Government - Local Government
Local government will be required to shed its commercial activity, thereby eliminating the need to separate regulatory and commercial functions between local and regional councils Roads and piped water will be supplied on a fully commercial basis Require councils to focus on their core functions Promote contracting out of many council services Review the two-tier structure of local government
Local government to be given the mandate, powers, funding mechanisms to be a facilitator of local sustainable development. Guaranteed Tangata Whenua participation in local governance.
Not set out on their website.
Involve local government in the preparation of a 20-year national infrastructure plan to set clear directions for vital infrastructure investment, including high-priority areas Develop a common investment framework for infrastructure that spans central and local government Review the legislation that central government imposes on local government Maintain the Rates Rebate Scheme, while making it easier for people to get their rebate Implement the new Waste Minimisation Act with local government and industry and ensure it does not cut across successful waste programmes
Conduct a nationwide study into the inter-relationship between regional and local councils and community boards, exploring both their functions and relevance Encourage communities of interest to explore the feasibility of merging some local body entities Reduce the layers of bureaucracy which have increasingly been superimposed onto local government Explore options to reduce the rates encumbrance on seniors with a fixed income Fine tune the local government role in the Resource Management Act process
Review the funding and purpose of Local Government Reduce the financial pressure on local authorities by increasing the central government's Financial Assistance Rate for the maintenance and construction of local roads up to 80% of their total cost Investigate alternative local body funding arrangements with the aim of abolishing rates on domestic and commercial properties Ensure an emphasis is placed on increasing shared services for Local Authorities Initiate a programme of citizenship and civics education in schools and communities to address low voter participation