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Local Government Policy

More information about the Local Government portfolio and its issues:

Local Government (Rating) Act Update (press release)
Local Government Act 2002
New Zealand Local Government on the Net
Local Government Commission
Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Local Government (619k)To read or print a pdf document you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program free from the Adobe site. For a hard copy version contact: info@dia.govt.nz.
Brochures "You And Your Council - Ways of Getting Involved" and including translations into other languages are available here.

What is Local Government?
Few of the issues which government deal with are neatly contained within national boundaries. Some are global, a few are national, and many others are local. Either they affect only particular localities or they affect different localities differently, or the populations of different localities might legitimately have differing views on what ought to be done or how it should be done. All modern democracies divide the work of government between central government and some form of local, regional, or state government.

In New Zealand, there is central government and local government (involving both regional and territorial authorities).

Local Authorities

12 regional councils
74 territorial authorities (district and city councils), including four unitary authorities
For a list of links to the websites of all 86 local authorities (click here).

Department of Internal Affairs' Roles in Local Government

Secretary for Local Government
Section 2B of the Local Government Act 1974 provides that the person for the time being holding the office of Secretary for Internal Affairs shall be the Secretary for Local Government. The Seventeenth Schedule to the Act lists several Acts under which functions, powers and duties are conferred or imposed on the Minister of Local Government and the Secretary for Local Government.

Note: The Local Government Act 2002 was given royal assent on 24 December 2002. It repeals the Local Government Act 1974.

Local Government Policy Team
Policy advice on Local Government is provided to the Minister of Local Government by a team within the Policy Group of the Department of Internal Affairs. The team:

provides policy advice on local government to the Minister of Local Government and also to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee on local Bills
administers Acts and Regulations on behalf of the Minister of Local Government.

Local Government Services Team
This team:

provides support services to the Local Government Commission
provides services relating to the administration of statutes and local government information
provides services relating to Lake Taupo, offshore islands, the Rates Rebate Scheme, disaster recovery grants and the Chatham Islands
administers the harbourmaster functions at Lake Taupo.

Local Government KnowHow

LG KnowHow is a joint work programme by Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), the Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM), and the Department of Internal Affairs, to provide councils with the guidance, templates, "best practice" advice and ongoing training that will enable them to implement the new Local Government and Rating Acts successfully.


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Last updated: 20/04/2004