News & Media

With just six weeks until the final day of voting, the 2019 New Zealand Local Elections are shaping up to be hugely competitive with more than two candidates standing for every council seat on offer across the country (2,076 candidates standing for the 889 seats).

LGNZ is equipping councils with another key policy tool to help them gear their communities up for the impact of climate change with the release of the Exposed: Climate change and infrastructure guidance document.

LGNZ will carefully consider the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) to assess if it meets the Government’s aim of enabling urban development or simply adds more red tape to the planning process.

LGNZ welcome The New Zealand’s Initiative’s ‘Living after midnight’ report as an important step to advance the debate around how councils protect their communities, but also allow the night-time economy to thrive.

LGNZ will be cautiously assessing the wider implications of the newly proposed National Position Statement on Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL), noting that that it traverses a number of highly complex policy areas including housing affordability and property rights.

The launch of a public consultation by the Ministry for the Environment to identify products that should be included in product stewardship schemes is being welcomed by LGNZ, who say that it’s time for a mandatory scheme to incentivise waste minimisation and diversion from landfill.

LGNZ is disappointed central government has opted for the harshest medicine to help a minority of ailing polytechs by creating an untested and uncosted mega-institute to run all vocational training in New Zealand.

LGNZ welcomes the establishment of a drinking water regulator, a move councils have long been calling for, and commends central government for strengthening its long-neglected stewardship role in the provision of safe drinking water.

Local Government New Zealand calling for all eligible people to take action and enrol to vote in the upcoming 2019 local government elections.

Greetings from LGNZHow do we empower communities to take charge of their social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being?  Through localism - a global concept that recognises that the best outcomes are a result of local people making local decisions about the places they love.