Podcasts about local councils

After three days, Ohakune residents have been told their water will be gradually restored but it's not yet confirmed safe to drink. The Ruapehu District Council has put out an update that said a boil water notice remains in place. Residents are also being asked to conserve water as the reservoir recharges. It had fallen to 12 percent on Saturday. Remi Butler, manager of The Peaks Motor Inn spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

New Zealand still doesn't know how it's going to pay to adapt to climate change, and any action taken to deal with hazards is poorly co-ordinated, that's according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission. The Commission is urgently calling for action from Ministers. Local councils are among those asking for clearer guidance on funding, as they grapple with increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Deon Swiggs is the Chair of Environment Canterbury and is on the National Council of Local Government New Zealand. He spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's time for Mayoral minutes .. where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing ... how they're working to solve them... and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the Rangitikei District, located in the Manawatu-Whanganui region of the North Island, you'll find the towns of Marton, Bulls and Taihape there. Mayor Andy Watson joins Jesse. [picture id="4L8YZRA_Ohakea_Andy_Watson_JPG" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

The deadline for local councils to submit their amalgamation plans was yesterday, and Local Government New Zealand is calling for clarity on the next steps. In May, the Government gave councils three months to come up with proposals on how leadership in their regions should be reshaped - with 48 councils submitting Head Start proposals and 17 abstaining. LGNZ President and Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz says the organisation would love to have clarity on the next phase of this plan, given some councils didn't participate. "We now know that several councils have not participated, for whatever reason. They did try, but also, some councils like Gisborne and other unitary authorities did not have to take part in the Head Start. So we would love to have clarity about that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday marks the deadline for District councils to submit their proposals to amalgamate with at least one other nearby authority. Council's across the country have been meeting to finalise their proposals or face the process being dictated to them by central government. Bill Hickman has more.

I'm trying to work out in this council amalgamation back and forward, how many who aren't amalgamating are genuinely stuck, versus how many are simply sticking it up the Government because they don't like them and/or they don't like being told what to do? Councils are the bane of our lives. We are over council-ed, we are overrated and we should be immeasurably grateful to the central government who are capping rates and reducing the number of these groups. The deadline to submit your plan is this weekend. As always there are a decent number who haven't been able to get there, or if they have it will be close to deadline. Another part of the problem is of course we don't care. Our participation rate via voting is a joke. I noted ironically the other day Auckland Council set up a committee to work out why their turn out was only 28%. I could help them there – get rates down and produce fewer committees. The only reason you can argue against amalgamation is you're power hungry. There are 70+ councils in this country. A tiny island nation with a handful of people and we need, they argue, over 70 councils? Tiny little operations with duplication of services all over the place, all with their own rules, regulations and staffing costs and all with their weird variation and interpretation of rules. If ever there was a case for “less is more”, we have it. But no. Like recalcitrant children they are holding out. I assume some of them because they hope Labour get back and let them get on with their orgy of waste and inefficiency. When those who don't submit rely on the so-called back-up plan, they will moan about that too. The sad truth or outworking of this sort of behaviour is the revelation that these people are not really about us. They are not really about their community. They are about themselves. They are power grabbers and control freaks. They love their insignificant little fiefdoms and love to laud their perceived power over others. Come deadline and come the capping of the rates and the reduction of the council numbers, not to mention the water amalgamation, is there a single person outside those whose power is being disabled, that will actually miss what we currently have? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stratford District Council has voted unanimously to pursue amalgamation with the South Taranaki District Council as part of local government reforms, at the expense of a wider union with the New Plymouth District Council. RNZ Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin was at the Stratford meeting.

Taupo's mayor is pushing back against joining a Western Waikato council merger, which he's describing as a hostile takeover. Taupo District Council has decided not to submit any preferred amalgamation proposal and says the Western Waikato merger would result in ballooning debt for the region. Councils have until Sunday to present their merger proposals to the government. Mayor John Funnell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Weekly Political Panel: Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni; Thomas Maharaj discusses current employment market; Age Concern's Greta Bond discusses energy affordability; Taupo's mayor describes council merger as hostile takeover; Best pie winner discusses bacon and egg success

Ridiculous, unreasonable, confusing and stressful. Those are just some of the words Wellington region residents are using to describe bills from new water entity Tiaki Wai. RNZ has seen charges ranging from $300 to $1000 for the first three months of the financial year. Tiaki Wai says it's the first time people are seeing water costs broken out separately from their rates, but others are questioning how the bills are calculated and if payment arrangements are being fairly organised. Wellington Issues reporter Ellen O'Dwyer has more.

Queenstown's mayor is setting up a taskforce aimed at reducing congestion, with an influx of tourists contributing to significant traffic problems. Data from Queenstown Airport shows nearly 250,000 international arrivals in the first six months of 2026 - nearly 100,000 more people than in the same period in 2019. Queenstown-Lakes District Mayor, John Glover spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The deputy chair of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board says comments made by Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop about the government's Fast Track process, don't stack up. Jake Law spoke to John Campbell.

The Rotorua Business Chamber at the centre of comments the Prime Minister has now apologised for says it hopes there's some genuine reflection behind the apology. Lillian Hanly reports.

Visitors at the popular marine reserve at Te Hawere-a-Maki/Goat Island in the north of Auckland could be made to pay for parking, as early as this summer. DOC's Auckland Operations Director Alex Rogers spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Snap Send Solve CEO Danny Gorog joined Jason Matthews on 4BC Breakfast to unpack the 2026 Community Satisfaction Index, which crowned Logan City Council as Queensland’s top performer while revealing national council satisfaction scores are slipping. They detailed how hundreds of thousands of app reports highlighted surging complaints over potholes, illegal parking, and dumped rubbish, pressing major local governments like Brisbane to drastically improve their digital customer service.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Upper Hutt's mayor is urging other Wellington councils not to force the city into amalgamating against its will. There's little over a week to go before all councils must come up with a plan on simplifying local government. But in the capital, there's still stark disagreement about the details. Wellington issues reporter Ellen O'Dwyer has more.

Councils are being encouraged to record more consistent dog control data to help tackle the problem with roaming and uncontrolled dogs. Guidelines around how to use the current powers in law have also been released today. Local Government Minister Simon Watts spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

It's time for Mayoral minutes - where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. This week we're heading to Waimate, which is 45 kms south of Timaru in the Canterbury region where Mayor Craig Rowley.

Rotorua's mayor believes councils are racking up hefty insurance bills looking after artwork in storage. A Taxpayers' Union report finds councils across the country are sitting on $1.12 billion worth of art. It finds more than 71 thousand art pieces are owned by local government, with only 33% of the works on public display. Mayor Tania Tapsell told Mike Hosking having it in storage is money on a balance sheet that could be invested elsewhere. She says the cost of insurance alone would be enough to deliver the hydro slides she wants for her community. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Council has purchased 100 hectares of land for a future cemetery - despite opposition from Iwi and the local board. The rural site near Karaka in the city's South cost the council $16 million. It's as Tamaki Makarau's cemeteries approach their burial capacity. Auckland Council's General Manager of Parks and Community Facilities, Taryn Crewe spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj told Tom Elliott he is concerned this change would be costly for land owners.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penny Hulse was the Auckland supercity's first deputy mayor. Before that, she was the deputy mayor of Waitakere City Council. She discussed council amalgamations with John Campbell.

In part two, there've been a decent number of local councillors going rogue in the last few terms - to the point where some elected officials and ratepayers are calling for disciplinary mechanisms. Then, a hobby during a tough time has turned into a passion and a side hustle. Ashleigh Hughes, a.k.a. The Wild Gardner, introduces the panel to her indoor garden.

John Cummins, Minister with responsibility for Local Government and Planning

It's time for Mayoral minutes .. where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing ... how they're working to solve them... and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to Upper Hutt - North of Wellington - from where Mayor Peri Zee joins Jesse.

Auckland's biggest and most expensive sewer pipe is officially online, with the council promising fewer overflows and healthier waterways. Watercare says it'll be the backbone of Auckland's sewer system, but some of the ribs won't be built until well beyond 2030. Felix Walton has more.

Weekly interview with opposition leader; Richard Hills discusses Plan Change 120; Calls grow for mandatory e-scooter helmets; Fiona MacMillan on bird flu response; Not all 'local' online stores are what they seem

Auckland councillors are voting today on a compromise version of the controversial Plan Change 120, which dictates how much housing intensification the city should have and where. Luka Forman reports.

Central Hawke's Bay's only animal rescue is facing closure because the local council is evicting the charity from its premises. Hawke's Bay Tairawhiti reporter Alexa Cook paid them a visit.

Councils around the country now have less than three weeks to submit their proposals to the government about how they might want to amalgamate. One of the councils weighing up its future is Lower Hutt. It's mayor, Fauono Ken Laban spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Auckland councillors are voting today on a compromise version of the controversial Plan Change 120, which dictates how much housing intensification the city should have and where. Auckland Council Chair of the Policy, Planning and Development Committee, Richard Hills spoke to John Campbell.

Weekly interview with Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon; Advocate supports explicit consent law reform; Michael Campbell on Ryan Fox's Open triumph; Bird flu reports surge after H5N1 detection; Auckland explores new way to get people voting

An Auckland charity says New Zealand needs a 24/7 desexing clinic to tackle the country's roaming dog problem. Auckland Council's Community Director, Rachel Kelleher spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Jo Moir breaks down the latest RNZ-Reid Research poll; Chris Hipkins responds to latest RNZ-Reid Research poll; Sir Grahame Sydney remembers screen legend Sam Neill; Repeat recycling offenders face losing bins; Researcher tests life without a smartphone

A Wairoa Mayor is campaigning for councils to have more legal powers to deal with the proliferation of vape stores. Craig Little is concerned vaping is being normalised and it is hard to protect vulnerable communities, and is appealing for other council's to join forces. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little spoke to Lisa Owen.

Sue Taite says she's abused by cyclists and street parking was removed without considering disabled, sick or elderly people. Wellington Council says they carried out extensive consultation, including with residents' and disabled groups. Sam Hood, transport engineer at MRcagney spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's time for Mayoral minutes .. where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing ... how they're working to solve them... and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to sunny Nelson from where Mayor Nick Smith joins us.

An Auckland councillor is growing frustrated over a lack of involvement in the planning of a second harbour crossing. Transport advocacy group Greater Auckland has pitched their idea to the council, for a second bridge. North Shore Ward councillor Richard Hills spoke to John Campbell.

I'm going to make a prediction that I'm fairly certain is going to bear out: no one is going to be shocked by reading in the Herald that Wayne Brown might be a bully. This has kicked off again this week with a complaint from a new Auckland councillor, Bo Burns, that Auckland Council is so dysfunctional she has packed up and walked out of meetings twice because of behaviour she considered unacceptable. Then, the Herald dropped a much bigger piece expanding on all of this, featuring the accounts of multiple councillors who also complain and who then hone in on the mayor in particular. Mike Lee says the mayor revels in put-downs and insults and pulled him off the Auckland Transport board as punishment because he voted against him on something. John Watson says the mayor is a narcissist. Lotu Fuli says the mayor drops the f-bomb all the time. And on and on the complaining goes. Now, look, I'm not completely hard-hearted. I have some sympathy for these people because I don't think I'd like to work in a place where I got punished for taking an opposing view. The mayor is not an easy bloke to work with and I thank the Lord every single day that I don't have to work with him. But I also don't have sympathy for them because this is not a normal workplace—it's a council. It's supposed to be robust. And Bo Burns should probably reconsider whether she thinks ratepayers will feel they're getting bang for their buck if they've elected someone who isn't robust enough to hack it at the big boys' table. As for Wayne Brown, claiming he's a bully is not going to hurt him, is it? Because it's not a shock to anyone. This is the guy who called the media “drongos” and barely apologised for it. This is the guy who emailed the Ratepayers' Alliance with two words: “f*** off.” Have you ever met him? The fact that he swears is not a surprise. What probably hurts him more, I would say, is that he hiked rates in the city by 7.9% this year. But finding out he's a bit mean to people and swears a lot? Not news. What would be news is if everyone around the Auckland Council table grew a pair and stopped complaining about him. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Zakis discusses the confirmed El Niño cycle bringing unusually warm, humid winter weather across Australia. He notes that local councils are performing early back-burning to mitigate bushfire risks during this dry period. Despite drought concerns, many residents are enjoying extended beach weather in coastal Sydney.1930 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Around the motu: Torika Tokalau Stuff Local Democracy reporter in Auckland.

A group of Taranaki mayors want urgent changes to a proposed disability support law they believe will put a disproportionate and unfair burden on their district. Taranaki has a higher than average numbers of people living with disability and unpaid informal caregivers. Taranaki Mayoral forum chairman Craig Williamson spoke to Lisa Owen.

In part two, apricot or biscotti? Those are two of the options Timaru councillors chose from for a paint job at the Theatre Royal. Then, you've heard of board game cafes, but how about a remote control cafe? A spot in Auckland's Mt Eden lets people send diggers around a sandpit as they sip their coffee.

Residents in Island Bay say they were confronted with nightmare scenes when faecal matter and sanitary products overflowed from the wastewater system during heavy rain. Wellington Water says a blockage near the southern end of the suburb overnight caused sewage to burst from manhole covers and gully traps over nearly a kilometre. Reporter Bill Hickman has more.

In this latest Papal Snapshot (our first of two episodes this week), we cover a letter from St. Jerome in which he describes papal authority over local church councils both east and west. More than 1,600 years later, this continues to match the same Catholic Church!VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://eternalchristendom.com/BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONAs a non-profit, you can support our mission with a tax-deductible gift. Help us continue to dig into the Great Tradition; produce beautiful, substantive content; and gift these treasures to cultural orphans around the world for free: https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic: https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content: https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTShttps://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro01:59 - Historical Context03:08 - St. Jerome, Letter 12304:29 - ConclusionThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

TV grandee and former Chairman of Ofcom, Michael Grade, joins Katie Razzall to discuss his outlook on the broadcasting sector. The Society of Editors is warning that local journalists are struggling to get access to elected councillors. Its CEO Dawn Alford shares her concerns, and we get the views of Oliver Rouane-Williams, founder and editor of Ipswich.co.uk, and Michael Hadwen, Reform leader of Suffolk County Council. Over 600 figures in French cinema have signed an open letter voicing concerns about the influence of French billionaire Vincent Bolloré. The BBC's James Waterhouse introduces us to the media tycoon often dubbed the ‘French Rupert Murdoch'. Plus, what are the editorial challenges of reporting on the heatwave? Laura Tobin, ITV's weather presenter, joins us to discuss.

An Auckland woman who has been attacked more than once by dogs on her street is now too afraid to walk her dog outside her gate. A resident in a neighbouring suburb said the problem of roaming dogs is making her consider moving. Auckland council agrees uncontrolled dogs are a problem and is hoping for changes to 30-year-old Dog Control legislation. Jessica Hopkins reports.

It's time for Mayoral minutes our regular weekly segment where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. Today we're heading to the capital Wellington, from where Mayor Andrew Little joins Jesse.

The Citizens Advice Bureau is facing significant funding challenges. Wellington City Council decided yesterday to effectively halve its funding for the local bureau, leaving the free independent service reeling. Citizen Advice Bureau CEO, Kerry Dalton spoke to Lisa Owen. 

There are calls for a national bed register, to stop so called ghost communities caused by short term holiday rentals. A bed register could force operators, like AirBnB, to share data with local councils; including accommodation addresses. The concern is that some areas, particularly in visitor hotspots, are being taken over with temporary accommodation... hollowing out neighbourhoods and making it hard for residents to find accommodation. Christchurch councillor Nathanial Herz Jardine spoke to Lisa Owen.