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A call to action
All through these pages there have been illustrations of the constraint and necessary interplay between central and local government.
Parliament is sovereign. It can delegate more or less power to local councils.
Parliament is elected by the citizens, so at any moment its decisions reflect the views and wishes of the majority of voters.
Similarly, smaller groups of citizens elect local authorities, thus making clear enough the general approach they expect councillors to take to a range of local issues. They then have opportunities to influence the drawing up of action plans (called ‘outcomes’).
Not only must councils operate within the law of the land, they are encouraged – and obviously find it useful – to cooperate with neighbouring local bodies and various local and regional institutions, and also with the organs of central government. In fact, it is difficult to imagine them not doing so: this is an integrated society and communications are good.
LGA 2002 gives local government its purpose “to enable local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of communities, and to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well being of communities, in the present and for the future”.
During 2004, most local authorities were to design their community outcomes process, provided for in LGA 2002. Councils could invite central government and other parties to comment on their proposed process, provide information and participate in outcomes identification. By mid-2005, all local authorities need to start developing their long-term plans, the LTCCPs, due by July 2006. As part of their LTCCP development process, councils are likely to talk with other parties about what they might do to help promote identified local outcomes that those parties have an interest in. LGA 2002 does not require that central government participate in community outcome processes or promote local outcomes. Nevertheless, Government policy on local government encourages the “development of a partnership relationship with local government”.
Government has indicated through recent policy initiatives (e.g. Review of the Centre, Managing for Outcomes, Sustainable Development Programme of Action) that it expects departments to work collaboratively with one another and with other sectors (including the local government sector) to achieve mutually desired outcomes. These policies are changing the way central government agencies work together and with other sectors of society. Central government representatives are encouraged to consider how they might use the information from outcomes processes to reconsider and reprioritise their policies, programmes and service delivery.
More effective central government collaboration around the LGA can be accelerated by the co-ordinating roles of key departments, in particular Department of Internal Affairs, State Services Commision, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Te Puni Kökiri, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, and Treasury.
Laws, rules – and government administrative arrangements – can be changed by initiatives from all sorts of directions. Participants in the political process at national or local level can have influence in a variety of ways – from writing to ministers to responding to government discussion papers, from voting for your preferred candidate or standing for council and promoting policies that appeal to you and those who support you.
The good citizen keeps himself or herself informed, thinks over the issues and, when the time comes, registers a vote.