Our new purpose is to be local democracy's vision and voice.
We will be curious, proactive and responsive to the needs of local government. We will ensure that local democracy – and local voice – is at the front and centre of all our work. We will leverage the shared interests of Aotearoa and translate local democracy’s contribution to them in a meaningful and powerful way through the different strata of New Zealand society and leadership. We will advocate for councils and be a champion for their communities’ needs.
We’ll look beyond the horizon, working to a timescale that’s longer than the next election cycle for the sake of future generations. That means applying ourselves at the micro and macro level to truly understand the issues that confront us today as well as anticipate those that will challenge us tomorrow.
Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to be the most active and inclusive local democracy in the world.
This vision forces us to imagine a new reality for local government – one that gets its power, momentum, richness and influence from the participation of its communities. To get there, we must energise local government so that more Kiwis want to speak up, participate, stand for office, vote on what they care about, be educated and understand that the future is in their hands.
We believe that to grow a great New Zealand, we need thriving local communities and a strong local government.
LGNZ will empower councils across New Zealand who know their communities best to support them to thrive – culturally, economically, socially and environmentally.
We will support and advocate for councils, ensuring the needs and priorities of their communities and residents are heard loud and clear at the highest levels of central government.
Guided by National Council, our focus will be on being future-fit, proactive and inclusive in all that we do – from policy development and advocacy, to supporting capability building through advice, consultancy and training.
Four new leadership pillars will guide us.
We’ve heard from our members that they want us to be stronger and more effective in how we advocate for them. We’ll be working to four leadership pillars that have the potential to create a reset and facilitate lasting positive change.
Whakahono // Connect
Connect different players in our ecosystem to bring strength to the whole sector.
Whakamana // Advocate
Champion and influence central government and our communities on behalf of the national interests of local government with credibility and authority.
Whanake // Develop
Create the right environment to build capability and enable our councils to excel.
Whakauru // Include
Ensure every New Zealander can participate, thrive and be represented by local government.