Media Release: LGNZ Manifesto – an important step for empowering our local councils
Wellington (23 July 2017): The release of Local Government New Zealand’s (LGNZ) 2017 Local Government Manifesto calls for councils to have more of the responsibility to create stronger, vibrant and more prosperous communities.
Since 2012, the role of local government has been a core research topic for The New Zealand Initiative. Across six research reports, the Initiative has published recommendations on strengthening local government, promoting local democracy and devolving government services.
“Localism is more than just local government,” says Dr Oliver Hartwich, The New Zealand Initiative’s Executive Director. “It is about bringing government closer to the people and making it accountable to them, not giving local government more money and power.”
The Initiative and LGNZ share many views on the role of local government.
One such view is how to address the country’s housing crisis. In our 2013 report, Free to Build, we recommended incentivising local councils for development by letting them capture the GST component of new buildings.
It is pleasing to see LGNZ advocating for this in their Manifesto. With the growing awareness and support of this recommendation, we believe the next government has no choice but to put housing at the top of the political agenda.
The three core recommendations from our localism research over the past five years are:
- Local communities should share the benefits that accrue to central government from extractive industries and growth. Local government should receive financial benefits for creating economic growth (and suffer a loss when it does not)
- Central and local government need to better define their responsibilities to preclude cost-shifting and blame games, and enhance accountability
- Special economic zones would increase flexibility and regional variability of economic policy
The Initiative will continue to push for a fundamental rethink of the relationship between government and its citizens.
Read, Manifesto 2017: What the next New Zealand government should do.
Read, Free to Build: Restoring New Zealand's Housing Affordability
Read more on the Initiative's housing research, here.
ENDS
Dr Oliver Hartwich is in Auckland at the LGNZ Conference. For any interviews, please phone him directly on 021 0815 4973.
Media contact
Simone White, Communications Officer
The New Zealand Initiative
Phone: +64 4 494 9109
Mobile: +64 21 2937 250
Email: simone.white@nzinitiative.org.nz