Under-funded, under-powered and under pressure: the local government sector is facing a series of crises around the country. Alex Braae looks at the biggest questions for the future. It can be easy to miss the big picture when looking at individual councils and their problems. But across 11 regional councils, 13 city councils and 53 … Read more
Nanaia Mahuta has confirmed the Labour government’s commitment to urgently change the law so that councils may establish Māori wards in the same way as general wards. Those in opposition have a lot to say about it – but what are they actually saying? The release from local government minister Nanaia Mahuta this week states: … Read more
A woman walks into her local council office and asks if she can veto the Māori ward. That’s not the start of a joke – it’s weirdly something that can actually happen. Comedian Janaye Henry imagines how that conversation might go. Why are so many people opposed to the idea of Māori council wards? And … Read more
Annie Te One explains why embedding Māori representation in local government shouldn’t be such a big deal. After the next local elections, Tauranga City Council will join Wairoa District Council and Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils in being the only local governments with designated Māori wards. Debates over Māori representation in local government, … Read more
Six things councils can do right now to make the ’emergency’ worth more than the paper it’s written on. Councils are declaring climate emergencies across the country, but with only a decade to cut carbon emissions in half, it’s time for them to act like this is an emergency. So, what can our cities be … Read more
The Waitara Lands Bill passed its third reading in December – settling one of Aotearoa’s longest-running land disputes – despite only one of two hapū giving their support. Why has the government allowed this to happen, asks Leonie Pihama. I received a parliamentary alert in December that read, “The following documents matching your alert criteria … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Local government proposals raise support and concerns, Wellington buses have been a mess, and Te Papa’s CEO defends job cut restructure proposals. We touched on the Local Government NZ conference a bit at the start of the week, but I think it deserves further exploring. The … Read more
Nadine Millar writes a love letter to her beloved Porirua, and asks ‘What’s in a name?’ A few years ago, in 1994, a local businessman started an unsuccessful campaign to change the name of Porirua. Chris Gollins, a real estate consultant and media personality, felt that businesses were put off coming to the city because they baulked … Read more