on the Department of Internal Affairs to provide clearer guidence to local authorities throughout New Zealand on basics such as how to set rating resolutions. More

The Green Party opposes this Bill because of the potential to undermine local government and democracy and because it narrows the definition of community infrastructure and that will prevent development contributions being used to fund quite basic and quite essential community facilities like swimming pools, museums, reserves, and other recreational facilities. More

That ethic of looking after each other, and its twin companion, creating a better New Zealand for future generations, are a heritage that I am proud of, but... I am distressed and frustrated at how that heritage has been cast aside by the Governments of recent decades. More