Podcasts about local councils

The deputy mayor of Thames-Coromandel says there'll only be two more summers of lengthy waits in the car to get to some Coromandel towns. Deputy mayor, John Grant spoke to Corin Dann.

Councils are once again being told to start living within their means and focus on the basics, with the government releasing details of its long-awaited rates cap. Instead of a fixed cap, the government has opted to go with a target band between two and four percent, to be enforced by a regulator. Councils can appeal to go higher, but the government's already warning that would only be for the most exceptional of circumstances. Political reporter Giles Dexter spoke to Lisa Owen. 

Mayors are warning we may be charged for libraries and see price hikes for other council services as the Government puts a cap on rates rises. Gisborne District Council mayor Rehette Stoltz spoke to Corin Dann.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Tim Batt and Aimie Hines. First up, rates caps are here. From 2027, councils won't be able to increase rates by more than 4 percent per year. The Westland region has had the highest rates rises in the country over the last three years. Its Mayor, Helen Lash, joins the programme. Then, the public inquiry into how Tom Phillips children were supported by authorities has raised questions over who deserves an investigation. Some lawyers, including Canterbury University lecturer Rachel Evans, say children living at Gloriavale are being overlooked.

The Government has announced the details on its plan for rates caps - councils will be capped at 4%.They will not be able to raise their rates by more than 4%, and the plan will start being implemented in a couple of years' time, sort of mid 27, and then will be fully in place by mid 2029.There will be exemptions to the rate cap. The high growth councils will be exempt from the cap. Councils that experience a natural disaster, something like bad weather, a quake, whatever, they will be exempt. Councils that need to catch up on infrastructure underinvestment, which I thought would have been most councils, they will be exempt.They will have to apply. The exempt will not be automatic. They will have to apply for an exemption, but those are the grounds they can apply on, which I think sounds like potentially a lot of councils who will be able to get around the 4% cap.Now, on the politics of it, it is incredibly smart to announce this - it is incredibly popular. One poll found that about 75% of people want to see this happen, and I really want this to work.I really want this to force councils to sharpen their pencils and start cutting out the nice to haves like the disco toilets and the bus stops with the gardens spouting from the top. And I want them to be able to be going through their staff list and maybe discover like Wellington has in the last week, about 330 people who probably don't need to be paid for by the ratepayer.And this will definitely, I think, do that. It will force a bit of discipline.But what does worry me is that this isn't dealing with the actual problem that we've got in local government, which is that we have a bunch of numpties sitting around the council tables making bad financial decisions.After this, we will still have numpties sitting around the council table, and those numpties will still make bad financial decisions.And if there's one thing that we've learned from recent experience with Wellington City Council, it's that when numpties cut spending, They cut spending on important things like pipes and for some weird reason they keep on spending on the dumb stuff like disco toilets, and I worry that that will happen around the country and we will simply end up with another crisis like we're having at the moment of deferred maintenance.Having said that, It is obviously a much better situation if the numpties have less money to waste rather than more money to waste.So on balance, the rates cap is probably an improvement on the status quo, isn't it?Even if only for the certainty it gives the rest of us that our rates bill next year will not force us out of our homes.In that respect, this has got to be good news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the festive season approaches one of the most iconic symbols of Christmas - the community Christmas tree - is going up in towns and cities around the country. Our reporters in Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch have been out in their local communities asking residents whether they believe it's money well spent.

The Local Government Minister is pleased to see councils joining forces under the new water infrastructure model. The Department of Internal Affairs expects councils to spend nearly 48-billion dollars on Local Water Done Well over the next decade. The reforms could create more than 40 water entities, with some councils joining multi-council-controlled organisations. Simon Watts told Mike Hosking that 38 councils have already combined to form 12 entities. But he says it's never been about the number of entities - the critical part is whether it's financially sustainable. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delving into the most significant changes to regional councils in decades.

The SS Al RawdahFor the first time ever the families of many of the 207 Republican internees held on the Al Rawdah prison ship between 1940 and 1941 met in Belfast. 85 years after their loved ones were interned on the prison hulk the families came together for the launch of Tom Hartley's insightful account of that period.At the beginning of his remarks Tom invited the relatives present to stand. There was spontaneous and sustained applause from the rest of the audience. It was an emotional moment, for the relatives and for those watching, in what was an evening of memory and recollection.Mary McConville whose Uncle ‘Rocky' Burns was held on the Al Rawdah, introduced the event and Tom Hartley explained to the relatives and audience his motivation for writing the book and the forensic approach he took in collecting information. He also drew attention to the poignant fact that two days earlier was the 85 anniversary of the only prisoner to die on the Al Rawdah, John Gaffney, who fell from his hammock and hit his head.Tom reminded us all that following partition in 1920 the Unionist Regime at Stormont moved quickly to consolidate its power and to ensure that nationalists and republicans living in the North posed no threat to their domination. Legislation was introduced to gerrymander electoral boundaries, and deny hundreds of thousands of citizens, mostly nationalist, access to a vote in local elections. Local Councils with nationalist majorities became unionist controlled. Discrimination in employment and housing was built into the structure of the state.A Space in which Dialogue is PossibleLast week Queens University , Belfast and Dundalk  Institute of Technology (DkIT) announced a significant new partnership that will establish DKiT as a University College of Queen's University. The all-island educational and economic potential is enormous. Last week also, the Good Friday Agreement Oireachtas committee was told that survival rates for children with congenital heart conditions on the island of Ireland now match the best results anywhere in the world. This is because of 15 years of co-operation between the health services North and South.To add to this good news, the Shared Island Unit announced an additional €50 million for projects and it emerged that a number of MEPs have written to the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola requesting special “observer” status for representatives from the North.The DUP leader Gavin Robinson immediately opposed the EU move. The perennial default position of the DUP and others within political unionism is to condemn and oppose any positive progress. This resistance to change is evident almost daily in the negative atmosphere that has been created in the Assembly, in the Executive and on local councils.The reality is that unionism has gone backwards to the 'NEVER, NEVER, NEVER' stance of past decades. This resistance to change reflects the essential insecurity of political unionism.None of this is new. Anyone with a basic understanding of unionist history since the plantation, and especially since the Home Rule struggle of the late 19th century and into partition, understands this.

Millions of dollars have been spent on a new speedway track at Auckland's Waikaraka Park and drivers say it's a win for the racing community. It comes after Auckland Council's controversial decision to end nearly 100 years of speedway racing at Western Springs and move all speedway to Onehunga. Construction has finished up just in time for the first Auckland race of the 2025-2026 speedway season this Saturday. Jessica Hopkins spoke to drivers after they tested out the track for the first time this morning.

A local community board has voted against having more concerts at Eden park, a move some Auckland businesses are describing as a handbrake on prosperity. The government wants to boost the number of gigs allowed at the venue to 12 large and 20 medium concerts a year. At the moment Eden Park is limited to six artists playing a total of 12 gigs a year. But Auckland Council's Albert-Eden local board has voted no to supporting that plan, which has infuriated the Dominion Road Business Association. Manager Gary Holmes spoke to Lisa Owen.

Christchurch has been revealed as the city that will be home to a national memorial to the Erebus crash victims. It comes after a wait of more than four and half decades and push back from other communties that didn't want it in their backyards. David Allan, who's parents and sister died in the Erebus crash, spoke to Lisa Owen.

Albert-Eden Local Board has been in the firing line after rejecting a motion to throw its support behind a proposal to loosen restrictions on Eden Park. Board chair Margi Watson spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Public consultation on Auckland Council's proposed six-month trial of fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections shows 78% of submitters opposed the trial. General manager for waste solutions, Justine Haves spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Disgusted, disappointed and furious - those are words of Simone Bennett reacting to the government's announcement that the long-awaited National Erebus Memorial will be built in Christchurch; Tourism operators are preparing for what they hope will be a strong summer season, with early signs looking good; Public consultation on Auckland Council's proposed six-month trial of fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections shows 78% of submitters opposed the trial; Eighty-year-old Ken McLeod started in the meat industry in 1962, when he was only 16; We crossed the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh.

Tauranga City Council have agreed to use chipseal - or cheap seal as some residents call it - to resurface roads. But it's providing an option for residents who prefer to keep their existing asphalt surface - at their own cost. Mayor Mahé Drysdale spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Wellington's mayor says it's more likely the region's councils will merge following reforms announced by the government this week. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

Taupo District Council has removed some of its public rubbish bins after they attracted too much rubbish and became sites for illegal dumping. Warrick Zander, the council's General Manager for Strategy and Environment spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Major banks have already dropped their advertised home loan rates after the cut to the official cash rate; From next month, Wellington police will begin saliva testing drivers for four drugs - THC (cannabis), methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine; Eden Park is forecasting a profit of just $145,000 next year, because of a lack of concerts and events; Mysterious disappearance of 65 bus stop seats in Auckland; Husband, father and ocean lover is how New Zealand's TikTok creator of the year describes himself on social media. Louis Davis has been crowned by the public as Aotearoa's best creator of 2025, at the Australia and New Zealand TikTok Awards last night.

At least one Wellington mayor says it's time district councils combined into one. The Government's proposing replacing regional councillors with boards of district mayors. They'll have two years from establishment, to put up a regional plan for future local Governments. Porirua mayor Anita Baker says the Wellington region should grab this opportunity. She explained Hutt City and Porirua residents have already said yes to amalgamation, and Wellington city mayor Andrew Little doesn't seem opposed either. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report suggests Wellington City Council could save tens of millions of dollars through drastic job cuts, but councillors won't be drawn on whether hundreds of staff are facing layoffs. Mary Argue reports.

The Government's plan to scrap regional councils and hand responsibilities over to mayor-led combined territories boards marks the biggest structural shift in local government in decades. Doug Leeder, Former Chairperson of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel; Regional Development Minister and NZ First Deputy Leader Shane Jones has been one of the strongest critics of regional government, previously saying there is "less and less of a justifiable purpose" for keeping regional councils under the new RMA system; The owners of a property prone to severe flash flooding are taking Auckland Council to court for designating their house safe to live in; There's very little wiggle room when it comes to the rights and regulations around annual leave, according to an employment law expert; Kiwis are knocking back more lower-alcohol beers, but it's less about the alcohol and more about their waistlines, says one expert.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says regional councils add layers of confusion, as he looks to scrap them. Consultation's open on the proposal which would see the councils abolished and replaced with boards made up of local Mayors. Boards would be required to put plans in place around re-organising services and infrastructure, which will be checked over and ticked off for financial sustainability. Chris Bishop told Mike Hosking there's enormous levels of complexity which people don't understand. He says in Wellington for example, the regional council runs the buses, but the city councils decide the road closures and where the bus stops are. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jono Naylor has been around all sides of the issue and joins Emile Donovan.

Newly elected regional councillors are in for a big change, with sweeping Government reforms. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop recently unveiled plans to replace the country's 11 regional councils with boards consisting of local mayors. He suggests this will streamline decision-making, planning and infrastructure across regions. LGNZ Regional Sector Chair Deon Swiggs says the mandate for mayors is different, so they wouldn't have expected to be on a regional board. "There might be some mayors that go - great, yep, we want to get our hands on that regional council. There will be others who go - this is not my jam, I don't want to do that, what are you thinking?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is proposing one of the biggest reform packages around local Government in decades. Ministers are launching consultation on major proposals - including replacing regional councils with boards made up of mayors from the region's city and district councils. It would aim to streamline decision-making, planning and infrastructure across regions - and boards would prepare a regional reorganisation plan within two years of being set up. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says it's time to re-examine local Government and make changes. "It would be the biggest shake-up since 1989, but we think, given we're going to make these changes to the way in which we do things locally anyway, now's the time to basically do it all." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is proposing to raise Kiwisaver contributions to a combined 12% by 2032 - bringing it in line with Australia; Newly re-elected Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says his second term will be focused on boosting the region's economic growth, making the CBD more inviting, and securing a city deal; Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke to Morning Report; We crossed the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh.

A survey of last term's Auckland councillors and local board members has found 81% of those who responded had been harassed or bullied by members of the public. Kim Baker Wilson reports.

Newly re-elected Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says his second term will be focused on boosting the region's economic growth, making the CBD more inviting, and securing a city deal. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Auckland Council has opened up a drop-off site for kids' coloured play sand, over a nationwide recall. Morecroft Asbestos Removal's Jason Catterall spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The number of Chinese tourists travelling to New Zealand has remained well below pre-Covid levels, despite a strong recovery from countries like Australia and the United States. RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Auckland's rough sleepers could soon be forcibly moved out of the central city, with ministers confirming they are considering taking action. Auckland's City Missioner Helen Robinson spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In part two, Waikanae locals are pushing back against developers bounding into town with high density houses. Then, new noise rules in Dunedin are being hailed a success for all. New CBD houses will have higher acoustic insulation requirements, keeping the residents, and musicians, happy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of the few remaining licensing Trusts in New Zealand say the community doesn't want alcohol sold at more places in West Auckland. Chief executive of the Trusts, Allan Pollard spoke to Corin Dann.

The Bird of the Year winner has its talons out in Wellington - where people are being attacked on a popular bush walk by nesting karearea, New Zealand falcons. Alexa Cook reports.

From today, the public can offically submit feedback on Auckland Council's housing intensification plan. Auckland Councillor, Shane Henderson, spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The government has released the full draft of New Zealand's new Year 0 to 10 curriculum as opposition from within the educational sector grows to the proposed changes; More than half a million tickets have been dished out to Auckland drivers by plate-recognition vehicles last year - double the year before; The NZ Police Commissioner has asked his counterpart in Australia for a please explain, after learning that the Northern Territory has renewed its recruitment drive for Police Officers in New Zealand; Nicola Willis and Carmel Sepuloni joined Morning Report this morning for the Weekly Political Panel.

Kaipara has a new mayor after a controversial race with claims of voter irregularities and nepotism. Its deputy mayor, Jonathan Larsen, won the mayoralty by just 21 votes. Jonathan Larsen spoke to Corin Dann.

The Kaipara District Council will this morning make a second attempt at having an emergency meeting after a meeting on Thursday was interrupted by an elderly protester. RNZs Northland reporter Peter de Graaf spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Former mayor among speakers at climate change conference in Christchurch. RNZ's Anna Sargent reports.

Former Labour leader Andrew Little has been voted Wellington's new mayor - winning in a landslide. He spoke to Corin Dann.

Dinnie Moeahu, the provisionally re-elected New Plymouth District Councillor, whose campaign focused on retaining the Maori wards spoke to Corin Dann.

Timothy Brown reports on council election results from across the South Island.

Local Government NZ president Sam Broughton spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Lauren Crimp reports on council election results from across the North Island.

Jacquie Grant looks set to be voted mayor of Westland at the age of 81.