Local Government

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Comment by Tony Milne on March 3, 2010 at 8:00pm

I'm just wondering if anyone here is from the New Plymouth district council or has any inside knowledge of that Council? I need to produce an analysis of the Councillors for a campaign I'm about to run there.

Cheers,
Tony

Comment by Pat Bolster on December 23, 2009 at 9:59am

THINKING OF possibly STANDING ?

Wellington Labour Local Government Committee


CALL FOR NOMINATIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR 2010 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Concerned about local issues????

Want to ‘make a difference’????

Interested in standing for Labour for Wellington City Council or the Mayoralty in the October 2010 local body elections????

Want to lodge a nomination or declare an expression of interest????

We are hereby calling for nominations for Labour Candidates for the Lambton, Southern, Eastern, Onslow-Western, and Northern Wards, and Mayoralty of Wellington City Council.

Nomination forms are available from:

Wellington Labour Local Government Committee
C/- 123 Severn Street
Island Bay, Wellington
Phone 383 9747 or 384 9321
Mobile 027-383-9747
Email: sue.shone@gmail.com

Completed nomination forms should be lodged at the above address by the closing date of Monday 1st February 2010.

It is intended that Candidates will be selected during February 2010, in order to allow a full seven months to campaign for the elections.

If you would prefer to simply declare an “expression of interest” at this stage, please contact us by completing and returning the form at the bottom of this email, or by telephone. We will be very happy to discuss what would be involved in putting your name forward, so that you may decide whether you would like to lodge a formal nomination.

With kind regards.

Robin Boldarin (Chair) Pat Bolster (Deputy Chair) (04) 384 9321
_____________________________________________________________

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM

I would like to express my interest in lodging a nomination to become a Labour Candidate for Wellington City Council. Please could you contact me to discuss.


Name: ____________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Contact/s:
Phone ____________________________________________________

E-mail _____________________________________________________

Comment by Patrick Leyland on September 17, 2009 at 10:03pm

Evening everyone. Progress, a UK think-tank, have just published a rather interesting pamphlet on Labour in local government, check it out here:

http://clients.squareeye.com/uploads/prog/documents/pamph_locallabour.pdf

Comment by Grant Collie on August 6, 2009 at 10:03am

Hi Pat,
will try to come down, but doubtful at such short notice. I'm sure R3 would find it useful but again short notice to get to everyone.
In future, can this sort of excellent event be advised to LG Sector Council and we can get the info out as well?
I will copy the info onto both the LGSC and R3 pages.
Cheers

Grant

Comment by Pat Bolster on August 5, 2009 at 7:39pm

I think that, especially with Rodney Hide, and the Nats push on the local government front, that it is essential that we are seen to energetically take up te challenge. That means, amongst other approaches, that we field large and strong tickets for next year's Local Government Elections - EARLY ! I would like to see selections take place before Christmas, so that people have plenty of time to campaign and get known.

If we can sort out themes that reinforce our national policy stance [can this be done at the Local Government Sector Council?], so much the better.

Comment by Pat Webster on August 5, 2009 at 7:33pm

Looks really interesting Pat - sorry I can't be at these things these days - hope it goes well

Comment by Pat Bolster on August 5, 2009 at 6:59pm

Please urge all Party members and suporters to come to the
NZLP Region 4 WORKSHOP on LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Labour Principles and Policies for the 2010 local body elections”

Venue: St Johns Church, Corner of Dixon & Willis Streets, Wellington
Date: Saturday 15th August 2009; Time: 10am – 4pm

10am -10.45 am SUPER CITY
Implications of a super city in Auckland for the Wellington Region
David Shand (Former Chair – Super City Commission)

10.45-10.50 am Break

10.50 am-11.25am COMMUNITY SERVICES
What role should councils play in providing these services?
Taima Fagaoloa (Cllr Porriua City)

11.25 am-12.00pm REGIONAL TRANSPORT
What funding should be allocated to public transport versus regional road networks?
Peter Glensor (Deputy Chair – GWRC)

12.00 pm-12.30pm Lunch

12.30pm-1.05pm INVOLVING YOUNGER PEOPLE
Will debate the importance of local body politics to youth and why they should get involved.
Panel Cllr Iona Pannet (Welington City )
James Coyle (Young Labour)
Cllr Anne Molineux (Kapiti District)

1.05 pm-1.40pm ENVIRONMENT
Issues’ relating to local government and the Resource Management Act, also looks at the role local government needs to play in mitigating climate change.
Charles Chauvel (Labour List MP)

1.40pm-1.45pm Break

1.45pm-2.20pm STRATEGIC ASSETS
What assets are strategic, who should own them and what models of governance are appropriate for managing these.
Ken Douglas (Cllr Porirua City)

2.20pm-2.55pm HEALTH
The role District Health Boards can play in supporting community health initiative and programmes
Margaret Faulkner (Capital & Coast DHB)
& Sharron Cole (Hutt Valley DHB)

2.55pm-3.10pm Afternoon Tea

3.10-3.30pm SUMMING UP
and - where now ?

Comment by Pat Webster on July 26, 2009 at 12:17pm

In case anyone has not seen this - may find it interesting analysis prior to LGNZ conference:

Colin James's column for the Press for 25 July 2009



Managing Rodney: a local test for Key



Will John Key and Rodney Hide be on roughly the same page in their speeches to the local government conference on Monday and Tuesday? For National's sake, they have to be.

Hide has picked up where Maurice Williamson left off in the last National-led government. One get-together of predominantly conservative local government grandees was -- until wiser counsel prevailed -- itching to pass a vote of no-confidence in Hide.

The wiser counsel went thus: councillors agree with some of Hide's concerns (such as central government dumping new duties on local government without commensurate funding); Hide is not the whole government and the National party has been trying to be nice; and attacking Hide will be grist to his populist mill.

What worried local body grandees was that Hide might be a stalking horse for National ministers wanting to be more daring but not quite daring to be. Not so, was the word behind the scenes: the issue was one of political management. The government is still learning that art.

That learning curve bent upward in the super-Auckland misfire. Hide produced a quickfire proposal which the cabinet bought and thereby also bought a storm. Key had to do his trademark soothe and appoint Associate Local Government Minister John Carter, whom in 2007 and 2008 he had sent round the local body traps repairing Williamson's damage, to chair a special select committee.

Large adjustments to Hide's Auckland blueprint are likely.

Changes are likely also to Hide's April cabinet paper on reforming local government, which is what riled the grandees.

Floating in local government circles is a critique of this paper which in essence says the paper owes more to rhetoric drawn from ideology and hearsay than to analysis based on principle and evidence.

Example: the cabinet paper refers to "widespread concern", "numerous complaints" and suchlike without sourcing or quantifying them. That does not gell with Hide's insistence, as Minister for Regulatory Reform, on rigorous cost-benefit analysis in advance of regulatory or legislative change.

Example: the paper bemoans above-inflation residential rate rises in a sample of councils but those rises reflect, at least in part, the rebalancing of business and residential rates, central government impositions, the difference between council cost rises and consumer price rises and the need to fix infrastructure backlogs. The Shand commission in 2007, which projected 10 years of rate rises to pay for infrastructure, said rates would rise only to the same percentage of GDP as in the 1980s.

Example: the paper sought lower compliance costs but tougher financial transparency and accountability which would add compliance costs; it wants less onerous consultation on long-term plans but more ratepayer participation in deciding what councils do.

Example: at the core of that cabinet paper is a demand that councils stick to "core services" but did not define the core and nor has Hide in his speeches; he has said he knows what is not core.

The act under which councils have to operate charges them with their communities' economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing. That suggests a wide "core".

But Hide didn't need a definition. He has a mechanism: ratepayers (and not other voters?) would be able to "tick a box" to cap rate rises to the rate of inflation. That's democratic.

National is not keen on this. It notes California's travails because of a tax cap imposed by binding citizens-initiated referendum.

So to get rate caps or spending cuts or a retreat to "core services" voters will have to do what they did to several councils in 2007: vote out big spenders and put in smaller spenders.

Council rates and spending were in fact issues of concern and complaints -- and debate -- in the 2007 elections. They no doubt will be in the 2010 elections. People don't like paying rates, especially for things they don't want councils to do, though one ratepayer's/voter's undesirable activity is another's desirable activity, which is the sort of disagreement representative government is designed to resolve.

So there is much for Key and Hide to iron out between them.

The word is that they have exchanged notes and, while there might be some light between them, their speeches will be reconcilable. That's political management.

In other words, while Hide is engagingly bouncy and blunt and Key more measured and conciliatory, they broadly agree on promoting council efficiency, collaboration and containment of costs and rate rises.

National, for example, is keen for councils to take much further the collaboration some have initiated, in drawing up plans, in borrowing, in purchasing and in delivering services. Wairarapa's three councils have one district plan. In Canterbury and Southland councils share many services. Hide backs all of that.

The challenge for Key's management is that Hide leads with the ideas but Key must be in charge. That is what to watch for on Monday and Tuesday.




--
Colin James, Synapsis Ltd, P O Box 9494, Wellington 6141
Ph (64)-4-384 7030, Mobile (64)-21-438 434, Fax (64)-4-384 9175
Webpage http://www.ColinJames.co.nz

Comment by Grant Collie on July 26, 2009 at 10:48am

Hope to see as many of you as possible at the LGNZ Conference.

Comment by Ann Pala on June 10, 2009 at 11:14pm

Hi , The Waitakere Ethnic Board is consulting with friends and members before making a submission on the Super City. Anyone interested to attend a network meeting on Thursday 18h June 6.30p.m at Waitakere City Council Chambers is most welcome. Contact me on 021 813 607.

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