We are changing how we make an impact. Because making an impact is how we bring about positive change for local government and your communities. This year sees significant reforms across three major areas and we want to make sure any changes are right for today, as well as for the future.
In April 2021, the Government announced an independent review of local government that would seek to identify how our system of local democracy and governance needs to evolve over the next 30 years. The Future for Local Government Panel was formed to lead the review and in June 2023, the Panel released its final report – the culmination of two years’ of talking to local government, looking at best practice and considering all the trade-offs.
The Government’s Three Waters Reform is about changing how New Zealand’s stormwater, drinking water and wastewater services are delivered.
Under the Resource Management Act, councils make important decisions about their communities' natural and built environment - but the current system has been criticized for being overly complex. So, the Government is undergoing reform to repeal it and replace it with three new pieces of legislation, with an aim to simplify and make the system more flexible.